But for better or worse, high school football is big business in Georgia. The eight state semifinal games have been moved from cozy stadiums to the Georgia Dome. Parkview was rewarded when Coca-Cola stamped its name on a commemorative bottle, and General Mills pictured the smiling champions on a Cheerios box. Spring practice, which is conducted in only 14 other states, remains a Georgia institution despite efforts by principals and superintendents to abolish it. The game's roots are in the red clay of rural towns, where the mayor knows everyone by first name and almost everything that happens happens at the high school.
Football plays a vital part of the culture, linking campus and community.
It's our town against your town. Good players alone did not make the Wildcats the winningest program in the nation. It's not uncommon in these havens to find booster clubs that go far beyond bake sales and raffles, raising huge amounts of money so their sons can practice, shower, work out and play in the finest facilities under the tutelage of the finest coaches. They also arranged the joy ride for coach Cecil Flowe. Because public funds for sports are limited, the private enterprises increasingly make the difference.