Society serves as a window into the beliefs and attitudes of American life, revealing the true values ​​of particular communities and humanity at large. At the high school level, sports can be used as a vehicle to teach children the value of hard work, dedication, discipline, and the role teamwork can play in achieving important goals. However, as revealed in H. G Bissinger's novel, Friday Night Lights, the desire to win can overshadow the importance of instilling other important values. “There seemed to be an opportunity in Odessa to observe not simply the enormous effect of sports on American life, but other notions as well, because Odessa's values ​​were ones that belonged firmly to a certain kind of America, an America that existed beyond the confines of Steinberg's cartoon, an America of industrial cities, agricultural cities, steel cities, and single-economy cities, all trying to survive” (xii-xiii). Sport is an aspect of society that has the ability to bring people together and at the same time reveal the distinct separations between class and race. In most American cities it is common for residents to gather on a field or stadium to watch their hometown team compete against rival teams in an attempt to claim the title of Champion. Fans put aside minor differences to unite and cheer on their high school athletes, but once the game is over, life returns to normal. However, these fundamental differences may be more apparent than is realized if the sports program is carefully examined. What a city may claim to support or believe often turns out to be two-faced hypocrisy. Sports play an important role in American life, and while it should be used as a means to improve society, it very often does not preserve the status quo. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay The city of Odessa is extremely racist with the small percentage of African Americans living there being kept separated from the white residents by the symbolic railroad tracks. The Permian football roster gives the illusion of racial integration, but with careful examination of the role played by team members and the treatment of Black players and coaches, it distinctly portrays the team's inability to escape the racism permeating a Odessa. The city fought segregation within the school system and managed to avoid implementing integration until the 1980s, when the U.S. court ruled against it. The city's solution is symbolic of racist attitudes. Instead of forced busing and disrupting the lives of white students, the city closed the high school that was located in the black neighborhood. Most Odessa residents had never even seen the school, but became interested when they realized that it could benefit from integration: “But with the closing of Ector, members of the white community suddenly began to see tremendous value in some of his black students. It had nothing to do with academic potential. It had everything to do with athletic potential” (Bissinger, 105). Student athletes are seen as a commodity, an opportunity to get stronger and increase their chances of winning games. Black student athletes were not welcome in the community, any level of acceptance at Permian was strictly limited to the football field, and their purpose was to bring entertainment to white fans. “We know we're separated until we get on the field.We know we are equal as athletes. But once off the pitch we are no longer the same. When it comes time to play, we're part of it. But after the game, we're no longer part of it” (Bissinger, 107). Black players were bused to the white part of town and when they finished their work they were sent back. Intercompetition interaction only occurred during practices or matches. The mentality of white fans can be associated with the audience of a minstrel show. Blacks were the source of entertainment and when whites got what they wanted they pushed them back to the bottom of society. Neglecting to look beyond the surface, the simulation of blacks in Permian athletics would seem like integration, however Permian sports in reality simply shows the status quo of the era. The integration of the schools was supposed to be an opportunity for black student athletes who came to Permian High to train. receive a better education, but the focus remained on ensuring these players were ready for Friday night. The apathetic approach to educating Black soccer players reveals the failure of the Odessa school system to ensure that all students are adequately prepared to meet the requirements to be a productive and successful member of society. Boobie Miles had a documented learning disability and received his education in a small class, however the administration at Permian High ignored these accommodations and placed him in mainstream classes. The classes he took as a high school student were more like courses that would be taken as a freshman. “Boobie had a program that would give him the course credits needed to graduate from Permian. But there was no way he could meet the NCAA's requirements for the number of courses needed to qualify for a non-restrictive scholarship” (Bissinger, 65). The school wasn't concerned with ensuring that Boobie learned, only with keeping him fit to play football every week. “Some teachers worked diligently and patiently with Boobie, knowing how difficult it was for him to concentrate. Others seemed to simply let him go, doing little more than babysitting this boy who, as some recognized, was destined to become the next Great Black Hope of the Permian football team” (Bissinger, 66). Boobie is denied an education by Odessa, he is not a priority for Permian High, as concern for Boobie only focuses on the athletic abilities he brought to their football team. The failure of the school for integrated black athletes in the Permian supports the premise that the city is not interested in making significant changes to the educational opportunities of the black community, but rather is content to maintain the status quo. the Permian Football coach's minority players send the message that these students are less important than their white teammates. Although the city of Odessa complied with federal laws by implementing integration, only 6 percent of Permian students were black. Most of the black students are athletes, and some are top athletes on the football team. These students have the potential to be recruited by colleges and even have the chance to play at a professional level. For most of these students, an athletic scholarship is the only means of attending college. Their families are extremely poor and have neither experience nor resources to guide these athletes through the college admissions process. Brian Chavez is not only a talented athlete, but he is also very bright and motivated to achieve in the classroom. His excellent grades and his.