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Devil Town
Episodes
35 episodes
High School Football Game
Austin and Mitch take a field trip to a local high school football game.
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Funding
When East Dillon opens in season 4, there is a giant funding gap between the new school and Dillon. How realistic is this? We look at how schools are funded in Texas, how football is funded compared to other extracurriculars, and the ex...
Accents
Mitch takes Austin on a deep dive into the West Texas Accent. They discuss what makes Texans sound distinct, some idioms and unique phrases, and analyze dialogue from the show.
The Movie
Austin and Mitch discuss the 2004 movie Friday Night Lights. They look at differences between the book and movie, and similarities with the show. Austin explains some technical football stuff, Mitch challenges him to identify movie hal...
One Year!
It's Devil Town's first birthday! Mitch and Austin revisit old topics. There are updates on murderball, UCO Cheer, realignment, and we play a game based on a very dated meme. Links:Foo...
Realignment and NIL
Austin explains the current college football situation with OU, Texas, the Big 12, and the SEC. Even after recording and editing, I (Mitch) don't understand it well enough to summarize. Austin also explains the changes to the NCAA's power over ...
Pride, Representation, and Queer Athletes
It's the last day of Pride Month! We're talking about LGBTQ+ representation in Friday Night Lights and TV in general. Plus, Carl Nassib and what it means for a professional athlete to come out of the closet. Links:
Abortion
In this episode, Mitch and Austin discuss Becky's abortion storyline in season four. Mitch gives some context for Tami's part of the story, looking at the rules and expectations for a school counselor in Texas. Then they look at some recent dev...
Race Norming
Austin explains the NFL's policy of race norming when deciding payouts for players affected by CTE. He explains the history of the Heaton norms used by the NFL, the court case that regulates payouts, and what that means for players and their fa...
Actors
Austin and Mitch reveal their Top Ten Performances by Friday Night Lights Actors in Non-Friday Night Lights Properties. They also play a round of Two Truths and a Lie: IMDb EditionEmail us at DevilTownPodcast@gmail.comFind us on twi...
Quarterbacks and Schemes
Austin explains the offensive and defensive schemes we see in Friday Night Lights. We discuss the playing styles of each of the quarterbacks, evaluate Eric Taylor as a coach, and learn a little football history. Links:
The Lawsuit
Does Jason Street have a negligence case against Eric Taylor? In season one, the Streets sue Coach and get a settlement. In reality, the state of Texas treats lawsuits like these very differently. We look at similar cases, the history ...
Valdosta
Austin walks us through the saga of of a football scandal from Valdosta, Georgia. It involves boosters wearing wires, grown men with nicknames, major college programs, and secret families. Links:
Current Events
These episodes are the closest to news Devil Town will ever get. In part one, we highlight three local (to us) stories relevant to topics we've discussed on the podcast: the suspension of the UCO Cheer team, the racism from fans and ensuing fig...
Music
We're finally talking about music. When we first started talking about this podcast, music was the first idea we had, but it's such a daunting topic. There's so much to talk about and we don't get to everything, but we do discuss:Music Supe...
Jobs
In this episode, we discuss the working lives of the Dillon teens. For a show about football, we spend a lot of time with these characters at their various jobs. We talk about our own experiences, look at some recent data, and speculate about s...
The Big Game
Austin and Mitch discuss the Superbowl. (Are we allowed to put Suberbowl in the episode title? Would the NFL send us a cease and desist?) Statistically, how likely is it for a high school football player to make it to the Superbowl? Wha...
Hazing
Austin and Mitch discuss the season three episode It Ain't Easy Being J.D. McCoy in the context of hazing.
Steroids
Austin and Mitch discuss the Season 1 arc where Smash tries steroids. They look at the science behind how they work, some of the risks involved, and their prevalence among high school athletes. Plus an in depth analysis of the Season 3 JD/Matt ...
Safety
Austin and Mitch discuss the Disney+ movie Safety. It's the true story of Ray McElrathbey, a student athlete at Clemson who took care of his younger brother while playing football. We discuss the odd style of the filmmaking, and compare the mov...
The Cost of Winning
Austin and Mitch discuss the HBO documentary series The Cost of Winning. In four parts over two hours, it shows an unusual football season at St. Francis Academy in Baltimore. This tiny private school in one of the most disadvantaged neighborho...
Varsity and the Cheerleading Monopoly
In this episode, Mitch and Austin take a close look at Varsity Brands, the company that has a stranglehold monopoly over competitive cheerleading. SOURCES:
Cheerleading
This week we discuss cheerleading, in Friday Night Lights, pop culture, and in real high schools. We talk about why it isn't always considered a sport, and why it should be. (Next week's episode will be a deep dive into Varsity, the company beh...