Growing up in Amboy, Illinois I quickly learned that the place to be on a friday night is the football field; family is all that matters, and friends are considered family. Many people have no idea that Amboy even exists, so I usually say I’m about an hour or so away from Rockford or Chicago. Everyone knows everyone in Amboy, and two best friends are most likely related somewhere down the line. High school football is a way of life in a small town and in 5th grade I was at the game sitting in the Jr. High bleachers; now I am a senior sitting in the high school student section for the last time, and twenty years down the road I will be sitting in the bleachers watching my children play. I know that I’ll always have people here for me in this …show more content…
The entire town is at the field friday night, and if one isn’t they’re definitely listening to the game on the radio. I love how all the teachers are in clipper gear, and I can’t wait until school gets out so that I can get ready for the game. Thursday night is usually when the excitement sets in. I’m usually texting all of my friends asking, “so what are you wearing tomorrow?” It’s always a hard decision of the right jeans that will look good with a red football jersey, and what bow I’m gonna wear in my hair. Then comes Friday, and when I get to school every player is wearing a jersey and each girl usually is too. You quickly learn that it’s usually freezing on a friday night, so I always bring a sweatshirt, a blanket, and my Clipper colored mittens. The feeling I get of sitting in the student section is unbelievable. Sitting in the student section makes me feel like I’m apart of something so much bigger than just a student section. No matter if you’re friends with someone or not, you still feel close to them when cheering. I always yell until my head hurts, and chant “A-M-B-O-Y” until I have no voice left. Attending sports events and playing sports has made me into one of the most Clipper-spirited people I know, and I will always be thankful to have so much spirit for my school and …show more content…
Depot Days is a celebration of the little historic village called Amboy. Amboy used to be a railroad town and an old Mormon Settlement. The only signs left of this is the Mormon cemetery outside of town, and the Depot museum. The Depot museum was the old train station and now houses railroad artifacts and artifacts of the old settlers in Amboy. Amboy used to be the “Chicago” of Illinois; home to the first Carson-Pirie Scott franchise, a movie theatre, a bowling alley, and many more. Amboy is now home to 3 schools, a gas station, bars, and a strip of small businesses uptown. Although I wish I could have lived in the time when Amboy was a booming city, I love the way it is now. I could never imagine not attending Depot Days because I’ve been going for 17 years. My mom took me as a child and once I was old enough I was able to run off and enjoy the carnival with my friends. Even now at 17, I still get a wristband and ride all of the rides. Depot Days has made me realize that I will always be a kid at heart. It has made me appreciate where I come from. I know that no matter where I end up in life, I will always have a place to go the last weekend of
High school sports can have a tremendous effect on not only those who participate but the members of the community in which they participate. These effects can be positive, but they can also be negative. In the book Friday Night Lights, H.G. Bissinger shows that they are often negative in communities where high school sports “keep the town alive” due to the social pressure. In this way, Friday Night Lights gives insight into the effects of high school football being the backbone of a community, revealing that the fate of the individual football players are inadvertently determined by the actions of the townspeople.
The football players in Odessa were generally a wild party crowd. It was typical that late in the fourth quarter, when the game was in the bag, the players would begin talking on the sidelines about what parties they were going to after the game, what girls they were going to try to pick up, and laughing about how drunk they were going to get. They cared nothing for academics. The senior star running back, Boobie Miles, was taking a math course that most students took as freshmen. Many of the senior players' schedules consisted of nothing but electives. For the Oddesa footbal players, school was nothing more than a social get-to-gether, served up to them as a chance to flirt with girls and hand out with their friends. They knew that their performance in class didn't matter; the teacher would provide the needed grade to stay on the team. It wasn't uncommon for players to receive answer keys for a test or simply to be exempt from taking the test at all. Some didn't know how they would cope without football after the season was over. They ate, drank, and slept it. On the whole, these 16 and 17-year-old boys' identity was wrapped up in a pigskin.
Is High School football a sport, or is it more than that to some people? Recent newspaper headlines include such items as coaches abusing student athletes; fathers of athletes murdering coaches, and mother’s disabilitating cheerleading candidates to assure their daughters make the cheerleading team. In Odessa, Texas high school football is a major contributor to the society of a small town in Texas society. Every Friday night, 50,000 people fill the stadium to see high school students put their lives on the line to win a football game. H. G. Bissinger writes a novel called Friday Night Lights, about a year in 1988 where High School players prepare and play on the High School team, and what an impact they have on a small city in Texas.
Obsession is something that gets thrown around a lot, to describe the way someone may feel about something. Obsession can be described by the fans of Odessa as it relates to its high school football team, so much so it is unhealthy. Sustaining the ambitions of not only themselves but the alumni and town of Odessa, Texas is a lot to ask from a young adult. There is a continuous pattern in Friday Night Lights that passion is not always a good thing. The town’s expectations of the team cause the school personnel and coaches to sacrifice the players’ overall wellbeing in return for a successful football team. Although the town of Odessa is unified and sustained by its love of Texas High School Football, Friday Night Lights provides insight into how damaging a fans obsession can be.
Abstract: High school football in the state of Texas has become out of control. The sport is no longer played for the sake of the school but rather has become a Friday night ritual to these small towns in Texas. The players are no longer just high school kids inter acting in school sports but have now become heroes to these small town communities. Communities simply no longer support their local high school team but rally in pride of their hometown rivalry against another team. School administrators and coaches no longer are teachers and mentors for the kids but are the equivalent to what in professional football are team owners and "real coaches". Parents have become agents and sacrifice their jobs and homes so that their child may play for the right team. Finally the fans, the fans have lost the sense that it is just a high school sport and changed the game to a level of professional sports. I plan to prove and show that for all these reasons Texas high school football has become out of control. It is no longer the game that it was originally meant to be.
What event brings a crowd to a mega sized event that roars louder than a concert? How this phenomena became one of the most popular sports that involves numerous amount of physicality? To answer both questions only requires two words.
High School football games are one of the most exciting events of the year. Games like the homecoming games or rivalry games are always packed. The student section is very lively. The cheerleaders will be chanting louder than ever. When the team scores a touchdown the chants grow louder, players as well as fans screaming in joy. It is such a great atmosphere. There is so much energy at their games. If only this were true for other sports basketball excluded, because this is also seen at basketball games. Other sports like soccer, tennis, baseball, etc don’t get this type of atmosphere at their games. As a two year varsity athlete for both soccer and baseball I have experienced this problem. The atmosphere is very dull and unexciting. The game will start with little to no people in the stands. There are no cheerleaders
Growing up, from the time I started my first day of class until walking across my hometowns football field to receive my diploma I never had thought that I let something define the person that I have become today. However, being presented with this essay I have come to the realization that football has defined me as a person. I don’t mean to say that the sport has had this much of an impact on me, I’d rather like to think that the memories associated with the sport has made an everlasting impact on my life.
What is the most popular sport in America? The most popular sport in America would be the rugged game of football. Millions of fans wait in anticipation each year for the season to begin. The truth is the game is a very dangerous sport. It’s rooted with violence and physical aggression. Players are groomed from their youth to get bigger, faster, and stronger. Football is geared toward physical domination, get your opponent before he gets you with tackling, hitting, or by any means necessary, take them out before they take you out. Bones are broken, internal organs rupture, concussions are frequent and occasionally players die. Is the game worth the price? Is a human life worth less than monetary gain or entertainment? The answer
“‘Athletics last for such a short period of time. It ends for people. But while it lasts, it creates this make-believe world where normal rules don’t apply. We build this false atmosphere. When it’s over and the harsh reality sets in, that’s the real joke we play on people’” (Bissinger xiv). “Friday Night Lights” shows the darker side of high school football. Players are taught to play games to win, and thats all that matters. Football players are put under a tremendous amount of pressure, almost enough to be considered unfair. Even though football is a “team sport”, pressure on individual players is unnecessary. Some players have the burden of the team, the city, their family, and their future, resting on their shoulders. These players are put under pressure that is physically and emotionally damaging, not to mention future ruining.
High school athletics leave a major impact on everybody that is involved with them. It also can even leave a mark on people who aren’t associated with them. There are many conflicting opinions on whether high school sports are a positive or negative influence on a student’s life. Athletics in high school can have an effect on the community as a whole. In H.G. Bisssinger’s highly regarded Friday Night Lights, high school football is accurately portrayed as the most important thing in Texas; it receives much more attention than academics. Football players are often treated like celebrities; yielding confidence, and at the same time creating pressure.
Once again, after a successful season, Shadle Park was defeated by a Big 9 school in the first game of the regional tournament. This reoccurring event has led many to believe that the four year football program puts GSL students at a disadvantage compared to other districts. A junior high school football program would not only increase the competitiveness of the students but also have more important consequences.
Everyone feels the need to belong. Some people find the answer to fulfill that need in sports. In the United States, the go-to sport is football. Following one’s hometown team or childhood NFL team through the regular season, playoffs, and hopefully, the Super Bowl has become a staple for today’s culture. Whether or not their favorite team makes it to the big Super Bowl game, they still find themselves cheering on one of the teams competing. T...
The wheels on the bus went round and round, all the way to Paonia. The ten mile trip seemed to last forever. Whoosh, Whoosh was the only sound could be heard as the wheels ran through the new rain puddles that were created earlier that day. It was dead silent, you could have heard a pin drop. We all knew what was at stake. For each of us it was a different thing, but on both sides of the ball we knew that in order to have bragging rights for the rest of our lives this would be the game that we would have to win. Every other game that season didn't matter as long as we won this game. Every hit would be remembered on those days when we would be sitting down as old men drinking beer or coffee. There would be talk about when we flew around the field with each other who hit who and who knocked who on their can. The bus was not a sleeping silence, it was more of a tense silence. The type of silent there is when a group of civilians enter the surrounding of another expecting to leave with something they shouldn't. The main thing we were expecting to leave with was respect. Its all about respect. This was the type of game that every hit and every block counted. We knew that we will be partying with them the next spring, and we wanted bragging rights. That was the type of silence that it was, all the way to Paonia.
It was my first football game. I never considered myself a big football person--I used to think football wasn’t for me. I’d always been a timid, gentle person, who didn’t seem to possess the qualities a football player should have; I wasn’t very competitive, or aggressive, or intimidating. Yet, although I knew I didn’t represent the average football player, I felt in this moment as if I were one. All of my attention was on one thing--walking out of this stadium celebrating a win with my teammates.