Friday Night Lights and the myth of the level playing field

No series on TV more expertly and movingly explores the issue of racial and economic inequity on the supposedly even playing field of American public education than the great "Friday Night Lights," as we continue in the final season (5) to follow the East Dillon Lions on their way toward a state championship. Sports - and public education - is supposed to be a free and equitable opportunity for all - the so-called level playing field. Without dwelling on the inequities, we see quite clearly that this team from the mostly black East Side has almost no resources whereas the Dillon Panthers have a beautiful field, tremendous coaching support, and so on - the Dillon kids all being prepped for college and the East Dillon kids hardly aware of what college is about - if some of them get there, it's clear that most will be used as pawns or fodder for the football machine and then tossed aside if they don't make it. Someone ought to be arrested for allowing two schools in the same city (or state, or nation) to be treated so differently - but it's the same story everywhere. It just is this way, and we blindly accept that fact. Sadly, in FNL we see some anonymous hateful adults set up a Web site showing the East Dillon kids in mug shots with their arrest records, teenage ghetto crimes that the kids are trying to get beyond, and we see the ED kids saddened and humiliated by this illegal outing. Coach Taylor rises to their defense, but even he is helpless here. The beauty of the show is that it's also an extremely honest, truthful, and funny exploration of family dynamics and youthful passions, all played out low key and credibly, esp., in this season, daughter Julie's struggles in first year of college and parental dilemma about how much to get involved, how hard to push her or push back, what to defend her and how much to let her fight her own battles.