Summary
Chapter Eight deals with an NCAA investigation of the Tuohys. The organization opens the case as part of an effort to combat the efforts of "boosters," families who adopt athletically skilled kids in order to coerce them into playing for different college teams. Due to the fact that they are so enmeshed in the world and culture of the University of Mississippi, the Tuohys come under scrutiny for adopting Michael, as the NCAA is concerned that they might be using him.
Michael finds this understandably upsetting and experiences the grueling interview as very painful. He is asked invasive questions about his adoptive family as well as his original family background. Michael is distrustful of the investigator who comes to their home and views her interest in him as mostly rooted in the NCAA's efforts to do damage control after a series of high-profile scandals involving boosters.
Still, the case does place doubt in Michael's mind, making him more suspicious of the motives of the people around him. He notices, for instance, that Hugh Freeze, his high school coach, pushed him to go to the University of Tennessee when he had been interviewing quietly for a job there. In the same way, without stating it outright, he seems to wonder if Leigh Anne and Sean would have shown him the same generosity if he didn't have these professional sports prospects.
In the same period of time, Michael focuses on his academics. With the help of his tutor, Michael's grades have been steadily improving each semester, showing that with the right resources he had a strong aptitude as a student. Still, Michael was a few points short of the GPA he needed to graduate, so Sean helped him take on additional classes. Michael completes some online courses and Sean speaks with the school to see what extra work Michael can take on. Michael meets his academic requirements and is able to play. He is placed in the starting lineup, a huge anomaly for a college freshman and a clear indication of how valued he is for his high level of ability.
In the ninth chapter, Lewis returns to the world of professional football, depicting the career arc of left tackle Steve Wallace in 1986. Wallace is being primed to replace Bubba Paris on the San Francisco 49ers, as Paris is growing increasingly overweight. Wallace feels the pressure both to follow in Paris's footsteps and also to stack up against linebacker Chris Doleman, a successor in the lineage of Lawrence Taylor's brutal offense. In a high-stakes game against the Vikings, Wallace keeps Doleman at bay, protecting quarterback Joe Montana from Doleman in the same way Ayers guarded him against Taylor. Wallace goes on to have a very successful career but, like Ayers, remains unnoticed by commentators and audience members.
In the remainder of the chapter, Lewis broadly portrays the rise of the left tackle as a prominent position. Where before, he states, these men held one of the least-coveted roles in the NFL, now their pay began to skyrocket, as a response to increased demand and recognition of the position's strategic importance. There are also shifts in the sort of player coaches begin pursuing, as they search for left tackles who are both strong and agile.
Lewis describes Jonathan Ogden, left tackle for the Baltimore Ravens, as being so capable in his role that he begins to question why he isn't asked to do more on the field. In a surprising play-by-play, Lewis writes about a game between the Ravens and Buccaneers in which Ogden nearly catches up to the quarterback, showing a level of speed and precision that is shocking for his position. Lewis also notes that Ogden also remains unnoticed by viewers, but comments that his ability is nothing short of extraordinary.
Analysis
By focusing on the NCAA investigation, this part of the book delves into the less appealing aspects of college sports. The booster scandal reveals how many people are invested in trying to profit in some manner from these college athletes and how some of them are willing to go to unethical extremes to bolster their schools and profit. Likewise, the NCAA's response doesn't appear rooted in real concern for these kids, but seems more likely to be a kind of self-preservation response geared toward doing image repair for the organization. As Lewis mentions earlier, the athletes themselves do not profit from college athletics, but an entire ecosystem of other people do. Lewis seems to question the ethics of this world, as they rely entirely upon the performance of student-athletes while not compensating them or welcoming them into the social world of their schools.
Family is also an important aspect of this section, as the investigation makes Michael painfully question the support of the people around him. As more and more attention is being paid to him, he is left to wonder if all these people would have helped him if he were not so gifted. He is frustrated about this because he had just become accustomed to the idea that he had a real and dependable family. Related to the idea of football culture, Lewis is able to show that while Michael's story is ultimately a positive one, the financial and social pressures of the game put a major strain on many relationships.
In the ninth chapter, Lewis again returns to the evolution of the game, following a pivotal moment in the career of left tackle Steve Wallace. Wallace's importance on the field as a counter to Chris Doleman further underscores the changing necessities of the game, as Walsh's refined counter-strategy proved, once again, to be essential to the 49ers victorious season that year. Wallace's contribution to the team also marked the beginning of major shifts occurring in the nature of the game, as the left tackles moved into a higher pay grade and coaches sought out players who were both powerful and agile. Lewis uses Jonathan Ogden as an example of the sort of player who could fulfill both of these seemingly opposing qualifications.
Finally, Lewis revisits the idea of thanklessness in the game, as both Wallace and Ogden's extraordinary feats barely register on instant replays. Commentators barely take notice of Wallace blocking Taylor while Ogden's stunning pursuit of a quarterback goes unmentioned and unseen. Lewis is able to demonstrate how the position's increasing status did not translate to more notice in the stands or in the press. Where the game appears to hinge on the complex interactions of multiple players, the credit and attention remain firmly fixed on the quarterback, the perpetual star of the show.
These two chapters focus closely on the drawbacks of this life. While Michael's success as a player is celebrated, Lewis uses the investigation and the stories of Wallace and Ogden to reveal the carelessness of the world that surrounds the game. Michael may have been perfectly suited for an important position, but the culture he became a part of was not one that treated its participants particularly well. As Lewis mentions throughout the book, the Tuohys not only took Michael in, but also showed him care and consideration, trying to keep him safe from the cruelty of the sports industry.
