Inspiration
The NCAA March Madness tournament is a beloved event in the sports world. In fact, roughly 70 million brackets are filled out each year to try and predict the outcome of the tournament and this number continues to grow each year. Conversely, the NBA has been losing popularity over the years. For example, last year's NBA finals, the most prominent event in the NBA, averaged only 7.5 million viewers, about 1/10 as many people who filled out NCAA brackets. In addition, the most recent NBA draft averaged only 2.65 million viewers, the lowest since 2009. As a huge fan of basketball and the NBA, I decided to create a web app to gain people's interest in the NBA finals and the NBA draft. I also love the thrill of predicting the NCAA tournament so I created this web app to get that same feeling all year long.
What it does
This web application prompts the user to choose from either predicting the NBA draft or predicting the NBA playoffs. If the user elects to predict the NBA draft, they will be shown the how the scoring works and the tiers they will be in depending on how many picks they correctly predict. In addition, there are a couple of links provided to the user if they want to learn more about the players entering the draft and if they want an example of who to pick. Once the user scrolls down, they can enter their picks in a table and save their results which can be accessed later with the load button. If the user elects to predict the NBA playoffs, they will first be shown how the scoring works for when they enter their predictions. The user can then enter their predictions in a bracket along with the number of games each team will win and save their results which they can access later with the load button.
How I built it
I built this web application with javascript, css, html, jQuery, and with google APIs.
Challenges I ran into
I faced immense difficulty styling the bracket and making it look presentable. Not to mention, I unfamiliar with css and this was my first time using jQuery and APIs so I took considerable time trying to figure out how to implement them into my project. I faced difficulty with the parallax effect and the moving background as I have no experience coding them. The scoring system was also quite difficult to perfect for the NBA playoffs as I needed the users to be risky and receive more points, or they can play it safer with a lower chance of winning.
Accomplishments that I'm proud of
I'm proud of completing my project during this hackathon and building my skills in javascript, css, html, jQuery, and APIs. I am also excited to use this web app myself to create a more fun environment for when the NBA playoffs and draft roll around and sharing this with my friends and classmates for them to enjoy as well.
What I learned
I learned more about javascript, css and how to make web applications look good, html and how to create a better UX and UI, jQuery, and how to implement APIs. I also learned many new skills through the workshops and more about my favorite sport.
What's next for Perfect Pick
I am looking forward to launching Perfect Pick and I hope I can create excitement amongst NBA fans like back in the day. I also hope to host competitions where people predict the NBA draft and playoffs and potentially earn rewards for getting the highest score similar what the NCAA tournament does for its tournament. Overall, I hope Perfect Pick can spark excitement and passion among fans and help people enjoy NBA festivities.
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