Gary Gaines, the head coach, tends to support his players, and to ask of them to give their best effort. The question, then, is whether they learn the right lessons.

Bissinger quotes teachers from Odessa high schools, who claim that standards have eroded over the years, and that, perhaps, the rampant culture of football is to blame.įor Bissinger, however, football is a part of these young men’s educational experience-the coaches do teach them things, and the players work extremely hard during the year to become outstanding football players. Some work harder than others, especially Brian Chavez, whose academic excellence is matched only by his passion for football.īissinger argues, however, that football warps the academic culture of places like Permian-making things far too easy for athletes, and lowering the standards generally, so that all students in the school don’t work as hard as they could. Permian High players, however, are not all bad students. Bissinger is continually shocked by the willingness of school administrators to cut corners academically in order to ensure success athletically.

Bissinger argues that football players receive preferential treatment-including one player at Carter High near Dallas, whose scores in Algebra II are effectively doctored by the district, so that the player remains academically eligible. Bissinger notes that SAT scores and other indicators of performance are especially low in Odessa and West Texas, although the entire state lags behind many others in the country, as far as the strength of its high schools. The Permian Panthers are, of course, the football team for Permian High School-although, in Bissinger’s account, it’s clear that football is the priority for many Texas schools rather than a comprehensive high-school educational program.

Friday night lights book author