In "Friday Night Lights," H.G Bissinger shows how Permian High School football in Odessa, Texas is more than a game to them. The citizens spend more money and more time, and put more effort into football than anything else they do. Football is so big there that going to a game is the same as going to church; football is like a religion. The way Bissenger describes the story and the words he puts in the story, it makes you feel like that you are there so you get that instant connection with the story.  

Permian High School football is the typical high school stereotype. The football players own the school so they are the most popular and most of the students look up to them, everyone knows them, and mostly all of them have girlfriends, but there is something that is quite unique when it comes to this high school. The football team and the economy, this town loves its team so much that it spent $5.6 million on a high school football stadium in 1982. The stadium included a sunken artificial surface field eighteen feet below ground level, a two-story press box with VIP seating for school board members and other dignitaries, poured concrete seating for 19,032 fans, and a full-time caretaker who lived in a house on the premises (Bissinger 320). They could have spent that money on many more things but football means so much to them that they choose to build this college level stadium for a high school. They could have used it on books for the school, new equipment for the school education system or the town could have just used it to open up something that would help the town overall, but football is the only thing some towns have to look forward to. So making upgrades to the football stadium where the majority of the town will be on Friday is not necessarily a bad thing. It gives the citizens time to relieve stress, make business connections or just support one another and there team. Football can change the attitude of the entire town especially if most of the citizens are big into football. If the team keeps winning then the fans and most of its citizens stay happy, which means they go too work happy. If the team is losing then most of the citizens are going to be disappointed and down and not have the motivation to go too work, or work hard at their job.    

What makes this place significantly different is that not many football teams have their very own "pepette" for each player. A pepette is a girl from the high school that is assigned to make and give their football player baked goods, signs to put on their front lawns for the entire season so everyone knows that someone in that house plays for Permian, small signs to put up in the school, signs to display in the gymnasium, and six packs of beer. Some pepetties even spent as much as $100 of their own money to do this. This was a very competitive thing for the pepetties to see which one gives or buys their players the best things. Some even made pillow cases for their players to take on long road games. 

In the beginning of the story it states "Had the watermelon feed been held inside the county jail, or on a sinking ship, or on the side of a craggy mountain, they would still have flocked to attend" (Bissinger317). The "watermelon feed" is when everyone gets together in the school cafeteria and introduces all the football players to the community. There is also watermelon that is served, and this isn't even a game and the writer is saying that it does not matter when or where these are the fans of the Permian Panthers would still rush to attend even if it is just an introduction of this season's team, imagine what they would do to go to the actually game. The fans of Permian did not care for golf or basketball or other sports, they waited every fall so they can finally get excited about something for that small town of Odessa, Texas. One retired man and resident of Odessa stated "That football is just something that keeps me going. You know the kids moves, you know em personally. It's just like your own kids (Bissinger319)". Football in Odessa, Texas is more than just a game, it's a way of life for these people, and every kid in Odessa dreams of being a Permian Panther and look up to the players.

Bissinger does a good job of making the readers feel like they are actually in the story and living it. He gives good imaginary details such as "Outside, the August night was sweetly cool and serene with just a wisp of West Texas wind (Bissinger 317)". This sentence really gives you a good feel of what he is trying make you imagine, sweetly cool, around 68 to 73 degrees with a wisp of West Texas wind. Since it is West Texas wind it must be dry there and a wisp means it's a little breeze. The next part of the story really feels like the writer wanted you too feel the emotion and excitement. "Friday nights under a full moon that filled the black satin sky with a light as soft and delicate as the flickering of a candle. The road trips to Irving and Abilene and San Angelo in that endless caravan or RVs and suburban's and plain old sedans rising forth so proudly from bowels of West Texas. The Family reunion atmosphere or each practice where they knew everyone and everyone knew them. They could hardly wait (Bissinger 319)". The moon light is as bright as a flickering candle, which is not much light but it is enough to see. The road trips and the RVs and suburban's were the faithful fans of Permian Panthers and the rising from the bowels is another word for rising over the horizon that is how far they traveled to watch their beloved team play. The Family reunion including the fans and the players and that they all were one big family and treated each other like family. 

In conclusion Bissinger shows in this story how a football team in the small town of Odessa, Texas means more to the community then anything, and that going to a football game, is the same as going to church for many of them. Also that Bissinger makes you feel like you are there by the way he words his story and describes it.  

