WSJ: Inside The World Excel Championships — The 'Olympics Of Competitive Spreadsheeting’

Wall Street Journal, Inside the World Excel Championships (Yes, You Read That Right):

The excitement is off the charts at the Olympics of competitive ‘spreadsheeting’

In a flashy hotel on the famous Strip on Saturday night, Andrew “the Annihilator” Ngai ran down an arena walkway with hands in the air, and burst onstage to screaming fans. His two-time world championship was on the line.

The Australian didn’t know it, but within minutes, victory would seemingly be snatched away from him, all because of a computer glitch. This seems appropriate, since Ngai was playing to be the best at competitive Excel, which is an actual thing.

For many, Excel is something to be avoided after work hours. But the omnipresent office spreadsheet software has spawned ranks of data geeks who see Excel as a sport. And here they were at the biggest table of them all: the Microsoft Excel World Championship, held at the HyperX Arena Las Vegas in the Luxor Hotel & Casino. ...

The bean counters of the world finally got the respect they deserve, with a crowd of financial-modeling nerds blowing off mundane Vegas distractions such as a U2 concert, an NBA game, and the rodeo, to watch Excel athletes sit before computers onstage and “spreadsheet” like there’s no tomorrow.  ...

The team running the event expertly merged both razzle and dazzle, featuring an onstage “are-you-ready-to-rumble” style announcer, Stephen Rose—a consultant and former Microsoft employee—and color commentary by Jon Acampora and Oz du Soleil, both Excel trainers.

At one point, Rose so overly enthusiastically introduced contestant Diarmuid Early, a computer-science Ph.D. known as the LeBron James of Excel, he had to pause and collect himself. “I need a little water after the LeBron,” he said.

Another contestant, Brandon “B-Money” Moyer, ran down the walkway spanking himself as if he were a prizewinning racehorse.

The Guardian, ‘You Didn’t Just Succeed, You Exceled’: Sydney Man Dubbed the ‘Annihilator’ Wins Excel World Championship