Downs
Research Progress
Embedded Files
Where it Went
My team of research was now progressing further downfield with me as the quarterback at the helm. With 70 yards to go in the championship game, I continued to survey the field for the next steps of the foundational process. After laying out an achievable plan for my data collection structure, I was enabled to begin the ensuing steps. I first began by throwing a check down completion for 5 yards by completing my first data collection section for Superbowl LIX in 2025. To ensure organization I used Google Sheets, dividing each Super Bowl into its own labeled tab for efficient navigation. Data collection objectives were set on collecting as much data as possible before data published online started to become less available as I progressed chronologically through Super Bowls starting in 2025.
An example of a Google Sheets tab used to display data from Super Bowl LVIII in 2024. Sources used to obtain data were placed by the respective data table to maintain accuracy and logistics.
Each Super Bowl was individually analyzed on a three tier basis: incorporating the neutral venue city of each year along with the two represented cities in the championship game of the Super Bowl. Each individual Super Bowl information on venued city, participating cities, date, and result of the game was sourced from ESPN’s comprehensive chronological list, outlining Super Bowls year-by-year.
A snippet of ESPN’s comprehensive list on the National Football Leauge’s annual championship game: The Super Bowl, by year. The list dates back to the first NFL Super Bowl in 1967, providing a large range of potential data (ESPN 2026).
Moreover, due to variation in the nature of crime reports published online, certain crimes desired for the purposed of this study had to be restructured to include the offense. For example, on certain crime collection instances if rape was not specified as an offense reported online, discretion was used to record the crime as a combination of sexual assault and sexual offense crimes. Modifying the research methodology signifies a limitation in data collection due to continuous dissimiltudes in crime reporting available online by local law enforcement agencies. Using a large variation of crime database sourcing allowed for increased accuracy due to local reporting and avoidance of reliance on a singular output of data. Due to the grand variation in sources, a uniform selection of filters was often unfeasible. For instance, police departments often did not record rape as a published crime and rather recorded the instances as sexual assaults and sexual offenses. On multiple instances, entire sections of data had to be negated because of the sheer unavailability of the data by police departments published online. Data was recorded to include points of where the online data was sourced and occurrences of four violent crimes were categorized into respective time placements. Other challenges included how the style in which certain reports were published did not meet the desired requirements for my data collection process. For instance, select reports did not include crime instances on a month-by-month basis, especially as I progressed further through data collection.
On the other hand, I continued to progress downfield with milestones in my research. I threw a 15 yard completion to my data collection when I finished data collection at the 2016 Super Bowl. Due to a gradual fall off in available data online on crime statistics by the desired city, I was able to conclude data collection after 10 Super Bowls (with anticipation to collect Super Bowl LX in 2026). By setting achievable tasks each day during the data collection process, I was able to march down the field and complete each aspect of my entire project at once. On certain days I would work on my final paper and others I would dedicate to data collection, amounting to monumental success in progress. Having finished data collection relatively early to the allotted time in the AP Research course, I was then enabled to begin data analysis.
In the above image, the appropriate and desired filters are selected to source crime occurences for the city of Los Angeles in the 2022 Super Bowl, the eventual winner of the game. The desired violent crimes and the correct dates are selected and finally the ‘see results’ to record data.
Reflecting on the research process in retrospect, it became evident to me that research rarely follows a linear path of completion. Challenges and obstacles through research will persist and it falls upon the duty of the researcher to determine the next best steps in an effort to move past the challenge and respond appropriately. For instance, my significant challenge in not being able to find certain crime data for cities led me to consider negating counts of data as a whole. Research is a layered and involved process, requiring sigificant engagement to achieve planned goals for the completion of the project. It is vital to denote significant research shifts divergent from original plans to maintain clarity and the customary ethical code of research. Moving forward, I plan on continuing my systematic and intricate record keeping of the research process to further reinforce research findings. In the end, I plan on solidifying claims to push for more detailed and readily available published online by local police departments to adequately address crime anticipations potentially caused by the Super Bowl. I was advancing the ball further downfield, now reaching the redzone with my team with the game on the line. The final stretch of the season came down to my continued diligence and dedication to my project!
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