Friday Night Lights
Brant Norlander
2/20/11
Sociology of Sports
Prof. Delany
Friday Night Lights 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 America. In Friday Night Lights, H.G. Bissinger reveals the ugly truth behind a town whose integrity relies on a few young men. Bissingers work examines far beyond sport, but more deeply into Odessa’s sociological constraints that are rooted within the town. The purpose of this paper is to identify how the role of high school football affects the racial/gender relations and educational mission of the residents and institutions of Odessa, Texas. Bissinger does a great fob of revealing Permian High School’s insignificant focus on its educational priorities. In a town where it is clear that the only way to achieve any recognition is through football stardom, the importance of education is often misplaced. Families tied to Permians rich football history only try and repossess their ambitions through their children. Parents would rather develop their son’s athletic skills over their intellectual skills as they see it as their only ticket out of town. L.V. Miles, the uncle of the highly touted running back Boobie Miles, has raised Boobie to become the best football star in Permian history, dedicating no importance to his education. Bissinger explores the strong bond Boobie and L.V. share within football, “from the
2/20/11
Sociology of Sports
Prof. Delany
Friday Night Lights 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 America. In Friday Night Lights, H.G. Bissinger reveals the ugly truth behind a town whose integrity relies on a few young men. Bissingers work examines far beyond sport, but more deeply into Odessa’s sociological constraints that are rooted within the town. The purpose of this paper is to identify how the role of high school football affects the racial/gender relations and educational mission of the residents and institutions of Odessa, Texas. Bissinger does a great fob of revealing Permian High School’s insignificant focus on its educational priorities. In a town where it is clear that the only way to achieve any recognition is through football stardom, the importance of education is often misplaced. Families tied to Permians rich football history only try and repossess their ambitions through their children. Parents would rather develop their son’s athletic skills over their intellectual skills as they see it as their only ticket out of town. L.V. Miles, the uncle of the highly touted running back Boobie Miles, has raised Boobie to become the best football star in Permian history, dedicating no importance to his education. Bissinger explores the strong bond Boobie and L.V. share within football, “from the