Friday Night Lights

Paper Summary:

The writer of this article discusses that in the book 'Friday Night Lights: A Town, a Team, and a Dream', H.G. Bissinger writes about the central role of high school football in the community life of Odessa, Texas. The writer notes that the author is attracted to the story when he learns that as many as 20,000 people attend the football games on Friday night, eager to root for a team called the Permian Panthers. The writer discusses that football holds a more important place in the lives of the people of this area than would be true for people elsewhere. The writer points out that the author analyzes not just the games and the crowds but the demographics and economics of the region, suggesting a link between the poor economic life of the region and the focus on a winning football team for community spirit and a relatively inexpensive and reliable source of entertainment.

From the Paper:

"The elevation of athletes to a favored position in schools is nothing new and is common in high school and college alike, though Odessa may have exceeded the norm in this regard. The community's dedication to football has much less to do with the athletes themselves than with the need on the part of the rest of the community to have something that raises them above the unsettled nature of the region in which they live. Bissinger notes from the first how the area suffers from economic problems and intermittent violence. Life is described as hard in Odessa, and people find that football can be an escape. The way the people of Odessa respond to football is not unlike what is seen in other communities, Midland included, but as a rule, a community reacts to the local football team to the degree that members of the community are associated with the school because they have children in the school or because they themselves are alumni of the school. In Odessa, on the other hand, the high school football team appeals to people with no direct association with the school at all. The high school has been made the central feature of the community, at least during football season."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Bissinger, H.G. Friday Night Lights: A Town, a Team, and a Dream. New York: Da Capo Press, 1990.

More papers on Friday Night Lights:

• Book Review # 129593 : "Friday Night Lights"
• Film Review # 71624 : "Film: "Friday Night Lights"
• Film Review # 117565 : "Friday Night Lights"
• Analytical Essay # 29824 : "Friday Night Lights"

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