If you went to high school in Texas, you understand the rush of what the locals call "Friday Night Lights". If you didn't, you simply can't understand. Here are nine things to appreciate about #FNL:
1. The sunsets.
There are very few sights quite as pretty as the background God painted for Texas high school football. Most Fridays in September through November, the sun sets behind a silhouette of stadium seats and the press box, with all the colors of the rainbow.
2. The marching band.
Whether you were in it or you just watched, you had to appreciate the band kids at least a little bit. They worked really hard, they played fun songs, and they always danced in the stands.
3. Hitting a nice winning streak.
Sometimes you win and sometimes you lose, but the best seasons were the ones marked by back-to-back victories over every school in the district. Although there was enough to be said for making the best out of a losing season, it was just so much more fun when you won.
4. Living in a small town on game day.
If you grew up in a small town, everyone from the principal to the cashier at the grocery store to the people at Bush's knew it was game day, and everyone respected it. Classes were a little more hectic, any restaurants were slammed for lunch, and your school colors were everywhere. Where I'm from, they frosted donuts in blue and white and offered a student special at the diner. Living in a small town meant a little magic in the air on game day.
5. Praying in the end zone.
Maybe it's just me, but I always found a little bliss in seeing our boys come sprinting down the field only to fall on their knees and pray.
6. Making it to playoffs.
Playoffs were the pinnacle of the whole season, and if your team made it, that meant celebrating. New shirts were made, extra pep rallies scheduled, and games were arranged farther and farther away. Each round of playoffs was more nail-biting than the last, and unless you made it all the way, would eventually end in an emotional last game for senior players, cheerleaders, band members, and students.
7. Home games.
Although traveling for away games was always fun, there's something about being on your field, in a packed stadium, at home. Your announcer was probably a faculty member, and faces of fellow students covered the screen. Not to mention your team's name literally was all over the field. It was so much easier to be spirited at home!
8. Getting decked out.
Even if you weren't a football player, a cheerleader, on the dance team or in the band, if you were a real fan, you decked yourself out for all the big games. You painted your face, dressed all in school colors, and brought every kind of noisemaker or confetti cannon you could get your hands on. The student section was just as spirited (if not more) as anyone in a uniform.
9. The comm(unity).
While we all had our differences, something about the Friday night lights brought the whole community together. The sea of (insert school colors here) formed a little extra unity within your town or city, and the victories and losses alike were felt by the community. It made you a part of a family, and it made you appreciate the games even after you'd graduated and left.
Pro tip: if you come back for homecoming, prepare to realize how much you miss Friday night lights.
