Poem Review: Friday Night Lights

Is High School football a sport, or is it more than that to some people? I’ve learned that the book is more sociological, which means that it focused on our human society of racial issues and also emphasizes the economy and the divide between the wealthy residents of one city versus the more working-class denizens of another are all subjects that are given an in-depth examination. This is more of the main or focal point of the whole book and in not so much in the movie. Although Bissinger's story is a true-life recounting of the 1988 football season of the Permian High School team, it reads like fiction and even though I believe his book is superior, the theatrical adaptation still stands apart as one of the great

Friday Night Lights the movie focuses on a brand new team with just one returning offensive starter, the running back Booby Miles. Booby was cocky, arrogant and had amazing natural ability.

Loss, desperation and hope – this is the heart-warming story of the football champion playing with his brother’s number 5 jersey – Jon Abbate. The Fifth Quarter follows the story of the Abbate family losing their son and brother, Luke, to a car accident. It also uncovers the story of how Jon Abbate conquered his loss and became a football champion to play for his brother and himself. In this movie, young people have been portrayed as emotional and desperate but also able to find hope and direction with the guidance of a senior. Robert Koehler (2011) from Variety states, “The softness that plagues so many sports movies is in evidence yet again in the soporific The Fifth Quarter.” In The Fifth Quarter (2010), Rick Bieber has taken the events from a true story and cleverly manipulated shot types, camera angles, non-diegetic and diegetic sound to portray youth as resilient, brave and courageous people.

“‘Athletics last for such a short period of time. It ends for people. But while it lasts, it creates this make-believe world where normal rules don’t apply. We build this false atmosphere. When it’s over and the harsh reality sets in, that’s the real joke we play on people’” (Bissinger xiv). “Friday Night Lights” shows the darker side of high school football. Players are taught to play games to win, and thats all that matters. Football players are put under a tremendous amount of pressure, almost enough to be considered unfair. Even though football is a “team sport”, pressure on individual players is unnecessary. Some players have the burden of the team, the city, their family, and their future, resting on their shoulders. These players

The heat bears down on me, as I feel my skin burning in the hot summer sun. Dust and dirt floats around the air and a thin layer of grime covers my entire body. Sweat drips around my goggles while adrenaline fills my body and my heart races. In the middle of nowhere in Virginia, I feel at home, I feel the turf under my cleats and the cool metal of the stick in my hands. As the timer ticks down, the buzzer rings, and the game begins. I look to my left and see my dad sitting on the sideline, ready to cheer as loud as possible. To my right I find my teammates, the most loyal group of friends I have, ecstatic about the potential of winning.

Second quarter relaxing a bit but still anxious for someone to score. Finally it happens but it's not us the falcons are up 7-0. By the end of the second the Pats are getting crushed 21-3 Falcons and the Patriots have only scored a field goal.

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.

Football season has come upon us. The air starts to get cooler, and the fan wear starts to reaper all around us. Football season always brings good laughs and quality times with those you care for. It also brings one of my favorite pass times, tailgating. Great people coming all together making delicious food for everyone to enjoy. In all, it’s just a great time of the year.

Friday night lights is something to look forward to for many high school students and community members. Being a varsity football cheerleader, I myself look forward to those nights, but, is playing for only one night a week and 10 weeks out of the year, worth risking your life for? Some think of football as one of the most harmful sports, considering all of the contact that is involved. With all of the things like blockings, holdings, sacks, and tackles, it would be hard for one to deny that. Since many have started to take these dangerous impacts that football may have on those who play into consideration, school administrators began asking, “Should high schools drop football because too many players are getting hurt?”

In the heart of Bronco Country lies the green, football field surrounded by die-hard fans. These fans aren’t the typical fans you find at charity events or summer youth games; they bleed purple and gold. They’ll sit out past 9pm at freezing temperatures near 32 degrees just to watch the football game every Friday night. The field lies covered with young athletes, athletes who play with heart, dedication, and courage. Displayed with high, bright lights the field is the only thing you can see from the distance. And breathing underneath those apparent lights lives the riot squad, or as we say the life of the “party.” These rioters are the heartbeat of this stadium, dressed purple and gold from head to toe. They scream and shout, jump around,

“Come on guys,” I yelled. I heard the screech of the referee’s whistle. Rushing to the bench, I heard the referee call out “Timeout, Heat.” Everything was on the line and our team’s championship hopes, being foremost on our team’s minds, was all coach could scream about. “I’m not going to tell you how to play basketball,” he yelled out. “That’s your job. I’m just going to say that right now, to us, this is a championship game. If we win this, we move on to the championship. If not, at least let us fall valiantly.” That got the whole team riled up as we rushed back onto the court. The crowd, encouraging as always, yelled out their approval on the fact that we were giving it our all. With just sixteen seconds left in the game and our team down by four, something special had to happen or we were done for the season.

One cold sunny weekend in February of 2014 in Madison, MS the Saint Stanislaus boys just arrived to the hotel where they would stay for the night before the big game. All was good the night before we ate and later went to sleep. We all woke up around eight in the morning and had breakfast. We left for the fields around twelve because the game was at two in the evening.

“Oh I can’t wait for tonight,” I thought. It was Saturday, gameday, LSU was set to play Mississippi State in the first conference football game of the year. I got a call from my good friend Michael and I would go to his house to watch the late night road game. At around 6 that evening I get a call, it was Michael, “How long are you gonna make me wait?”

“The football game is in three days, and I can’t even watch the film on the other team because the Wi-Fi has crashed!” exclaimed Trace, a football player at his local high school. “This team is highly skilled and if I don’t watch film, I won’t be prepared. I can’t let my team down!”

The sun beats down from above, the air reeks of sweat, a sea of burnt orange envelops me, the event is deafening, I can barely hear myself think. 100,000 faithful, all jam-packed, waiting for kickoff. Welcome to Longhorn Football. The ground is ridden with beer bottles, even though it's only 11:00 AM, the burnt orange stadium is visible from space. The band begins to play, the anticipation builds, the Texas Cowboys fire Smokey the Cannon, consequently the Longhorns burst from the tunnel, with one objective. Win at all costs, and within that moment, like a massive volcano the crowd erupts. Thinking to myself, looking around me, I knew my idea of football was about to be flipped on its head.