Let's start the show

There’s never been a better time for self-education. Entire companies with massive valuations sprout up constantly to transition underqualified adults out of their boring jobs and into something that better scratches that bothersome intellectual itch, and I am one of them. I learned, many years after my college degree in English ended, that analytics and data analysis calmed my frontal lobe in a way far more satisfying than I ever expected. Yet, with barely a VLOOKUP to my name, the transition to analytics has been a long, winding, and confusing road to follow. I’m hopeful this site will help others making that change, while also offering something interesting and/or tragicomic (we’ll talk a lot about my beloved Jets and the Knicks).

This site will explore data analysis through a lens of pop culture and sports, but a healthy appreciation for the steep learning curve we all face tackling a new subject or way of thinking. My favorite sites appreciate not only the weight sports have on the national conversation, but the joy and endless intrigue produced by these superstar athletes every single day. A sport like the NBA can simultaneously inspire pieces like this Brian Philips ode to Russell Westbrook, the ever informative deep dives from Zach Lowe, and Ramona Shelburne’s illuminating profile of Joel Embiid. Sports let us embrace the qualitative and learn from the quantitative, and they’re the perfect springboard for using new data skills to answer fun questions.

And, ultimately, that’s what this should be: fun. I hope the site can show off a cool idea or Python trick while still measuring the scope of Jets sadness, the promise of Kevin Knox, and the oddities and obscurities that keep us checking box scores and debating rankings year in and year out.