Friday night lights

Friday, October 23, 2009

Recently, Hollis/Brookline High School’s football team played its first home game on a Friday night, using lights rented for the occasion.

It seems obvious what this portends: The end of Saturday afternoon football at Hollis/Brookline and the advent of games on Friday night, following in the footsteps of division rivals Souhegan and Milford.

Well, it’s hard to blame the team/school for heading in that direction. It is clear that more fans attend Friday night games than Saturday afternoon contests, especially on a lovely fall day when one can stay home and do exciting yard work rather than watch kids in gridiron action.

So, why not play in front of more people and, not incidentally, bring in more revenue via ticket sales, and perhaps even snack bar sales, for the school? Why not indeed?

Yet there is something disquieting, perhaps even sad, about it, something we felt when, a few years ago, Milford High went from Saturday afternoon games to Friday night contests. It just doesn’t seem the same any more.

Why is that? Football is football, after all, whether it’s played under lights or under the sun, so what’s the big deal?

We’re not entirely sure, but something seems to be lost when games are played at night, something … elemental. There just seems something more “high school” if you will about Saturday afternoon games. Friday night games are so … Texas. Yes, of course that is a reference to the book “Friday Night Lights,” which exposed the idiocy of putting too many expectations upon teenagers.

No, of course we are not saying that is the case with Hollis/Brookline. Teachers, administrators and coaches seem to have their heads in the right places when it comes to sports – recognizing that sports are important, but not overwhelmingly so (as seems to be the case in Texas) – so we’re not worried on that account.

It’s just that Saturday afternoon football somehow seems so … New Hampshire.

Ah, well, one can always go to a game in Plymouth where Saturday afternoons still seem to be reserved for high school football.

And it’s possible that the Hollis/Brookline Friday night experiment will be a one-time thing.

But somehow we doubt it.