Tackling Representations of Football in Friday Night Lights

Abstract

Abstract

Football is an American sport celebrated by passionate fans nation-wide. Media outlets have boosted football to its prominent status of popularity in our culture today. One example is high school football portrayed through a television drama. Friday Night Lights is a critically acclaimed television series which first premiered on NBC in 2006. The show portrays high school football in the state of Texas. This study attempts a qualitative examination of the show's representation of high school football. Overall, Friday Night Lights depicts the passion and importance of high school football in a small-town community. The findings reveal representations of coach-player relationship, football injuries, and the negative impact of drug use. Findings also reveal football discourses for academics and budget vs. football, identity, community, and racial stereotypes. The representations and discourses in this television series may offer insight into the culture of high school football as it relates to communities, educators, and players involved in the sport.