Adria demanded football from the series, and tomorrow she'll get it, as we head to the penultimate episode of the first season of "Friday Night Lights." It was nice to see the main guys together, getting drunk on the football field, for the first time in what seemed forever in today's episode. Street rightly pointed out that he will win always any argument about who has the worst girl problems. Matt is still cute as a button. And we see Street at the beginning of a potential career down the road, football coach. I also loved how the quad rugby coach barked at him like Eric Taylor does to his players. Lyla may be the most annoying girl in Texas (just one opinion), but she wasn't off base giving her "fiancee" a hard time. Everyone: when someone asks you if you still want to be engaged, "I don't know" is not the answer that person wants to hear. And Tyra shows some true grit, as she makes the decision to be the Collette who both goes to college and gets out of Dillon. Which, as Street says, for all its problems, is still home.
No woman can resist the charms and hair of Tim Riggins.
But for this blog, I'd like you to mostly respond to Bissinger's book. We finally see what we saw in the film: the big game against Dallas Carter. And we see how even "based on true events" can mean "made up to a great degree." In the film, as we talked about, there was no doubt that the Panthers were the "heroes," against the big bad villains, The Cowboys. We also understood when we were watching the movie that that was a simplistic viewing of the game; for we realized by rooting by Permian, we were supporting to some degree the corrupt system that not even the "feel-good" movie couldn't hide. Bissinger gives us the whole ugly, nearly unbelievable story—"nearly unbelievable" only because this is Texas and football. (And for a little more info, go here) So...
1. You reaction to the grading system at place at Carter High School? Quote a couple times in your response.
2. We talked about this after the film, as we all rooted for the Panthers over the Cowboys. Did you still find yourself rooting for the Panthers? If so, why? If not, why not?
3. Are Carter and Permian really all that different? Explain your answer.
4. For the second-to-last time of the class: what scene or moment stuck with you from today's viewing—and why?
See you all tomorrow.
I think I am dumb founded by the grading system put in place by Carter High School. I’m left sort of speech less. “In lofty bureaucratic doublespeak the policy was called the School Improvement Plan. But to many educators, a more honest title would have been the School Futility Plan. A concession to the notion that simply showing up for class was all students had to do to pass a course at Carter High School” (296). To be honest this sort of school system makes me lose my faith in education. It outstands me that a school could have to ability to change its grading system in order for the football players to succeed. “As long as Gary Edwards had a failing grade in algebra II, there actually wasn’t much that could be done. But Russeau, the Carter principal, then came forward with a solution of his own to the problem. He changed Gary Edward’s grade” (300). It is very disturbing when educators rather see their football team succeed than see their students succeed academically. This is why the education system is failing so miserably in these Texas towns.
ReplyDeleteI do still find myself rooting for the Panthers. I think I find myself rooting for the panthers only because I have become so attached to the characters. I want to see Winchell, Chavez, McDougal, and Billingsley succeed. I feel like I have come to know these players, and I want them to win. The blatant corruption in Carter High School doesn’t seem to help either. Carter shouldn’t have even been playing in the semi-finals game. However, I am not so sure if Permian is any better.
I really don’t think Carter and Permian are all the different. Permian may not have the official School Improvement Plan in place, but they also let their football players slide by. The teachers at Carter are technically allowed to let their football players pass without the football players doing anything. At Permian the teachers just turn a blind eye and let the football players pass. One school has an actual rule to by-pass the no-pass-no-play rule, and the other school just gets around it any way they can. For all its worth if Permian instituted the School Improvement Plan, the school would be no different than it already was, teachers letting students get by without doing anything because they are football players. Billingsley doesn’t do a darn thing in class, and he still passes. Just because Permian does not have the School Improvement Plan in place it doesn’t make it any better than Carter because they are essentially practicing the same methods.
The scene that has really stuck with me tonight is when Julie and her father are sitting in the car before the father daughter dance, and Julie finally gets to speak her mind and be heard. I think Julie’s poise and ability to tell her father what she wants very clearly is impressive. As we have said over and over again, all Eric seems to care about is football. He definitely cares for his family but football is at the front of his mind 24-7, and Julie has taken the hit from this. We finally see how much this has hurt Julie. She enjoys her life in Dillon (and I don’t think it’s just Matt she wants to be around), and doesn’t want it taken away from her just because her father wants to run off and coach at TMU. I think Eric finally realizes to some extent the strain football has put on his family.
I think that the corruption of the Dallas Carter grading system is shameful. Running a successful high school should not be based on the “…notion that simply showing up for class was all students had to do to pass a course” (296). Dallas Carter is the perfect case in saying that just because these students have graduated high school does not mean that they’re qualified, which is unfortunate. Instead of figuring out a better way to rig the grading system toward a higher proportion of passers, but they should “put some… time and effort and attention and energy on improving academics and on emphasizing academics” (302). They shouldn’t see the passing rate as a simply percentage to be altercated, but as lives that need to be improved and enriched.
ReplyDeleteI still find myself rooting for Permian in their game against Dallas Carter, but only because of my predisposition to the individual players and their lives and struggles. I still think that Dallas Carter, despite the chapter of background, is portrayed very heavily as the bloodthirsty enemy. I like the characters, and although I may not agree with what Permian football represents and the loopholes and exceptions made for the players, but I have to respect the endless work they've all put into the season. I think that despite an attempt at revealing the equality in corruption throughout the state in its treatment of its football players, Dallas Carter is still seen as working less hard and as less deserving, so I’m still rooting for Permian.
I think that the differences between Permian and Dallas Carter are what sets them so far apart from each other, and the main difference between the two camps are that at Dallas Carter, there is generally still the hope of success after a high school career. Many of the Dallas Carter players have been recruited for Division 1 scholarships, and if they have not, there doesn't seem to be as widespread poverty among the community as the poverty in Odessa. The Permian players know that they have probably reached the pinnacle of their athletic careers, even if they are planning on going on to play some form of college ball; this makes them play with more composure, purpose, and maturity. The Dallas Carter players seem to lack most of these qualities.
The moment that caught my eye in today’s viewing was the exchange between Coach Taylor and Julie. As they were sitting in the front seat of his classic Ford SUV, I was expecting another Coach lecture, not a Father lecture; however, what I got was the best father exchange thus far. Often, I think that Eric speaks to his daughter the way he might address Smash or Saracen, and Tami often has to translate for Julie. Tami has been the one who can get through to Julie, and I think that in this scene, Eric got through that he has the ability to parent well too. (I wrote this before I saw Rachel's comment)
I left speechless after reading about Dallas Carter's School Improvement Plan. In reality, nothing is improving but the football team. I am amazed that a player like Edwards can easily slide through high school with terrible grades, just because of football. This is the perfect example of how football is valued more than anything in Texas. Maybe, just maybe, some of these athletes will get out of Dallas Carter and play football in college or possibly pros. But most of them won't, as well as Permian. So the school is letting kids slide academically, a skill every student will need later in life, just to have a good football team. Ridiculous.
ReplyDeleteI am still rooting for the Panthers just because we have been attached to this school for so long, it's hard to just switch over. It's the same with pro teams, I find myself hating that I root for the Hawks, but I can't just leave it alone. We have gotten to know the athletes at Permian so basically we are emotionally attached, so we can't just give up and root for Dallas Carter.
Carter and Permian aren't much different in how they teach their students, although is far worse than the other. Permian lets their students slide through no questions asked easily, but not nearly as easy as the "School Improvement Plan." Both schools put football first, because it really is all their schools (or town in Permian's case) have.
The scene that stuck with me today was when Smash, Saracen, Street, and Riggins are all on the field together. It's refreshing to see Street back on the field with his friends again. He enjoyed telling Saracen what to do with the plays so much, allowing us to see, what John said, his potential future occupation. It's also good to see Riggins and Street make up again, because they have such a good friendship and it was sad not to see them together.
The grading system at the Carter High School is so corrupt. It seems to be even a bit more corrupt then Permian. The system at Carter is less subtle. While the teachers at Permian don’t really teach and the football players can get other people to do their work, at Carter the principal changed Gary’s grade. This change “meant that Edwards’s grade in algebra, as changed by Russeau, was now a 70.4.” (300) A 70 is a passing grade and means that Edwards was eligible to play. Actually I’m pretty sure that if there was a situation like the Edwards case in Permian there would be people like Buddy Garietty to start a lawsuit as well. Both systems are equally corrupt, just one is more public. Ewell is right when he says, “we got our goals skewed.” (311)
ReplyDeleteI am still rooting for the Panthers, because I have become attached to the Permian team. Through the movie, book and to a certain degree the show, we have learned a lot of about these players. Even though this chapter has shed some light onto the Carter side of the story, I still know the Panthers better and find myself rooting for them.
I don’t think that Carter and Permian are very different. The only big difference is race. Carter is a majority black school and Permian is majority white school. Both of the schools are corrupt. Both schools make academics easier for the football players, so that they can focus on winning and not getting an education. I think that both schools are messed up. I think that the no pass no play law had a good basic idea, but it obviously didn’t work out the way it was meant to. I think that something like that law needs to be put into effect, because these kids are losing opportunities to succeed. If people like Don, who admits he isn’t learning anything and has a class about how to organize menus, can graduate, that isn’t good. He doesn’t really have many job options with an education like that.
The moment that stuck with me from today’s episodes was the scene when Lyla confronts Jason about sleeping with the tattoo artist. I had a moment of déjà vu when watching that, because Lyla also lied about sleeping with Tim. Although we don’t know how far they went we know that something happened between Jason and the tattoo artist. Just like in the earlier episode Jason lies in order to protect Lyla, who is currently dealing with a lot of family problems. I just found it interesting how similar it was.
Carter High School’s grading system was completely and utterly messed up and ridiculous. I’m still in shock and disgust by how little attention and emphasis they put on actually learning anything in their school. I mean really? The football players get answer sheets to the tests their taking and all the teachers are worried about is whether the kid understands that he just been given the answer sheet: “The teacher passed the tests around the room, and Gary of course got one just like everyone else. But then he got something else that no one else got: the answer sheet. The teacher realized the situation might be confusing for Gary, since exams usually came only with the questions. So he took him out into the hallway just to make sure Gary recognized what it was that had been thrown on his desk.” This passage shocked me the most. I was stunned by how far the teachers were willing to participate in football players being excused from learning instead of making them do at least their homework. And if teachers at this school do try and be reasonable and fair and flunk kids who don’t know algebra II, they get dragged into a lawsuit like Will Bates was! The school didn’t care about whether Gary Edward’s had learned algebra or not, they just cared about whether his grade was above a 70 so that he could play football: “Just about the only question that wasn’t asked during the hearing was whether Gary had actually learned any algebra or not.” This school doesn’t have the best interest of the kids at heart. They use the kids just to win football games not so that they can learn in school so that they can lead successful lives because of getting a good education. Dallas’ priorities are completely backward. The school system in Dallas, Texas isn’t about school and knowledge and learning anymore. No, it’s about football. And instead of trying to help Gary learn so he can justly make the grades he needs to be on the team, they just corrupt their school system instead. Like paying 17,000 dollars for the lawsuit instead of perhaps getting Gary a tutor? That’s just insanity. This whole corruption of the town and the school by placing football and football players on this pedestal and making the players feel superior to their teachers and learning just blew my mind that something like that could be real.
ReplyDeleteI still found myself rooting for the Panthers because of the emotional connection to them that I have because of knowing the individual players and all about their struggles in their town, their families, their relationships, and their education. I feel like I know them and knowing that their only way out of Odessa is by winning on the football field makes me want to cheer them on because you know how much this means to the town and the individual players. It’s the only thing that gives their lives worth and value and gives them pride. At the same time, I know my reaction is the kind of reaction that causes the cycle of high school football in Odessa, Texas. Everyone there wants ‘their boys’ to win. But that may not be the best thing for them. If they didn’t have this continuous cycle of passing all their classes easily and no emphasis being placed on education and having their only way out be to play such a dangerous sport like football, then maybe the kids would turn out better. Maybe they would get a good education. Maybe they would go to college. Maybe they could have successful careers outside of Odessa, Texas. But the problem is these are all maybes that won’t come true because of the tradition and cycle that’s already in place. My emotional reaction is the same reaction of the town that’s fueling this never-ending cycle. But as much as I’d love to say I wouldn’t cheer for them because that would be just validating the football cycle, I can’t. I think it’s just human nature to want people to win sports games if you feel connected to the individual players.
Carter and Permian are not that different at all. They are both rural Texan high schools who worship football and their players. They both have the same mentality and attitude towards football. Yes, Carter High School is a little more extreme about their leniency towards their players’ grades but both put very little emphasis on schooling and spend (literally) a ton more on their football programs. They both have towns and schools that idolize their players and only take pride in how many games they win and whether they make it to state or not. Carter and Permian aren’t very different at all when it comes to their outlook on life.
ReplyDeleteThe moment that really stayed with me from today’s episode was when Lyla told her dad to leave and shut the door after she found out that Buddy had not only had one affair but many. It was such a powerful and sad moment to see that family divided and broken. I feel like so many of the kids in this town come from broken families with a general lack of good father figures. Lyla’s family has just joined the town’s ranks of complicated and messed up families. I thought it was truly depressing to see Lyla have to slam the door in her own father’s face while he’s begging for another chance. I mean Lyla went through a whole cheating scandal herself and at first is considering giving her father a second chance. Then, when her mom won’t let Buddy back in because this is the first time he’s forgotten about his commitment to her and his family by cheating with several of his secretaries, Lyla realizes that her father cannot redeem himself for what he’s put them through. It’s so sad to watch a family collapse and split up and have the kids be dragged through it too.
John, you were right, my mind was blown after reading this chapter. I think that the Carter High School grading system is absolutely ridiculous and I have a hard time believing that it was even real. The description about the Don’t Pass, Don’t Play rule really stood out to me when Bissinger said, “Football coaches hated the rule. They thought it was unfair and ruined their programs” (292), which seems crazy because getting a 70 is not exactly asking for the moon here. I also could not believe that the teachers gave the football players answer sheets or just let them not take finals to give them a predetermined grade. Derric talks about how he rarely had to take finals when he says, “Four or five times during his senior year he didn’t take the exam but just sat back and waited for the honor grade” (295). This is almost sadder to me because it shows how the teachers have just given up on the system and trying to educate these kids, but just want them to pass so they can get out of there without a huge controversy like the Algebra II incident.
ReplyDeleteI definitely still root for The Panthers, even though their education system is pretty awful too. Obviously know the Permian players much better than the Carter players, so I am biased in that way, but I feel like the Carter school system is even worse and more corrupt than the Permian system. It feels messier to me.
As much as I am griping about Carter, when we compare the two high schools Permian and Carter are not all that different. The teachers have completely given up on trying teaching the players; instead they just want to get them through school without threatening football and causing a scene. Although I would argue that Permian tries a little harder to make the football players at least pretend to pass, as opposed to them just looking at the answer sheet for an exam, I still feel like all the moral codes about education and what school is about all get swept under the rug in both cases. Without the School Improvement Plan, Permian, as we’ve established, is still a terrible school that lets the 17 year old football playing boys run the entire way that the school is structured. In that way, the schools are exactly the same.
The scene that really stuck out to me was the scene with the four BFF’s on the field at night drinking beer and actually talking. To me, everyone seems happy here. They all seem like they are being real and for once there is no unsaid drama or hard feelings, but they are just like brothers. Street is still letting the love he has for football channel into Saracen’s playing, and for the first time this episode, we see Street completely happy. All of the guys are at home.
Carter’s grading system has not only surpassed Permian’s in terms of sheer academic dishonesty, but additionally served to exemplify why Texas’ fervent fixation upon football has left the state’s mired educational system in shambles. Those who attend Carter, in similar fashion to the students of Permian, inhabit a secluded, unsustainably utopian community in which a disproportionate amount of resources are allocated towards the advancement of the football program, thus rendering football a communally shared entity of paramount importance. This creates a situation akin to the dire educational predicament plaguing Odessa, in which Bissinger stated that, “The solution to the problem of poor performance scores had been a new system of grading that would encourage students to stay in school as well as improve their self esteem. […] it would undoubtedly reduce the schools notoriously high failure rate, which had become an embarrassment to the school and to the school board. Under the plan, equal weight was given to class participation (which to some teachers meant simply showing up […]), homework, weekly tests and a final exam at the end of every six-week period. A student could flunk every weekly test as well as the final exam and still pass a course for that period” (296). The program essentially condones the notion that it is obligatory that football players wholly devote themselves to the sport in order to appease the community as a whole, thus creating individuals underprepared and incompatible with society beyond their secluded community, a community whose underlying principles state, “[…] if a student could flunk every exam he took and still pass, how hard could it be?” (296). I not only find this fairly contemptible, but additionally unbelievably unintelligent and egregiously desynchronized with the near entirety of the world.
ReplyDeleteI find myself rooting for the Panthers due to the fact that we have been able to glimpse beyond the veil that is maintained by the Permian football culture and gain insight into the lives and identities of several players, thus allowing myself to come to the realization that Permian football players are conscious individuals, not homogenous components of a machine whose sole purpose is to accumulate the maximum number of state championships that are often only remotely attainable. Carter is portrayed in slightly the same manner Permian was in the initial chapters of the book, which renders them a less than affable group, allowing me to unquestionably support Permian.
In my opinion, the main characteristic that differentiates Carter from Permian is Carter’s willingness to attempt to circumvent the pre-established conventions of the society in which the school’s patrons inhabit. Although an isolated community to a degree, Carter falls under the jurisdiction of a city whose values and principles are not skewed in a similar manner to those of Permian or Midland, communities who, to an extent, can create their own rules, principles and social structure. Although they share a similar fixation on football, the persistent and omnipresent uncertainty surrounding Carter’s program renders them an arguably more intense and aggressive team, a characteristic that has manifested itself in Carter’s community as a whole from the numerous glimpses we have seen of the school and their corresponding fans.
The scene that stuck with me was the one in which Saracen, Smash, Riggins and Street enjoyed a night on the football field not as teammates, but as friends. It was nice to see several individuals whose lives are or were wholly dictated by football enjoy a moment together where no overt worries of football were displayed (although Saracen voiced concerns, they appeared to be remedied fairly quickly with Street’s advice).
I completely do not agree with the grading system at Carter high school. It is so absurd that even the teachers find themselves having to convince themselves that it is a positive thing. The grading system is obviously only for the benefit of the football players, and the school makes it clear through their grading system that football is the only thing that is important to them at the school. "Others suggested that the true purpose of the Carter plan was to make sure that none of its football players fell victim to the no-pass, no-play rule," (pg. 296). What appalled me about the system most, though, was how not only did it keep football players from failing classes, but it allowed them to barely even show up. It gave them all of the freedom they could ever want, and because of it they received absolutely no education, completely ruining their futures in the real world where football is not a soft pillow they can fall back on. "You walk around, break all the rules. The teachers and administrators, they see you, they just don't say anything to you," (pg. 291).
ReplyDeleteI do still find myself rooting for the Panthers. Throughout the series we grow closer and closer to each of the characters, to the football team, as we watch the events and experiences that unfold. We get more and more of a grasp on how badly these players and this town want this state championship. Although the want is the same for every other high school football team in Texas, we only really see Dillon's drive and heart. Personally, I connect with each of the players more now that we are almost done with the season. I know what each has gone through and how they have struggled, and the personal connection leads me to root for them on the football field. My support of the Dillon Panthers really has nothing to do with the football team itself, but the players on the team and the coach, who have all been through so much and have worked so hard just to simply win some football games.
I think Carter and Permian are really not different at all. Of course, there is the obvious difference of race. But as far as the attitude towards the football programs, there is no difference at all. At both schools, football is the most important thing, and academics fall by the wayside. The football players are praised and treated like gods. They do what they want, and they get away with it. At both schools, both students and staff are on the same page about how the football team is the most important, and how the football players practically run the school. The football players at both schools simply do not work, they just receive grades and special treatment. Both schools could give a damn about the football player's future and education, as long as they are winning football games. One difference between the two, I would say, is the sense of hopelessness that is a part of Permian high school. While the teachers give special treatment to the football players, they do not really try to teach in general. There is the issue of poverty in Odessa, which ultimately shows up at the school. At Carter, the issue of poverty is not as big and the teachers seem to actually try to teach their students (at least, there is nothing that says otherwise). Besides this difference and the difference of race, the two schools are almost identical.
The scene that stuck with me from today was the scene when Tyra's mother takes her to the father daughter dance. Throughout the whole series, Tyra's mother makes mistakes, and she shows that she is weak and unstable. Every time she does something out of impulse it turns out to be a big mistake, and when Tyra's mother takes her briskly into the father daughter dance, I expected her to do something else bad that she shouldn't have. And then, Tyra's mother unexpectedly tells her that she loves her, and that she will do anything she can to provide for her. She takes her to the dance to just dance with her. She finally becomes a motherly figure for Tyra in this moment, and she finally makes a choice as a mother, and not as a weak human being.
ReplyDeleteI was horrified by the grading system at Carter High School but, in retrospect, it is not that much worse than the Permian school system. Carter’s system was unfair and clearly biased: “Gary of course got one just like everyone else. But then he got something else that no one else got: the answer sheet.” (293). This is possibly the most blatant course of action that a teacher could do to a student to get them to pass. At Permian the academics were a joke overall. It was almost impossible to fail any class, regardless of whether you were a football player or not. There was special treatment but nothing so defined. There were no objections from any of the other students, surprisingly, and, of course, no objections from the players themselves: “It was football that gave Gary Edwards a halo and made his whole life there like a ride in the backseat of a limo, and he wasn’t about to pass on it.” (292). But some players, such as Gary, even with almost zero work and expectations, still failed. However, Gary could not fail. He was, after all, a football player. So, the principle “changed Gary Edward’s grade.” (300). At this point, one can not even try to explain the logic behind it, he simply changed his grade to benefit the town and the team.
ReplyDeleteI feel like, no matter what happens, I still root for the Panthers in the show and the movie. In both projects Carter is the enemy, the unknown. They are strong and anonymous which is what makes them scary. We get to know the Permian players on a personal level, start to really understand and feel for them. The book has a chapter on Carter, which lets us know that they are not so different from Permian. This probably means that, despite the racial differences, the kids are probably not that different. I wouldn’t say that I root for Carter but I definitely am not as resilient in my support for the Panthers.
I really don’t think that Carter and Permian are different at all. Sure they have a different racial make-up but they still have that sometimes dangerous addiction to football that ends up skewing the town’s view and treatment of the players. Both towns will stop at nothing to win. For instance, at both schools there is the issue of the student-athlete, an ideal that is almost nonexistent. Both schools will allow the players to nap, cheat, and blow off assignments if that’s what they need to feel comfortable for the game. Furthermore, the school, and others, allow these players to do whatever they want because of their talent.
The moment that stuck with me the most was when Tyra’s mom fell on the glass table. I think that this is probably a very obvious scene, it being one that was built up to for a while and extremely dramatic, but nevertheless it was very memorable. I think one of the most important things that it proved was that Tyra’s mom was not okay and that all those little pills that she took did end up affecting her like we as viewers knew it would eventually. I also think it was important because it was a situation in which Tyra couldn’t pretend like she could handle everything by herself because she actually legally needed an adult to take charge of the situation. After this event Tyra finally had to accept that she needed help.
I thought the grading system at Carter was completely heinous and was put in place for the sole reason of letting football players pass. As the book reiterated over and over, the court case involving Gary Edwards grade would never have happened if he was not a Carter Cowboy. "Had it involved anything else- the educational rights of a student who was a writer, or a poet or a merit scholar- Ewell acknowledged that "it would not have gone to court, it would never have gone to court, it would not have been up for debate." (311) The players at Carter are given obvious preferential treatment by the teachers at the school "He was no fool about any of this. He knew he didn't get treated this way because he had any special intellect... His endowments were of a purely physical order- a 4.4 speed in the forty, a skillful ability to play both defensive back and running back, a reputation for hard tireless work on the field." (292)
ReplyDeleteI did find myself rooting for the Panthers because we had grown so close to the players throughout the film and witnessed their struggles, unlike the Carter players, so one could not helo but want Permian to succeed.
Carter and Permian are really quite similar. their values as schools are definitely identical, as both schools place football above anything else.
A scene that stuck with me from today was when Tim fought off the bullies that were attacking Bo. This was one of the first times that we see Tim really do something for someone other than himself. It also highlighted the lighter, more caring side of Tim that he usually hides behind his masculine front.
The grading system in Carter is completely corrupt. The fact that all you have to do is show up and you can pass is ridiculous. “A student could flunk every test as well as the final exam and still pass a course for that period.” (296.) Also, the way the football players are treated by everyone, even the teachers, is astounding. The football players all think that they own the school because they can do what they want, break any rules they want, not do any of their work and sometimes for test, some of the players “got something else no one else got: the answer sheet.” (293)
ReplyDeleteI’m still rooting for the Panthers. We have spent so much time with them that it’s hard not to. I have become attached to the characters and their stories.
Carter and Permian aren’t very different. Although on the outside the two schools seem different, hey are fundamentally very similar. Both of them are football crazy schools that have there players treated like super stars. Both don’t spend enough time on academics, instead focusing the majority of their time on football. Both are corrupt in the same way by letting their football players off the hook whenever they break rules.
The scene that stuck with me was when Smash, Riggins, Saracen and Street where all chillin on the field together. It really shows the bond that football has given these kids and for Street it shows that hes still a part of the team.
The grading system at Charter is a perfect example of the dangers of being really into football as a school. The community is so engaged in their football team that they have lost sight of what school is fore. Not just parents, bit the teachers and the principal. One thing that shocked me is how the teachers are so willing to give the football players breaks. Derric said that "sometimes [they] don't even take their exams, [they] just get a grade" (295). The teacher also sometimes help the football players cheat: "The teacher passed the tests around the room, and Gary of coarse got one just like everyone else. But then he got something else that no one else got: the answer sheet" (293). This to me just crosses a line. The school is now preventing Gary the opportunity to learn by making him do absolutely nothing. It does not seem fair to keep students from getting an education just to make sure the pass and can play.
ReplyDeleteI do still find myself rooting for the Panthers. We have read many more chapters about them and watched them through the season and seen how’ve they done in each game. We also see throughout the book that if the Panthers don’t win, the whole town will be really upset and Gaines might loose his job. I am also rooting for the Panthers because I know the players. We see them develop throughout the season and get attached to them. We only know two players from Carter, and have read about them in only one chapter.
There are both similarities between Carter and Permian; however, I would argue that there are more differences. Really the main similarity is football. In both schools there is a ton of fans crazy rooting for the team, the players are given special benefits in school, and they are worshiped by everyone in town. The main differences come from geography. Carter is in an urban area while Permian is in the middle of nowhere. Carter is in a middleclass area of Dallas and Odessa is in poverty from the oil bust. Carter is an all black school and Permian is a mostly white school. These differences give the students at these schools different opinions and outlooks at life.
The scene that stuck with me most was the one in which Matt, Smash, Jason, and Tim hung out at the football field. It stuck out to me because it shows that Riggins and Street are still friends, despite what happened earlier. It also is uplifting when street teaches Matt to throw it outside because he was really glum about the Carter game.
I’m not entirely surprised that this kind of grading system, if you can even call it that, exists. What stands out to me is that this is happening at a high school. The majority of the news coverage centered around student-athletes focuses on kids in college. It makes more sense to me that someone would be taking the “easy route” through college because they’re at a point in their life where a pro team is likely to scout them. In high school--a time where a student’s college future is dictated, arguably more than their athletic future--it is hard for me to find a good reason as to why a student-athlete should receive credit "for simply showing up" (296).
ReplyDeleteI agree with Leni and Rachel; I’m stuck rooting for the Panthers, not necessarily because I think the Permian system is better than that of Carter, but because I’ve grown attached to the players. Each of the athletes that Bissinger writes about have a different background and day-to-day life. As a result, I think anyone who reads this book would be able to relate to all of the boys in one way or another.
Permian and Carter definitely similar. Both schools consist of a culture that is centered around football and heavily neglects education.
The scene that stuck out for me was when Bo's mother is sitting on the bench and she stops Tim from walking away. She comes off as a very guarded and proud woman, but in that moment she shows the audience her vulnerable side. It's also interesting that she got mad at him for fixing her gutter, but has very little problem with him sleeping with her.
I think the grading system was made to get the largest number of people to graduate, but I was very surprised how far they went to accommodate the football players. "The teacher passed the tests around the room, and Gary of course got one just like everyone else. But then he got something else that no one else got: the answer sheet." (293) This shocked me, and I was even more shocked when another player didn’t even have to take the test. I was also surprised at how the football coaches couldn’t care less if their players don’t learn a thing in school. “Football coaches hated the rule. They thought it was unfair and ruined their programs.” (292) Coaches are supposed to care about their players, but apparently they don’t, and just want to win.
ReplyDeleteI find myself rooting for the Panthers because they want it so bad. They are good people, and you want the one thing that matters in their life to turn out well. The have worked tirelessly for years to win the state tournament, and it’s almost natural to want all their work to pay off. For a lot of the players, this is the all they have to look forward to for the rest of their lives.
Carter and Permian are very similar in regards to football and academics, but the main difference in location. Carter is outside Dallas, a very big city, and Odessa is hundreds of miles away from any medium sized city. The Permian fans revolve their whole lives around football because that is all they have to look forward to. They travel hundreds of miles to watch high schoolers play football, showing their extreme dedication. Dallas fans are also heavily into football, but because they are in a city and a lot more is going on, they aren’t close to how much the Permian fans care.
The scene that stuck with me is when Jason kisses the tattoo girl. This moment stuck with me because although you could see it coming from a mile away, I was kind of surprised. It has become clear that Jason is still interested in other girls, but I don’t think he is the type of guy that would do that. But then again, like with his proposal, he does act on instinct.