This riveting classic of sports reporting was first published in 1989 and it documents the 1988 football season of a Texas high school team. Its legendary status has spawned television shows, documentaries, and film. Odessa is a dying oil patch town in West Texas, yet it is a town with a dream. For on Friday nights, the football stadium is filled with 20,000 fans cheering the Permian Panthers. Bissinger, who spent four months following the team--on the field and off--and talking with people from all segments of the community, offers a picture of American sports and American culture.