Growing up in Texas, I know that football is not just a game; it’s a religion. It seems like a cliché, but it is the truth. And if you didn’t live through it in your youth, you may not fully appreciate its meaning.
I ran into a friend of mine who’s not from Texas. She wondered what the big idea was about Texas high school football. She talked with friends about it, and they remembered the good times of the Friday Night Lights. I told her it’s the purest thing you’ll do in life as an adolescent. You don’t have worries or responsibilities except for school.
“Friday Night Lights” in Texas, photo courtesy Bloomberg.com
When you play for a high school football team, you are representing something bigger than you. You represent the student body, the school, the parents, and the community. Memories of Friday night games live on, too, and you are part of history.
I then talked with her about the brotherhood aspect. It’s a fraternity of young men that you know will be there for you no matter what. It’s an attitude that carries into adult life. I still keep in touch with my teammates. That’s really important in today’s world because there’s so much dissension and conflict.
The memory of high school football will always be there for me, the purest and most significant time a player will ever have.
