Midland-Odessa = North Side-South Side Chicago

It's been 14 months for me. I moved to West Texas in July 2020 to take this job at the stations, and I loved the area from the minute I saw it for the first time coming here for the job interview in June last year. The people are fantastic, I love warmer weather so last summer was absolutely amazing (for some reason Mother Nature wants to remind me of Illinois this summer with all this higher than usual humidity we're experiencing), and as far as what is here to enjoy-there really isn't much I miss about the Chicago area other than a few restaurants I loved back there that don't exist here-but that's another article.

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Speaking of being reminded of Illinois-growing up on the North side of Chicago (where those pesky Cubs fans all come from), you learned early-on that there was a divide between sides of the city. White Sox fans were South-Siders--simply by the location of each stadium where they play. And if you lived there--YOU DIDN'T LIKE BOTH TEAMS. Chicago could come together on Basketball, Football, Hockey--even Soccer. But baseball--be careful out there!!!  Which, after being here for a short time-I came to learn about the dynamic being the same between Midland and Odessa.

I haven't seen the movie "Friday Night Lights" but I had heard about the premise of the movie way back when it came out--so I'd heard of the area and the stories way prior to coming here. And my wife and I just finished the TV series of the same name on Netflix, even though the fake name of the town is Dillon, TX instead of keeping it real. I know both cities are very passionate about their high school teams--just maybe not to the level they depict in the tv show. Of course I understand they have to add drama to make stories interesting to the masses sometimes. So help me out here--call us in the morning or comment below and educate me on just HOW passionate this area is--and tell me how close to reality these shows really are. I love football as much as anyone (Go Chiefs!!) so I'd love to hear all about and SHARE your passion for local athletes and our programs right here in the Basin!