In 1990 the book Friday Night Lights was published to much critical acclaim. In it, journalist HG ‘Buzz’ Bissinger followed the Panthers football team of Permian High School during the team’s 1988 season. No fawning bit of fluff, the book delved deeply into the lives of the young players and their coaches. It showed teenage angst and portrayed a community where academic excellence was ridiculed in favor of success on the playing field.
Many locals were horrified at its exposure of racism and other social ills in Odessa. The book later became a 1994 movie and was used as a basis for a TV series that ran in fits and starts from 2006 to 2011. In recent years the team has had a mediocre record despite the ongoing fan mania, as exemplified by the 20,000-seat football stadium.
