Friday Night Lights, By H. G

The individuals in Odessa have “shared values or generally accepted standards of desirability” (Wallace and Wolf 18) regarding their feelings of high school football and the meaning of coming together as a town in support for the team. Hence the values that are placed on football, solidarity, and winning the theory of functionalism can be seen and applied in Friday Night Lights.

Football is America’s go to entertainment sport. The NFL hit its peak in 2015, with an average of 114.1 million television viewers throughout the year (“Statista,” 2017). This sport is loved by all, the players, parents, coaches, and fans. But, is football merely entertainment? Is it just a simple game, teaching young boys the value of teamwork, dedication, and discipline? Are parents spending their Friday nights to support their boys, or is there something bigger happening? In H.G Bissinger’s novel, Friday Night Lights, one can see the true effects of this toxic drug through the mindset of the players and the actions of the coaches. While society sees football as entertainment, it actually functions more like a drug.

Friday Night Lights: A Town, A Team, and A Dream is a 1990 non-fiction novel wrote by H.G. Bissinger. The story chronicles the pressures and expectations of the Permian Panthers football team in socially divided Odessa, Texas. Throughout the story, challenges are presented with each of the protagonists: James “Boobie” Miles, Mike Winchell, Don Billingsley, Gary Gaines, Brian Chavez, and Ivory Christian.

     Is High School football a sport, or is it more than that to some people? Recent newspaper headlines include such items as coaches abusing student athletes; fathers of athletes murdering coaches, and mother’s disabilitating cheerleading candidates to assure their daughters make the cheerleading team. In Odessa, Texas high school football is a major contributor to the society of a small town in Texas society. Every Friday night, 50,000 people fill the stadium to see high school students put their lives on the line to win a football game. H. G. Bissinger writes a novel called Friday Night Lights, about a year in 1988 where High School players prepare and play on the High School team, and what an impact they have

Under the lights by Abbie Glines. There are three teens that grew up together in a southern small town. Willa’s mom had her when she was a teenager. Willa had gotten into some trouble at a young age and had to stay with her Nonna. Willa’s two best friends were Gunner and Brady. Willa has made some bad choices in her past life which made her go down the wrong path in life. Brady’s a high school quarter back now and with the choices Willa has made Brady sees Willa as a different person. Gunner is also a football star in high school. Gunner is living a good rich life the only matter though he cares about himself only, except for Willa. He understands the person she has grown into over her time. As they were known to be child hood friends secrets start to come out and the truth may be the reason of them losing each other.

Did you know 66% of boys between the ages of 5-18 years old play an organized sport? Over 550,000 boys participate in basketball for a school sponsored team in the U.S, ranked in the top 5 most played sports in the U.S. by youth is baseball/ teeball and last but not least football is played among young boys with more than 1 million interscholastic participants. If I were asked if I were to allow my son to play football I will say yes, because it promotes teamwork, keeps children busy (out of trouble) and it is a safe sport.

High school football over the years has become a huge spectacle lets just talk about the DWF area or we can even get smaller to make a point if you made a 25 mile radius these local high school teams play at the Star (seats 12,000), Allen stadium (seats 18,000 cost 60 million), and McKinney’s new stadium (seats 12,000 costs 69.9 million). This is just high school football these young kids playing under tremendous pressure from the start. The pressure to play high school football is immense, there are so many media outlets for these kids, and they get coverage from what it seems like all the time during the season, yet this is all just considered a recreational activity I think it has become more than that now. The pressure for coaches is high as well dealing with parents, board members, keeping up with classes as a teacher, and oh you also have to win since football is a performance-based business (forewarning this will be said a lot). For example I will refer to Boobie Miles from Friday Night Lights for one final point. Boobie knew if he did not make it in football there was nothing special for him. That is why when he got hurt he still wanted to play, because he knew that’s all he had. That is a lot of pressure for a 16-18 year to handle, and if they are not up for it they crack.

In Odessa, Texas high school football is a major contributor to the society of a small town in Texas society. Every Friday night, 50,000 people fill the stadium to see high school students put their lives on the line to win a football game. H. G. Bissinger writes a novel called Friday Night Lights, about a year in 1988 where High School players prepare and play on the High School team, and what an impact they have on a small city in Texas.

Sustaining the ambitions of not only themselves but the alumni and town of Odessa, Texas is a lot to ask from a young adult. That’s exactly what Permian football provides to the people of Odessa, where the post economic boom of the oil business has left the town in a racially tense, economic crisis. The lights on Permian High School’s football field are the only sanctuary for the west Texas town. Socially and racially divided, Odessa’s mass dependence on high school football constructs glorified expectations for the football team to temporarily disguise the disappointments that come with living in a town tagged as the “murder capital” of

Many American’s truly look forward to the weekends. And why wouldn’t you? You get to be with your family and friends with time off work. But from September until February, there is a certain day that many America’s take such joy in participating in. And I’ll give you a hint: it is not going to church. When football season comes to the United States, many people become more social, often inviting friends and family to enjoy this weekly celebration. But football to many people is more than just a game. It is a social interaction that we as a community take part in. We pay quite a bit of money to attend their games. We watch never-ending commercials to see it at home…and for what?

American Football is a huge spectator sport where offensive and defensive players will use teamwork and perseverance to try and score more points than their opponent. Football is highly respected in America, where boys will try and pursue the dream of playing in the NFL (National Football Association) someday; but if you look at an average neighborhood, you will find that kids and adults of all ages love to go out and throw around the pigskin. (Lerner and Lerner 275). One thing Americans will take pride in is the college and NFL football teams they root for. People sit down with a beer and talk hours upon hours of football and two individuals can get in a heated discussion in the local sports store of whose sports team is better.

Dating back to 1892, a new threshold in American sports history was achieved. The Allegheny Athletic Association had defeated the Pittsburgh Athletic Club. More importantly, William Heffelfinger was paid $500 to participate on the AAA team, thus birthing Professional Football. As the years passed, American Football has seen an exponential progression, including the introduction of children’s football associations. While there is a numerous group of parents who have no problem with their child being involved in football, recent revelations would begin to grow concern in some. It is because of this we must ask, should parents disallow their children from participating in football, or should they focus on the more positive benefits that the organized sport could have?

Directing 30 Rock, writing for Saturday Night Live, and taking care of her newly born child certainly did not stop Tina Fey from writing a book. With years of being in the television business, the comedian decided to test out the literature field with an autobiography titled Bossypants. The book talks about her childhood adventures, how she became a writer for Saturday Night Live, and what directing 30 Rock was like.

Herds of people, dressed alike, full of energy making their way to Fischer Field, that’s Newton freaking Kansas every Friday night during the best season of the year. Dreams and thoughts of popcorn and railer gear float through their thoughts as they try to make it through the long and boring Friday. Kids drive their teachers crazy with more energy than bottles on bottles of 5 hour energy. Middle Schoolers plan out who they will eagerly sit with during 4 quarters of gossip, and what the girls will wear to impress ‘the love of their life’. The cries of children who just want to run and play, but are stopped by their so-called mean, fun sucking parents. Long lines lurking from the concession stand, that most parents try to avoid with youngins,

The paramount of this season is the plethora of activities that go on in a short amount of time. From the end of August to November, you can almost catch every high school kid on a Friday night in a stadium decked out in latest costume related to that game’s student section theme. Whether it’s a tacky tourist uniform or your American patriot, you can always see an eye-catching outfit. After their years of experience of high school football, the real test of dedication comes to the Saturday games. Tailgating before the games is the excitement that brings everyone together. Leading into late