H.G. “Buzz” Bissinger — the famed writer of “Friday Night Lights,” a book that chronicles the lives of high school football players in a small Texas town — spoke at Cornell on Nov. 29 in the Statler Auditorium, as part of the Lawrence and Judith Tanenbaum Distinguished Speaker Series presented by The Sigma Phi Society.
Mr. Bissinger began the lecture with an update on Booby Miles, the main character in his book who suffered a career-ending knee injury that forced him to quit football and pursue another career. Throughout the lecture, he used Booby’s story to support his claim that Division I sports should be banned in college.
Citing the example of a program like Alabama or Ohio State, universities that excel in numerous athletic sports, he asserts that revenue-generating sports such as football and basketball take away from the overall college experience in a way that affects students and administrators.
Mr. Bissinger was passionate and well-spoken and gave legitimate facts and relevant examples to support his claims and made his argument seem authentic.
Original Author: Nicholas Rielly