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

“Of all the legends of Odessa, that of high school football was the most enduring. It had a deep and abiding sense of place and history, so unlike the town, where not even the origin of the name itself could be vouched for with any confidence.”

Bissinger explains that while the town of Odessa began as a hodgepodge of German Methodists and cowboys who struggled to survive in the harsh landscape, it was not this cultural history that gave the town its sense of identity. Instead, the townspeople most identify with high school football, and the Permian Panthers’ decades of successes and failures were legendary to Odessans.

“There is nothing to replace it. It’s an integral part of what made the community strong. You take it away and it’s almost like you strip the identity of the people.”

This quotation is from Brad Allen, past president of the Permian Booster Club. He praises Permian football for its ability to unite the town of Odessa and strengthen their community bonds and claims that it is a cornerstone of their culture and identities.

“The Pepettes supported all teams, but it was the football team they supported most. The number on the white jersey each girl wore corresponded to that of the player she had been assigned for the football season. With that assignment came various time-honored responsibilities.”

The author explains that the Pepettes, who were informally referred to as “geisha girls,” were assigned to individual football players. Each was responsible for making posters and signs for her player to display on his lawn, bringing treats on game days, and supporting them publicly.