Odessa, Part 2: Friday Night Lights

Published: March 12, 2021, 10:45 a.m.

b'In 1988, a high school football team in Odessa, Texas, was so good that it became the inspiration for a book, movie and, eventually, the television series \\u201cFriday Night Lights.\\u201d And in the decades since, as West Texas has weathered the unsettling undulations of the oil industry, football has remained steady. \\n\\nSo after the pandemic hit, the town did what it could to make sure the season wasn\\u2019t disrupted. And at Odessa High School, where the football team struggles to compete against local rivals, the members of their award winning marching band were relieved they could keep playing. \\n\\nIn Part 2 of Odessa, we follow what happened when the season opened \\u2014 and how the school weighed the decision to start against the possible risks to students\\u2019 physical and mental health.\\n\\nNew episodes of Odessa will be released as they become available in this feed. For more information visit nytimes.com/odessa.'