How it works
Each level has the same shape: lessons to learn the concept, challenges to apply it, and a capstone to prove you can ship.
Lessons
Section titled “Lessons”6-10 per level. Each one runs 5-10 minutes. Every lesson follows the same template:
- Hook — one or two sentences on why this matters.
- Concept — the SQL or Python idea, in plain language.
- Lions example — a worked example on real data.
- Try it — an inline exercise, 2-3 minutes.
- Common mistakes — the gotchas.
- Quick check — 2-3 questions to confirm.
Challenges
Section titled “Challenges”8-12 per level. Each one is a discrete problem you solve and submit.
- Prompt — one sentence (e.g. “Find the Lions’ leading rusher each week of 2024”).
- Expected output — table shape or value.
- Difficulty — Rookie, Starter, or All-Pro.
- Hint — collapsible.
- Solution — collapsible, available after submission.
Capstones
Section titled “Capstones”One per level. The capstone is what unlocks the next level.
- Brief — one paragraph describing the deliverable.
- Required deliverables — notebook, queries, optional dashboard.
- Evaluation criteria — 3-5 specific things it must do.
- Reference solution — released after you ship yours.
The unlock loop
Section titled “The unlock loop”You move up because you shipped the artifact, not because a week passed. Per level the bar is roughly:
| Level | Bar |
|---|---|
| 1 | 8 of 10 stat-lookup challenges + season recap notebook |
| 2 | Position scouting card with comparative table + 3 charts |
| 3 | Working 4th-down EV calculator + writeup of one Lions game |
| 4 | Predictive model with held-out test set + one-page writeup |
| 5 | Live URL, public repo, README good enough for a stranger to fork |