What Is The Father Son Relationship In Friday Night Lights

A father is a very important part of every kid's life. In the little town of Odessa, Texas, there are many father-son relationships, but some are better than others. And in the book Friday Night Lights by H.G. Bissinger, a lot of these relationships are created through football. As the town of Odessa is very tight with the Permian Panthers football team, the fathers and their sons who play on the football team are close as well. Some of the relationships are built on trust and respect and others are built on fear and pressure to succeed. Some players have a better relationship with their guardians than others, but with sports they are all stronger.

Football has brought a much needed life to Odessa, the Permian Panthers have put Odessa on the

map. The pride and tradition of Permian football has been around for a long time, so a majority of the players fathers had at one time played on former Permian teams. One specific player is Don Billingsley. After Boobie Miles went down with an injury, Don has been the next man in. He is very excited and hungry for his first start at running back to kick off his senior year. His home life is a little complicated. His parents split, and he had been living with his mom in Oklahoma up until sophomore year. He moved down to Odessa, where his dad was living. Don’s dad, Charlie, has lived in Odessa his whole life and played football for the Permian Panthers in the late 60’s. Not only was he just a football player he was a star and now is a legend. Football is a big aspect of both of their lives and their relationship is mainly built around football. Very rarely did they share deep thoughts or heart to hearts, grunts were merely the form of communication when at home. Don moved down to Odessa only for the football, and Charlie stayed in Odessa for the love of football. When the football field was brightened by the lights on a Friday night, the relationship always affected. “And no one wanted it more, no one felt it more, than Charlie Billingsley. It was his son Don down there on that field with the ball” (79, Bissinger). As much pride as Charlie felt on that Friday night watching his son play ball, it could all go away if Don were to mess it up. Don ends up fumbling several times that game and getting benched the second half. That night he did not live up to the legend that his dad was nor was he the star he was expected to be, and that night Don and Charlie’s relationship was affected in a negative way.
On the complete opposite side of town, the black side, there is a family, LV, his wife and kids, along with his nephew, Boobie.

Boobie being the strong black running back that he was, and LV being the supportive father figure and football fan, the two had an extremely different type of relationship than the Billingsley’s. When Boobie was ten, LV saved him from going into the constant cycle of foster homes and adopted him. LV brought him into his home in Odessa and raised him like his own. The two instantly connected over football, LV seeing the great potential in him, and not wanting to see Boobie miss out on the chance to play. He channeled Boobies energy and natural size and strength to Permian Panther Football. Not only did Boobie thrive in football but the relationship between him and LV was incredibly strong for not even being father and son. But unlike Charlie Billingsley, LV was not a football star; in fact, he had never played football. LV had grown up in a town called Crane, where the black man was to stay on his side of the wall and not to bother the whites. Being the minority in that town, fewer options were given to the blacks, including football. All LV wanted was to play football, but he never got the chance. Some may think that LV is living his football dream through Boobie. But unlike the Billingsley’s, this relationship went way past football. Only the two, Boobie and LV, truly understand the genuineness of their relationship. “I didn’t want to see him go anywhere else, get away from the family, and never see him again” (61, Bissinger), LV explains his feelings when visiting Boobie in a foster home. After that moment LV was determined to get him out of the foster system. When he finally did, great things happened, Boobie was ultimately happier, in a better place to succeed, and had

football.
Other than football, many other sports build great relationships between fathers and sons. “When he was around, man, you knew he was there. That was tough . . . I miss him a lot”, (Earnhardt).Dale Earnhardt Jr, a NASCAR driver, talks about his dad, and the great emptiness he feels after the loss of him. In the town of Odessa there are a lot of father-son relationships, and in the American sports world there is even more. But something different about Odessa compared to other towns is football. Football is what builds up Don and Charlie’s, and football is what forms a connection between LV and Boobie. Not only does football do this, but any sports involvement can build a father-son relationship stronger.