The Question:
Bissinger notes that the tradition of Odessa’s Permian Panthers “was enshrined on the wall of the field house” (24) and also “in the county library, where the 235 page history that had been written about Permian football was more detailed than any of the histories about the town itself.” What conclusions concerning Odessa might be drawn from the fact that its high school football program is valued more highly than the town’s history? What value does our community place on high school sports?
Student Responses:
"The fact that in the town library they have more about the football team than they do the actual town means football there means everything to everybody."
-Cody O.
"The Permian fieldhouse is more valued than any museum in town as well. The players are seen as role models for kids, and are almost famous to the adults as well. Coaches are making more than any of the faculty at this school."
-Dameron R.
"The people are more focused on the football team because its gives them something to be proud of. In my opinion this is why the boys are so proud of the team, because without the football team the town would have nothing going for itself."
-Ciara L.
"A conclusion that might be drawn from the fact that high school football in Odessa is more important than the town's history is that Odessa does not have a great history and that high school football is what put them on the map..."
-Cole N.
"The town had a... lack of money because they put so much money into building a stadium. Other towns criticized them on how much money they put into the stadium but they said it was their money and they liked what they did."
-Josh V.
"Odessa...Was ranked in top 10 of worse places to live out of a couple hundred but while the town of Odessa would go up and down, the sport of football was always a constant for the town and that is a big reason why they value it higher than they would their town’s history."
-Nate M.
"Whether people had everything they wanted or had nothing at all, they all knew that they had football every Friday night and that made them feel like there was a place where they belonged.Football made a sort of happiness feeling in the town where disappointment was a regular occurrence for most people."
-Isaac D.
"The football team is also so important to Odessa because it makes them relevant and stand out, and it makes them unique. The success of their football team makes the citizens feel successful about themselves, and makes them proud of their town and where they live. It helps them have an identity, and the more successful the football team was, the more successful the town itself would feel."
-Justin B.
"To the townspeople, it isn’t just a game for them either, It’s something that they look forward to every Friday night under the lights. There’s something about the community coming together to their support for the hometown team that sort of makes everyone a family."
-Ben F.
"Our community, Winslow, is quite a bit like the town of Odessa, in the sense that we don’t have a lot of good in our town, but our high school football team never fails to give us a sense of pride. It’s common to see many different people at Winslow football games, and each one has a different reason they’re spectating. Some people are there to support their significant other, some are there to watch their siblings, some are there to reminisce on what they used to be, but they all have one thing in common and that’s their Raider pride. No one can deny the sense of home felt at a football game, along with the euphoric excitement that comes along with a win."
-Kamryn M.
"In Winslow...All it takes is one scan of the field, court, track, whatever it may be, and when the athlete realizes all of the people that are there to support the team, it can instantly draw him/her into a whole other zone and they think, “This is why we’re here. I and my team will play this game with everything we have within ourselves because that’s what our fans came to see.”
-Heather K.
"Being one of the smaller schools in our class, every win that we get is a big one because the teams we face usually have more kids than us. The basketball gym at our home games are always packed with people and sometimes people have to stand in the doorway to watch the game. As long as our sports teams are strong and competitive, high school sports will always be big in [Winslow]. One thing about this town is that although we have support from our community, we have a lot of criticism...The team takes this criticism as a humbling experience and we are excited to prove them wrong..."
-Ethan W.
"Even on away games Winslow Back Raider fans seem to always bring a good crowd and even sometimes bring more people than the opposing home team fans. This shows that Winslow has a strong love for its sports and shows strong support always. The strong support for the Winslow sports teams will always be there because it is the kind of town that we are. The teams are always expected to be good and the teams always seem to show it. This is a special thing that only some towns share..."
-Josh C.
"...our community has been there for us time and time again...We don't go out and play for us, we play for the community, our fans, and family in return for what they do for us."
-Keanu E.
Bissinger notes that the tradition of Odessa’s Permian Panthers “was enshrined on the wall of the field house” (24) and also “in the county library, where the 235 page history that had been written about Permian football was more detailed than any of the histories about the town itself.” What conclusions concerning Odessa might be drawn from the fact that its high school football program is valued more highly than the town’s history? What value does our community place on high school sports?
Student Responses:
"The fact that in the town library they have more about the football team than they do the actual town means football there means everything to everybody."
-Cody O.
"The Permian fieldhouse is more valued than any museum in town as well. The players are seen as role models for kids, and are almost famous to the adults as well. Coaches are making more than any of the faculty at this school."
-Dameron R.
"The people are more focused on the football team because its gives them something to be proud of. In my opinion this is why the boys are so proud of the team, because without the football team the town would have nothing going for itself."
-Ciara L.
"A conclusion that might be drawn from the fact that high school football in Odessa is more important than the town's history is that Odessa does not have a great history and that high school football is what put them on the map..."
-Cole N.
"The town had a... lack of money because they put so much money into building a stadium. Other towns criticized them on how much money they put into the stadium but they said it was their money and they liked what they did."
-Josh V.
"Odessa...Was ranked in top 10 of worse places to live out of a couple hundred but while the town of Odessa would go up and down, the sport of football was always a constant for the town and that is a big reason why they value it higher than they would their town’s history."
-Nate M.
"Whether people had everything they wanted or had nothing at all, they all knew that they had football every Friday night and that made them feel like there was a place where they belonged.Football made a sort of happiness feeling in the town where disappointment was a regular occurrence for most people."
-Isaac D.
"The football team is also so important to Odessa because it makes them relevant and stand out, and it makes them unique. The success of their football team makes the citizens feel successful about themselves, and makes them proud of their town and where they live. It helps them have an identity, and the more successful the football team was, the more successful the town itself would feel."
-Justin B.
"To the townspeople, it isn’t just a game for them either, It’s something that they look forward to every Friday night under the lights. There’s something about the community coming together to their support for the hometown team that sort of makes everyone a family."
-Ben F.
"Our community, Winslow, is quite a bit like the town of Odessa, in the sense that we don’t have a lot of good in our town, but our high school football team never fails to give us a sense of pride. It’s common to see many different people at Winslow football games, and each one has a different reason they’re spectating. Some people are there to support their significant other, some are there to watch their siblings, some are there to reminisce on what they used to be, but they all have one thing in common and that’s their Raider pride. No one can deny the sense of home felt at a football game, along with the euphoric excitement that comes along with a win."
-Kamryn M.
"In Winslow...All it takes is one scan of the field, court, track, whatever it may be, and when the athlete realizes all of the people that are there to support the team, it can instantly draw him/her into a whole other zone and they think, “This is why we’re here. I and my team will play this game with everything we have within ourselves because that’s what our fans came to see.”
-Heather K.
"Being one of the smaller schools in our class, every win that we get is a big one because the teams we face usually have more kids than us. The basketball gym at our home games are always packed with people and sometimes people have to stand in the doorway to watch the game. As long as our sports teams are strong and competitive, high school sports will always be big in [Winslow]. One thing about this town is that although we have support from our community, we have a lot of criticism...The team takes this criticism as a humbling experience and we are excited to prove them wrong..."
-Ethan W.
"Even on away games Winslow Back Raider fans seem to always bring a good crowd and even sometimes bring more people than the opposing home team fans. This shows that Winslow has a strong love for its sports and shows strong support always. The strong support for the Winslow sports teams will always be there because it is the kind of town that we are. The teams are always expected to be good and the teams always seem to show it. This is a special thing that only some towns share..."
-Josh C.
"...our community has been there for us time and time again...We don't go out and play for us, we play for the community, our fans, and family in return for what they do for us."
-Keanu E.