That Championship Season

That Championship Season Summary | Act 1 Summary

Act 1 takes place in the living room of the Coach. The room is furnished with old, dusty furniture that has definitely seen better days. The rest of the room is likewise dusty with the carpet and curtains looking as though they haven't been cleaned in years. Along the walls are gun racks that contain several shotguns. There is an air of nostalgia in the room that is brought on by the presence of several trophies that adorn the top of a bookshelf as well as the large silver trophy that sits on the dining room table. There are also photographs of several political icons of past years, including Teddy Roosevelt, John F. Kennedy and Senator Joseph McCarthy.

Tom Daley is in the room examining one of the guns while George Sikowski mixes drinks in the adjacent kitchen. Taking one of the guns from the rack, Tom asks George if he knows the guns are loaded. As Tom returns the gun to the rack, George enters with his drink and comments how much he has missed him and noting that Tom has not attended the last three reunions. He continues by saying that winning the championship is, by far, the accomplishment of which he is most proud; even being mayor of the town did not mean as much to him as winning the championship does.

The two men spend a few moments discussing their glory days before wondering what has delayed the rest of their friends. The conversation then turns to George's political career and he tells Tom that the pressures of the job are sometimes too much. He is about to begin a re-election campaign against a Jewish opponent. As the consider this, Tom asks George if he is ready for another drink. George warns Tom that his brother James will be mad if he arrives and finds Tom drunk. George tells Tom that he intends to appoint James as the superintendent of schools after the election.

Tom then asks George about the outcome of the Coach's stomach surgery. George tells him that the doctor suspects it is nothing more than an ulcerated stomach. George says that he suspects that the coach will live forever, and he will always be grateful to him for standing behind him when he began his political career. Reminiscing about his first campaign, George recalls that he won by a mere thirty-two votes.

As the two men engage in further small talk, Tom pours himself another drink, which prompts George to ask him if he has a drinking problem. Tom assures him that he does not, that his increasing forgetfulness and loss of weight are merely the result of his advancing age. Tom then tells George that he saw a woman whom they sexually took advantage of when they were freshmen. George asks Tom to not discuss that incident because if word gets out that he was involved in that, he would be ruined politically. He goes on to tell Tom that the woman was raped two years ago.

In an attempt to change the subject, George again wonders what is keeping the rest of their friends. He suspects that the coach is taking the opportunity to drive one of Phil Romano's cars. Phil has a tendency to drive fast and George says he has to cancel at least five speeding tickets each month for him. In addition to this, he is dating an eighteen year-old girl from Scranton. He tells Tom that Phil has become increasingly moody in recent years, but he is trying to tolerate him because Phil has promised to contribute $30,000 towards his upcoming campaign in return for being able to keep some former strip mines that he has been leasing from the city. George's justification for this decision lies in the fact that his opponent is using ecological issues as part of his campaign platform and wishes to break this lease. As they discuss this, Phil Romano and James Daley enter carrying buckets of fried chicken and some beer. The coach is still outside, parking the car.

As George and Phil go into the kitchen to put the chicken in the oven, James asks Tom to try his best to remain sober. Tom assures him that he will. When George returns to the room, James tells him that Phil evaded "the subject" completely. George begins to question him, but stops when Phil enters the room. The four men spend a few minutes joking about Phil's collection of pornographic films before being interrupted by a loud whistle from the front porch. The coach enters, and in a voice and style reminiscent of their high school glory days, he implores his former players to take some laps around the room before toasting them as the 1952 Pennsylvania State High School Basketball Champions.

When George tells Coach that they owe all of their success to him, he replies that he has always thought of this team as being similar to a fine watch that keeps perfect time. He cautions the men to make sure they keep in shape since they are now approaching the period of their lives when they will be most susceptible to succumbing to a heart attack. George mentions that he has recently purchased an exercise bicycle to which Phil makes a disparaging comment. This causes Coach to point out that Phil is working on his third chin and that James looks exceptionally tired. James replies that he hasn't been sleeping particularly well lately, due in part, to the fact that he recently had his teeth removed and now uses dentures. When Coach comments that he probably should have had more Vitamin C in his diet, James responds that he had recently read a study in which tooth loss was attributed to nerves. Coach tells James to relax and have another drink. He then hugs Tom and tells him how happy he is to see him again.

Feeling nostalgic, Coach recalls the final ten seconds of the last game this team played together. Soon, the other men are drawn in, and amazingly, each can recall exactly where they were and what role they played during those final seconds. After reliving the final game-winning shot, Coach reminds them how they overcame the odds to beat a team from a school three-times bigger than their own. Then, he somberly recalls Martin, the key player in that final play. Martin is not with them for this reunion, in fact, no one has heard from him for twenty years. Coach suggests that they take a moment to say a prayer for Martin's safety and happiness. The men join their hands in silent prayer and then Coach reminds them that they never had a losing season.

In an effort to turn the conversation back to politics, George says that after the election, his opponent, Sharmen, won't be able to say the same thing. Coach agrees and says that not only will George win; they will drive Sharmen out of politics in return for his attempts to put Phil out of his strip-mining business. George tells the group that Sharmen recently made a personal attack against him in the local press by saying that during his term, the town has regressed rather than progressed. Coach assures George that he will win the election and give the town four more wonderful years. He then tells the others that he is proud of the success each of them has achieved over the years. When James suggests that Coach is responsible for their success, he disagrees, saying that they each did it on their own.

Coach mentions to Phil that he noticed that his Little League team has recently lost their third game in a row. When Phil mentions that he recently lost two of his best players, James suggests using his son. Phil replies that young James can't hit a curveball, and believes that the boy isn't all that interested in baseball. James replies that the boy's lack of interest is the direct result of spending most of every game on the bench. When Phil again says that he doesn't believe the boy is all that interested, Tom interjects that young James told him that he doesn't enjoy baseball and would prefer not to play. When James responds that he thinks his son is going through a difficult time, Coach suggests that he try to keep his son interested in the game as a way of building character. James says that his son is a good respectful boy, and Coach agrees, saying that he is just like James and recalls how James took care of his own father. James replies," Someone had to do it."

The conversation again turns toward George's impending campaign. He tells the others that the high school newspaper recently published a picture of a pig with Phil's name beneath it, calling him a threat to the environment. George tells the others that he called the school's principal to complain, which inspires Tom to come up with a humorous campaign slogan for George. Tom then leaves to use the bathroom, and when he does, James mentions that he has been sick recently and that his illness has affected his memory. Coach thinks that Tom would be a tremendous asset to George's campaign as a speech-writer, but James says that he has already bought his plane ticket for the return trip home. When Coach says he will try to get him to change his mind, Phil suggests that the campaign may be in trouble and that Tom's help would be beneficial. George seems surprised to hear this, and tries to dispute Phil's statement. Coach suggests that they let Phil talk.

Phil tells George that the four percent property tax increase that he approved did not go over very well with the town's residents. Further, there is no work, and the outlook is only getting worse with the impending closure of the ammunition plant. George disputes Phil's claims, saying that the city was broke when he took office and he needed to raise taxes in order to get the city out of debt. As for unemployment, George says according to the statistics he was provided, the town's unemployment rate is actually below average. Phil replies that he heard Sharmen has already gotten an agreement from IBM to come to the town and that will bring many new jobs. Coach expresses his opinion that bringing large companies, such as IBM, to town will cause the population's demographics to change.

George maintains his position that he is a popular mayor, and reminds Phil that over 5000 people recently came out to cheer in the rain at the opening of the town's zoo. Phil tells George that the people came to see the elephant that George arranged to live in the zoo, and reminded him that the elephant lived for only one month. They then recall the debacle that occurred in the days following the elephant's death, including the fact that it cost the city $500 to bury its remains.

George goes on to point out that during his term as mayor, they have been no riots and relatively little crime - only one rape in four years. Sensing that things are about to spiral out of control, Coach tells the men that he senses dissension in the room. He goes on to discuss various points in history in which dissension caused tragedy such as the murders of John F. Kennedy and Joe McCarthy. He reminds the men that they are currently living in dangerous times and that more than ever, it is important that they stick together. The mood lightens and as the men begin to sing, Coach becomes frozen in pain.

The men all gather around him and ask what is wrong. Coach tells them that he thinks his surgical incision is still healing and that he needs to go upstairs to put on a special girdle the doctor had given him. George helps him upstairs while the others remain in the living room.

When George and Coach are upstairs, Phil remarks how he believes that George is going to lose the election. When James questions why he is being so negative, Phil replies that the last election was very close, and that George was lucky to win. James asks if there is another reason - such as the fact that he is having an affair with George's wife. Phil tries to deny this, but finds he is unable to do so. James reminds Phil that George is the only thing that is preventing his business from totally failing. Phil tells James that he is well aware of that, but also implies that Sharmen can also benefit from his contributions. He justifies his actions by telling the others that a campaign contribution is not significantly different from any other financial investment, and that George is not worth the investment. James replies that if that is the case, then with Phil's endorsement and financial support, he will run for mayor.

The two men debate the campaign for a few minutes until George returns to the room. They toss around a basketball for a few moments, but Tom says that it doesn't feel right without Martin. George agrees, but says he believes that with practice, they could return to their old form. He asks James to share his campaign slogan with the rest of the group. Clearly uncomfortable, James tries to change the subject, but George persists. James eventually tells George that Phil has doubts that they will win the election. George tells them that he is confident he will win, particularly since he has recently learned that Sharmen's uncle was once a member of the Communist Party. When Phil says that he doesn't see this as an issue for Sharmen, James reminds him that George has been a good friend to him. Phil replies that he has more than repaid George by financing his campaigns. This causes James to explode, and he tells the others that the reason that Phil won't support George's campaign is because he is having an affair with George's wife, Marion. Upon hearing this, George takes one of the guns from the rack and , he points the gun at Phil and threatens to kill him.