High time I kept going on the 100 books list, right? I read Friday Night Lights in December after my brother let me borrow it. I'll confess that I saw the movie before reading the book, though for once they were both good enough that I didn't feel I was missing anything either way.It's hard to figure out how I feel about FNL. Bissinger claims he came to love the people of Odessa, TX as he was living among them gathering information and stories for this book. For the life of me, I don't see how that's possible, given the unflinching honesty Bissinger imparts to the book. Racism, sexism, classism and a host of wasted opportunities and completely misplaced priorities are assumed to be the characteristics that mark a 'normal' life when it comes to Permian football. It's a fascinating portrait of everything that is wrong with the American obsession with youth and sports.
There are a few bright spots - young men and families who realize that football isn't everything and live their lives beyond what happens under the lights. But it's only enough to calm your stomach before plunging you back into a litany of false hopes and idolatry. It was a tough book to stomach.
One item that made it really hard for me to handle was the presence of my beloved Cornhuskers and Coach Tom Osborne in the life of one of the worst students on the team. I know no one in college football is a saint, but I do believe that Dr. Tom had a higher standard than most. Perhaps the player in question would have been one of those who just fell out of the program because he couldn't be bothered to actually be a student-athlete. Hard to say, I guess.
A tough book to read, and as a coach of young football players it reinforces my belief that sports are a privilege given for the formation of young men and women, only available to those who will do what is required of them in the other, more important areas of their lives.
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