I agree with most of these points, but there is one niche where this could make a lot of sense: programming contests (e.g. topcoder, google codejam). These are

I agree with most of these points, but there is one niche where this could make a lot of sense: programming contests (e.g. topcoder, google codejam). These are very similar to sports to begin with, and it can be quite interesting to watch somebody implement a moderately complex algorithm in 15 minutes.