Football Genius

Tessa is Troy’s mother and exists as the archetype of the Shapeshifter. Within the format of the Hero’s Journey, an important part of the quest for the hero is establishing along the journey who his allies and his enemies are. Tessa seems to be on Troy’s side, but at many points in the story, it seems as if she is going to derail or block his efforts to express himself.

Tessa then, is a difficult character for Troy to deal with. On the one hand, she is his greatest ally; her job at the Falcons initiates the opportunity for Troy to bring his gift to the world and literally brings him into the adult football world by taking him to the dome for the first game. Yet, Tessa also will not allow Troy to continue to behave in the childish manner of stealing and lying whenever he likes. She forces him to change who he is, essentially. The reader knows that Tessa is benevolent person through her kind treatment of the old man who sells the boiled peanuts by the side of the road in Chapter 5, so the reader accepts her stern position.

As a result of Tessa’s relationship to Troy, he must reconcile with himself not only how he will function in the football world but also how he will learn to be an honest, responsible young adult and family member.

Tate is one of Troy’s best friends, strongest ally, and later she becomes Troy’s romantic interest in the story. Tate has an unflappable confidence and, in many ways, exists as a stable foundation on which Troy can lean. Because Troy struggles with his confidence and is uncertain of his abilities, he needs an ally who can push him forward and help him assert himself in the adult world.

When Tate jumps off the bridge behind Troy, it is clear that she is prepared to also enter into a more mature, adolescent relationship with him. Although she is kind and attentive to Troy and his emotional needs, she exists as a static character. Aside from the kiss she gives to Troy towards the end of the story, she ends up much the same way as she began.

Seth is Troy’s mentor in the story. Structurally, his function is to help drag Troy into the new world. Because Seth needs help to win and establish his career, he takes Troy under his wing and guides him in the strange new world. Without Seth’s assistance, Troy would never be able to confront Coach Krock, or gain an audience with Coach McFadden.

Seth also helps Troy learn how to act in a more mature manner: “Making you tell the truth. It’s something pretty important that you need to know” (130). By witnessing Seth’s experience in the adult world, Troy begins to see the complexity of the interactions therein. Because Coach Krock can control Seth’s career, Seth is limited in what he can accomplish when in conflict with Krock. This opens the possibility for Seth and Troy to work together to overcome a mutually difficult challenge.

Ultimately, the relationship of mentor and student works for the two as Troy helps Seth create a romantic relationship with Tessa and with his career while Seth helps Troy in his journey to maturity and offers Troy a father figure.

Coach Krock is the main antagonist of the story and also serves as a guardian of the football world. Himself injured playing football, Krock has insight into the dangers of this world and warns both Troy and Seth to stay away: “This game is about bein’ physical […] You’re like every player who gets old. You want to turn it into a little schoolboy chess match, but it’s a street fight. That’s all this game is” (100).

Because Krock is the defensive coordinator, he offers Troy a glimpse of what Troy’s future could look like. Unfortunately for Krock, his injury has caused him to become bitter and angry at the world. Krock thus approaches the world from his perspective, failing to see the strategic insights that Troy possesses. Krock’s tendency to resort to the physical expression of himself is ultimately his undoing when he violently shoves a reporter in Chapter 42.

Gramp serves as Troy’s supernatural guide in the narrative, connecting Troy to his unconscious abilities and identity. As a character that is moving towards an age and identity that is beyond the adult world, Gramp provides insight into the greater universe that Troy is too young to see. Gramp’s help thus symbolizes Troy’s connection to the universe.

As Tessa’s father, Gramp also helps Troy to see Tessa as a true ally when Troy attempts to ascertain where she belongs in his world and reconcile himself with her shapeshifting identity. Tessa’s courage and humanity at defying her family to attend the Martin Luther King Day rally clearly indicates the kind of person she is and ultimately the kind of family she comes from.

Jamie is an antagonist to Troy in the child’s world. Conflict with Jamie draws out Troy’s most immature behavior, landing him in trouble with his mother, Seth, Coach Renfro, and even the school lunch monitor. Jamie’s “Doritos breath” (52) is a characterization tool the author uses to illicit repulsion in the reader.

Because Jamie lacks skill or insight at a more complex level, and due to Troy’s growing relationship with Seth, Troy is slowly able to move on from this conflict with Jamie as he tackles a more complex and important task in the adult world.

Coach Renfro is essentially an extension of Jamie in an adult form. Unable to express himself in any way but yelling, and not skilled strategically, Coach Renfro exists as an example of someone who has not matured in the adult world of football and remains stuck in the child world, not in harmony with either. His inability to establish his adult position in a child’s world ultimately leads to his demise as Coach, leaving room for Seth to step in.