All sports fans may think of their favorite athlete as a hero, a god, a role model, or someone they wish to be. As an athlete there is always the fear of failure or missing the one shot that could have achieved their life goal. As athletes they are always expected to live, breathe, eat, and die for their sport, which in the end causes them distress. In the novel Friday Night Lights, the small town of Odessa, Texas they put that same unneeded pressure on their athletes. To them it is more about winning then actually enjoying the sport, putting an immense pressure on their team to succeed. Knowing that the town is counting on them each player adds more pressure on themselves to satisfy their town while also trying to secure football scholarships. Buzz Bissinger clearly shows the great amount of unnecessary pressure that is put upon the football team from the town, themselves, and the prospect of the future. In the small, dirty, and dull town of Odessa football was all they had to look forward …show more content…
During every athlete's career there are points when the pressure can be stressful. Dealing with tough coaches, crazy parents, and not letting down your teammates down could be very difficult. As an athlete myself I have faced and dealt with all three of these, although I don't think I would be able to deal with the having the burden of carrying a town on my shoulders. As I have realized my teammates and I have always performed better knowing we don't have to deal with negative pressures surrounding us. In the novel Friday Night Lights the players and coaches are constantly faced with negative pressures making it hard for them to enjoy playing football and succeed. In the end too much pressure on any athlete can be harmful it can lower self esteem, cause stress, and in the end make them forget about why they loved playing the sport in the first