Friday Night Lights: A Town, a Team, and a Dream

As an outsider to Odessa, how does Bissinger demonstrate the town’s fanatical devotion to the Permian Panthers football team? Consider and discuss both positive and negative actions by the townspeople that illustrate their commitment to the team.

A central theme in Bissinger’s work is how football is a valuable prism for analyzing anti-Black racism in America. From what Bissinger describes, to what extent do you think the Permian Panthers football program helped or hindered true social integration in Odessa?

By the time Bissinger conducted his research, Odessa had been legally desegregated for six years, and a small percentage of Permian High school students were Black or Mexican. Bissinger argues that Black students were valued by the white school board officials and coaching staff primarily for their athletic potential, and he suggests the dynamic between the white authorities and Black students was exploitative. What evidence does he provide to make this argument? Use specific examples from the text.