Does any song capture the essence of a cultural phenomenon more perfectly than Kenny Chesney’s “The Boys of Fall?” Anyone who’s ever played high school football or experienced the magic of Friday Night Lights cannot help but be moved by this song.
As a former high school football player, I am instantly, as the lyrics suggest, back in my helmet, cleats, and shoulder pads every time I hear it.
My daughter is on her high school’s varsity dance team. Watching her perform on the sidelines and at halftime during football games this fall has provided me with a different perspective on Chesney’s song—and a greater appreciation for coordination, collaboration, and culturalization.
The teams (players and coaches) may be the reason for the gathering, but they alone aren’t what make high school football games a cornerstone of Americana. The contributions of all the other entities are.
The cheerleaders, dancers, marching bands, color guards, majorettes, pa announcers, concession stand workers, ticket takers, and overzealous cowbell-ringing grandmothers in the bleachers all play a role in creating the magic.
And so do a lot of behind-the-scenes individuals like the maintenance staff who cut the grass, line the fields, and ensure the scoreboards function properly before the games.
High school football’s excitement, tradition, and cultural significance emerge from these combined contributions. It’s not just the Boys of Fall who make Friday Night Lights special; it’s the Boys of Fall and All.
Coordinating “All” is crucial. Coordination is organizing the different entities to enable them to work in harmony. You can’t have maintenance paint the lines after kickoff nor the band take the field while the teams are playing.
Collaboration is equally crucial. Collaboration is different than coordination in that it entails individuals or groups working together to produce something by sharing knowledge, skills, and resources. Everyone involved is working towards a common objective.
Collaboration requires both supply and sacrifice. You may be called upon to give more than you’d like or give up more than you’d like. Adherence to this requirement demonstrates respect for the primary objective.
For example, the athletic director communicates to the band director when the band will perform and how much time they’ll be allotted. The band director must then work with the color guards, majorettes, and dance team to develop a show that showcases their talents but falls within those parameters.
Relatedly, the football team may want to return to the field early to warm up. But they’ll need to wait for the band to finish before they can retake the field.
As a player, I did not fully appreciate the extent of the coordination and collaboration involved in creating the magic of Friday Nights Lights. As a parent, I have not only come to appreciate them, but I have also come to appreciate how culturalization factors into the experience.
Culturalization is the process of adjusting content to align with contemporary social norms in order to keep a product or experience relevant.
The teams’ style of play has changed. Their uniforms have a more modern look—so do the bands’. The bands play more contemporary music—so does the pa announcer.
The scoreboards are more advanced. The concession stands sell healthier options. The student section dresses more fashionably. Apart from the presence of the overzealous cowbell-ringing grandmothers, nearly everything about Friday Night Lights is different for my daughter than it was for me—and yet the magic remains.
That is the beauty of culturalization.
Good teammates make effective coordination, collaboration, and culturalization possible. Their willingness to share their talents, suppress their egos, and prioritize the greater good lead to traditions that bind their cultures.
Kenny Chesney included footage of youth and high school football games, locker room speeches, and interviews with football greats in the extended version of the “The Boys of Fall” video.
Among my favorite inclusions is a clip of hall of fame quarterback Joe Namath: “Football lessons we learn as kids…continue to apply through the rest of your life. Life is a team game; it’s the big game.”
Life is indeed a team game. That’s precisely why it is so important to always choose to be a good teammate. Those who figure this out are the ones who win in life.
As always…Good teammates care. Good teammates share. Good teammates listen. Go be a good teammate.
