By Wednesday, the class had fractured into warring factions.

Kevin had nothing left. His offensive line was made of turnstiles. His defense couldn’t stop a running back on roller skates. But he had No. 11.

"Alright, team," Mr. Henderson said, clicking his ancient smartboard to life. "Put away your textbooks. This week, we’re learning about organizational leadership, risk management, and the fall of the Western Roman Empire through a very specific medium."

He handed out the codes. Each one was a custom link to a private Retro Bowl league, embedded directly into Google Classroom assignments. It wasn’t just a game; it was the homework.

Mia’s team was a machine. Perfect morale. A pristine training facility. A quarterback who had never thrown an interception. She led 21–7 at halftime.

Objective: Lead your team (The Rome Legion) to a championship while maintaining a "Facility Morale" rating above 70%. Historical Twist: Every time you lose a game, your "Public Order" stat drops. If it hits zero, your save file corrupts—a digital "sack of Rome." Extra Credit: Trade away your star quarterback for two draft picks and still win the title. (Explain how this mirrors Diocletian’s reforms.) For the first time all year, no one groaned. Everyone scrambled to log into their Chromebooks.

Mia wrote about exploitation of systems. Carlos wrote about the consequences of ignoring advisory councils. Kevin wrote a single sentence: "Sometimes, you just need one person who refuses to quit."