High school sports are an essential part of many communities across the country. Friday Night Lights by H. G. Bissinger illustrates the importance of Permian high school football in the small town of Odessa, Texas. There, their school football team was what carried the town through times of oil bust, and their sense of pride depended on the success of their team. However, it also tore their town apart because of racial and political struggles. Here at Santa Teresa, sports are a key part of the high school experience and bring some attention to the school and its students, but lack being a central part of our lives. High school sports at Santa Teresa are important, but are neither a central part of the community, nor the student body, and therefore do not do much to tear it apart or bring it together. …show more content…
In times of hardship, the citizens of Odessa would turn to the Permian high school football team as a bright spot in their lives. Friday night games were a time to forget their current struggles and get lost in the game. “After his surgery, he had resisted taking painkillers so he would be conscious for the phone calls from his son-in-law updating him every quarter on the score…”(Bissinger 41). People would go to enormous lengths in support of their team. At Santa Teresa, sports are appreciated. However, because we live in a city of many high schools, and we are by far not the best, sports don’t draw the same amount of attention. Additionally, since we don’t have Friday night football games, and San Jose has a couple of professional sports teams, less people attend the school games. Clearly, our society has a different culture and high school sports simply aren’t a priority for