why is permian football so important to the odessa community?

Odessa is colloquially described as the “arm pit of Texas,” with the atmosphere of “a place rooted in the sweet nostalgia of the fifties” (64). Whatever Odessa lacks in wealth or amenities, it always has high school football.

While one might see the world's difficulties - Odessa's 12 percent unemployment rate while OPEC dictates the world’s energy market - as cause to look past football, it also explains why they turn so fiercely towards it. Somewhere along the way, football became their escape. It gave them an identity that they still cherish.