A Data Visualization Newsletter

The Berlin Wall encircled the city for nearly three decades, preventing citizens of East Berlin from defecting to the West. Then, suddenly, East Berlin opened its borders on November 9, 1989 and the wall came crashing down. In the 30 years since, pieces of the wall have scattered to 237 locations in 40 different countries, including Jamaica, Israel, Australia, and the U.S.

Football may still be America’s most popular sport, but across the country, the tides are starting to turn. Since 2008, the number of high school boys playing tackle football has dropped more than ten percent nationwide. Meanwhile, some of football’s most powerful figures — like Patriots’ owner Robert Kraft and NFL commissioner Roger Goodell — are on a mission to save the sport with a focus on player safety and a slick marketing campaign.

California’s housing shortage is reaching a head, with more than two in five California households now spending more than 30% of income on housing. Bad government decisions — from outdated zoning laws and a tax provision that benefits longtime homeowners — have made the situation dire. Governor Gavin Newsom has made fixing the housing crisis a key tenant of his administration. But will its efforts be enough?

This NBA offseason, FiveThirtyEight released a new advanced player metric called RAPTOR, which stands for stands for Robust Algorithm (using) Player Tracking (and) On/Off Ratings. It takes into account a player’s contributions on both sides of the floor to provide an accurate rating of their overall game. With the 2019-2020 NBA season well underway, FiveThirtyEight released a series of charts to highlight the best, and worst, players so far.