There seems like a pretty obvious distinction here. Sports brings people together because it's something we can all understand quite easily and it's entertainin

There seems like a pretty obvious distinction here. Sports brings people together because it's something we can all understand quite easily and it's entertaining. Actors do the same thing. As do musicians. Nerds help improve our lives but do you expect wall-to-wall TV coverage of someone coding the latest app? Most viewers wouldn't be able to understand what's going on and even for most coders it wouldn't be entertaining. When it comes to the awards you've mentioned - they're setup by the very organisations the winners work for. It's not like the world is recognising someone for an achievement. It's their employers and colleagues.