3afan2K3
09-10-2003, 07:41 PM
A Voice For Texas High School Football
Recently I went to see the movie “Remember The Titans“, a story of how a High School Football team in a Virginia community during the early 70’s brought together an incredible cohesiveness in a community forced to deal with racism and court ordered segregation. As I sat and watched I was once again reminded that it is High School Football, a sport played by teenagers, young men if you will, that has proven through time to have the capacity to mold, shape, create and bring together people from all walks of life regardless of race, religion or occupation like no other event I am aware of. In Texas and wherever it is played, it is High School Football that defines and exposes the bare essence of a community’ beliefs, their views and in some ways their interpretations of life itself. It gives an excitement throughout the township, and symbolizes the rich tradition that makes this great state of Texas what it is. And this is all done by young teenage boys representing their schools and their communities while playing a sport that, for whatever reason, has become an icon in this state and throughout this country.
Texas High School Football has taken its share of hits from those who think that it has grown into an institution that describes itself to be a macho, sacred and hallowed instrument to pacify grown men at the expense of the young men who play it and that it is the primary reason why every other sport played on a high school campus suffers.
Quite the contrary, if it were not for the revenue High School Football brings in, there would not be many other sports on the prep campus without an additional tax burden or state fund to provide relief to offset the expense. Not only is that statement self evident, it is proof that High School Athletics and some extra curricular activities in particular are in existence because of High School Football. That is not to say that these organizations are not very important to the young people who take part in them, but it is to say that the very reason they have these organizations to participate in is because of High School Football.
It is the Game that you read about on Saturday Morning. It is the Game that you read about all week long on countless web sites. It is the Game that generates hundreds of conversations throughout the community and state. And it is the Game that generates thousands of dollars that every organization wants to get a share of, and yet it is the Game that many of them smite!
No matter what is said from this point on, there will be those that will take from this letter a negative connotation on what I am trying to say. So be it! I still want to set the record straight. I believe High School Football is King, no doubt. I also believe that ALL organizations related to High School Football are an important part of what makes the Game special. There is nothing like going to a Texas High School Football Game on Friday Night. To feel the crisp fall air, to hear the band playing the fight song, seeing cheerleaders cheer, drill teams perform and the stands being packed with a community that is brought together by a group of young men, is mesmerizing.
Yes, it is only Texas High School Football that causes grown men to swell with pride, get lumps in their throats, argue for weeks and even years as to who was the best. It is what shuts down small towns at noon on Friday, and is, without reservation, what has more of a lasting impact on those who were apart of its’ pageantry than almost anything else they do in life. You take away this Game of High School Football and there will be created a void too vast to fill and a void totally irreplaceable.
How many times have you heard forty, fifty and sixty year old men speak with exact certainty the events that took place in a game they played when they were teenagers? How many communities are looked upon and judged by the way that their High School Football teams perform year after year? What do football and non-football fans associate with communities like Stephenville, Odessa, Celina and Brownwood when they are mentioned? One thing is they are looked upon as successful and tradition rich communities because of their success on the high school football field. When you see a sticker on the back of a vehicle of someone showing his or her schools spirit, what is one of the first things you think of? High School Football !
Through the years it is still the one constant source of entertainment and pride of every community like none other. It is still the greatest entertainment value for the dollar anywhere. It is still untouched in its’ greatness. It is still what turn’s fathers and grandfathers into young men, and many times, young men into strong leaders as fathers and grandfathers year after year. It is High School Football.
It is TEXAS High School Football, and it is Still King in Texas!!
Robert C. Walton, A High School Football Fan
www.tylerrefs.org/walton.htm (http://www.tylerrefs.org/walton.htm)
<small>[ September 10, 2003, 07:44 PM: Message edited by: 3afan2K3 ]</small>
Recently I went to see the movie “Remember The Titans“, a story of how a High School Football team in a Virginia community during the early 70’s brought together an incredible cohesiveness in a community forced to deal with racism and court ordered segregation. As I sat and watched I was once again reminded that it is High School Football, a sport played by teenagers, young men if you will, that has proven through time to have the capacity to mold, shape, create and bring together people from all walks of life regardless of race, religion or occupation like no other event I am aware of. In Texas and wherever it is played, it is High School Football that defines and exposes the bare essence of a community’ beliefs, their views and in some ways their interpretations of life itself. It gives an excitement throughout the township, and symbolizes the rich tradition that makes this great state of Texas what it is. And this is all done by young teenage boys representing their schools and their communities while playing a sport that, for whatever reason, has become an icon in this state and throughout this country.
Texas High School Football has taken its share of hits from those who think that it has grown into an institution that describes itself to be a macho, sacred and hallowed instrument to pacify grown men at the expense of the young men who play it and that it is the primary reason why every other sport played on a high school campus suffers.
Quite the contrary, if it were not for the revenue High School Football brings in, there would not be many other sports on the prep campus without an additional tax burden or state fund to provide relief to offset the expense. Not only is that statement self evident, it is proof that High School Athletics and some extra curricular activities in particular are in existence because of High School Football. That is not to say that these organizations are not very important to the young people who take part in them, but it is to say that the very reason they have these organizations to participate in is because of High School Football.
It is the Game that you read about on Saturday Morning. It is the Game that you read about all week long on countless web sites. It is the Game that generates hundreds of conversations throughout the community and state. And it is the Game that generates thousands of dollars that every organization wants to get a share of, and yet it is the Game that many of them smite!
No matter what is said from this point on, there will be those that will take from this letter a negative connotation on what I am trying to say. So be it! I still want to set the record straight. I believe High School Football is King, no doubt. I also believe that ALL organizations related to High School Football are an important part of what makes the Game special. There is nothing like going to a Texas High School Football Game on Friday Night. To feel the crisp fall air, to hear the band playing the fight song, seeing cheerleaders cheer, drill teams perform and the stands being packed with a community that is brought together by a group of young men, is mesmerizing.
Yes, it is only Texas High School Football that causes grown men to swell with pride, get lumps in their throats, argue for weeks and even years as to who was the best. It is what shuts down small towns at noon on Friday, and is, without reservation, what has more of a lasting impact on those who were apart of its’ pageantry than almost anything else they do in life. You take away this Game of High School Football and there will be created a void too vast to fill and a void totally irreplaceable.
How many times have you heard forty, fifty and sixty year old men speak with exact certainty the events that took place in a game they played when they were teenagers? How many communities are looked upon and judged by the way that their High School Football teams perform year after year? What do football and non-football fans associate with communities like Stephenville, Odessa, Celina and Brownwood when they are mentioned? One thing is they are looked upon as successful and tradition rich communities because of their success on the high school football field. When you see a sticker on the back of a vehicle of someone showing his or her schools spirit, what is one of the first things you think of? High School Football !
Through the years it is still the one constant source of entertainment and pride of every community like none other. It is still the greatest entertainment value for the dollar anywhere. It is still untouched in its’ greatness. It is still what turn’s fathers and grandfathers into young men, and many times, young men into strong leaders as fathers and grandfathers year after year. It is High School Football.
It is TEXAS High School Football, and it is Still King in Texas!!
Robert C. Walton, A High School Football Fan
www.tylerrefs.org/walton.htm (http://www.tylerrefs.org/walton.htm)
<small>[ September 10, 2003, 07:44 PM: Message edited by: 3afan2K3 ]</small>