The imagery on this line reflects Mike's dislike of the city and all that it represents to him.
We can arrive at this answer because:
"Friday Night Lights" shows how Mike was sad and dismayed by everything when his father and brother died.
He was an athlete and knew that his brother and father would want him to play for the team.
But he doesn't want to stay in the city anymore, because it's melancholy and nothing makes him want to stay there.
In this case, the author uses imagery to point out that pretending that Mike wants to be part of the team was very ugly to him and the land he grew up on and which he no longer wants to be on.
