Analysis Of Friday Night Lights By H. G. Bissinger

The definition of sports has significantly altered, since the dawn of man. Sport was originally created as a source of entertainment for the public eye, but today, in society, sports serve a bigger purpose than separating the losers from the winners. According to an extensive quote written by Lewis Lapham, “..sports preserve an illusion of innocence...” that give both fans and spectators various abstract things. Therefore, the perception can be argued that sports are simply a mere diversion from life and provide only conceptual notions and feelings like living in a dream. Thus, this “...illusion...accounts for the wealth of American sports” (Lapham). On the other hand, one side can equally argue, sports are more than just a distraction and

give the fans more than just “hope.” In the famous novel, Friday Night Lights by H.G.

Bissinger, the main claims from Lapham’s quote are parallel and contradictory to the story. In a town known as Odessa, Texas, there lies a team where football is more than just a game. Sports, all in all, serve endless purposes in America for both the team and the fans.

The idea that sports present some with a distraction from reality is true, but that is not necessarily all it does. In Odessa, Texas, when a majority of the people were struggling with money, racial, as well as other economical and social issues, the town turned to the glorious evening football games which were played on the sacred Friday nights. However, sports played a more important role other than providing sanctuary for all those who needed to escape reality. Sports are more important than a mere diversion because it is one of the few place in life where both fans and players can-and-do-wear their hearts on their sleeves. In other words, the notion can be asserted that

fans and players are able to risk it all when they are in the stadium. For instance, Winchell and many of the other players all played their hearts every time there was game because football was their life. Sports provide “hope” and “light” to many of the individuals as well. In Odessa, there is theme of possibility and hope especially under the “...spindly stadium lights that rise to the heavens...” (xiv). When Boobie hurt his knee nearly everyone in Odessa thought they were not going to have a likely chance of making State, but then Comer took his place and played surprisingly well. Football is all that Odessa has to help take their minds of certain issues and enjoy themselves. Permian football is their pride and joy; thus, every time Permian wins a game, the fans feel like they have won something also. With every progressive win, it feels as if “light” is “powerfully” igniting the “darkness” from the depths of reality within each person’s heart and mind (xiv). All in all, sports fill our voids with “light” and “hope” as well as provide an opportunity to focus our minds and thoughts elsewhere.
Although sports do preserve somewhat of an “illusion” to the fans and spectators of Odessa, sports do not truly preserve an “illusion of perfect innocence” (Lapham).

There is no innocence in any sport especially when it comes to football in Odessa. As thousands of fans gather to Odessa’s pride and glory- the Permian football team-, many of the players feel the heat. Football and all other sports for the matter are majorly competitive and quite physical. For instance, while used-to-be-all-star famous player “Boobie” Miles was playing a scrimmage game, his pride and cockiness got in the way. He wanted more; therefore, he got more… Boobie ended up horribly hurting his knee (56). Sports are dangerous and when one’s ego gets in the way, bad things will happen. Moreover, there is nothing innocent about “playing with a broken ankle… playing with broken hands… receiving a shot of Novocaine… or popping pain killers and getting shots of Valium” (44). According, to Bissinger playing for Permian meant suffering in the beginning to the end in order to win. When fans look out at the field, they do not even know a quarter of the amount of hard work and stress those boys have gone through and needed to go through. Fans and Spectators see a mere “illusion” of what is being performed out on the

fields.
Evidently, sports have several positive effects on fans in a “ritual portrayal of a world” -game- , on the other hand, sports like all great things also have inevitable negative effects on the fans (Lapham). Sporting events bring families, friends, and a variety of people together. Sports give the audience a sense of purpose when they are there as if they are the ones responsible for there being such a game. In other words, if it were not for the fans presence, games would be quite boring and a little pointless. Besides giving fans a sense of purpose, sports furthermore reinforce the notion to the audience that if you work hard, dream big, and play as a team, great things are bound to come your way. The players on the sports teams influence many of the younger audience members by being role models. For example, athletes show dedication and prowess when they are performing under the lights on their stage -the field. Thus, showing kids and even adults that anything is possible. Athletes are the physical manifestation of our shared quest for excellence. However, sports can unfortunately have bad effects on the fans. Some fans who are ridiculously obsessed with a certain sport may go out of control at a game because of a bad call, or will commit a crazy action because of a factor inadvertently did something. For instance, when Permian took a couple losses, the town made accusations against Coach Gaines that he was not an efficient coach, and they would threaten to have him fired. At the final game against the Carter Cowboys, all Sharon Gaines did was “pace up and down the sidelines” because she knew if they lost, her and her husband would pay for it (332). Sports strengthen the fans desire to win, which can cause fans to do just about anything to achieve that endeavor.
When fans go to see a local game, everybody present does not substantially “recover the blameless expectations of a child,” but instead relive “the blameless expectations of their child” (Lapham). In many sports, parents live “vicariously through their young” (xiv). For instance, when Don Billingsley father played football about twenty years earlier, he was one of the star players. However, no candle burns out more quickly than that of the high school athlete; thus, when Charlie’s football life died and Don’s began, “it seemed nearly impossible not to look down on the field and see his own reflection.” Everyone wants to feel that superlative moment out on the field under the lights. So when a parent’s spotlight ends, they feel the desire to live the same fame and success through their own child. In addition, not only did the parents relive their live through their young, but the town did as well. In Odessa, there is no connection in comparison to all other sports “more intimate than… the one between town and high school” (15). In other words, when the players are on the field and the fans are in the stands a deep connection is felt from the fans to the players in such a manner that the struggle to succeed in sports nearly mirrors the spectators struggle to succeed in their workday world. Moreover, the 1980 varsity team were perceived to have values -desire, self-sacrifice, pushing oneself beyond the expected limit- that the Permian fans harbored about themselves (103). Thus, evidently the fans are doing more than “recovering the blameless expectations” of children; they are living through “the blameless expectations” of players (Lapham).
When the time comes to watching a sporting event, the belief that fans pay in order to watch a game is true; however, fans also gather to have a memorable experience. Today, at major sporting events such as the Super Bowl or the World Series, thousands of fans and spectators come to witness their own play and attempt to win the game. In Odessa, whenever there is a game for the local Permian Panthers, thousands of people -young and old- wait all night or even two days for tickets just to see the Permian football players play (36). According to Bissinger, it’s all about winning State. For instance, in the game against Midland Lee- Permian’s arch rivals- Permian fans would gather around to support the Panthers and watch them play their hearts out on the field. This game would guarantee Permian “a trip to the Texas high school football playoffs, and a chance to make it all the way, to go to State” (2). As much as fans love to see their Panthers win, they additionally come to the games for the experience. In Odessa, Texas, “more than fifteen thousand fans” come dressed in their school’s colors and hold signs of their school’s slogan. As soon they enter the stadium lit up like a dance floor, an overwhelming feeling takes over them like something out of a movie. No one can feel the intensity, the pressure, and the excitement like someone watching a sports game can. For example, that memorable moment when a field-goal kicker breaks the tie in the last minute of a play, one cannot help but feel an immense amount of joy. For example, in Permian’s unexpected, last game of the season, fans felt “anxiousness…-buildup was infectious, making one’s heart beat faster and faster-” as the longest seconds, quickly disappeared (331). The crowd practically went like this: One minute left… “MO-JO! MO-JO!” Thirty seconds left… The fans rose to their feet in awe… Twenty seconds left… their hearts leapt and “they turned sour”… ten seconds left… the crowd frantically yelled… five… four… three… two… one… everyone from Permian were all as silent as a librarian compared to Carter fans (333-34). Although the Panthers lost the game, the fans gained the experience of a lifetime. At the end of the day, “...the Odessas of the country had all found something similar in which to place their faith...and that was the weekly event simply known as Friday Night” (35).
Ultimately, sports can modernly be defined as a preservation for “illusions”, a mirror for fans, a “ceremony” for players, and a place of “hope” for all. The purpose of sport does not only focus on the separation of winners and losers, but on everything and everyone in between. Because sports provide oxygen to our life’s blood, they are more than just a game. Therefore, sports positively and negatively impact America in diverse ways.