Rational Football League

In the Rational Football League, students recruit a fantasy team of football players based on randomly generated statistics presented as ratios. To understand which player to draft for each position, students leverage ratio and proportional reasoning to compare the three options, ultimately deciding which stat they deem more important. Once their team is complete, students compete in the RFL Super Bowl, putting their six selections to the test to determine if they’d made the best choices or if their team would falter.

For Google Docs links, please visit https://www.ctlessons.org/math/rational-football-league.html

This activity leverages my Rational Football League web app: https://www.ctlessons.org/apps/rationalFootballLeague.html

Topics addressed:
Ratio and proportional reasoning
Football basics

Primary CT concept: algorithmic thinking. The RFL is all about understanding how parameters can affect the outcome of an algorithm, which in this case means who wins the football game. If you input players with high stats in key areas, you’re more likely to win!

Students will be able to:
Apply ratio and proportional reasoning to a fantasy football draft
Compare football stats presented as ratios and select the most qualified player

Prep:
This activity assumes your students have already been taught how to compare ratios and proportions. It is a practice tool, not a teach-for-the-first-time tool.

Suggested lesson breakdown:
This activity can work entirely hands off – the web app includes all necessary instructions to get students comfortable with drafting football players using ratios and proportions. You can also work together as a class through selecting a mascot, as every student will see the same options for that character alone, and the selection does not affect gameplay during the RFL Super Bowl.

For further information and relevant standards, please visit https://www.ctlessons.org/math/rational-football-league.html