Rough and Tumble by Mark Bavaro - Book Report/Review Example

The book by Bavaro begins with an introduction to the NFL football player, Dominic Fucillo. The main character is a part of the New York Giants and is competing for the last week of the game. When going through the scenarios with Fucillo, one is introduced instantly to the pressures that come with the football scene, including the fines that Fucillo is given by referees, injuries that come with the sport and which may stop him from the game and pressure to perform more, despite the injuries. The author also points out the personal relations and how this creates more difficulties, including the relationship disputes he is in.

This is furthered with the relationships that are seen in the game, including the problems which arise from a team member, James Moze, who is taken off the team, adding in more pressure to Fucillo. These various incidents are displayed throughout the book to create scenarios that show the corruption of the game and how it relates to the complexities the players each have to go through. Even though the work is depicted as a novel, the information which Bavaro points out is designated to highlight the complexities of football and the problems this creates with those in the sport.

This begins with the personal relations that are a part of the game and the psychology which is created with the game between members. The conflict is seen first by setting the character as belonging to the game and loving the work which he did, despite the violent interactions on the field and from the coach. “Fighting my way off the line of scrimmage, I thought to myself, I love this game. Not because it was fun. But because it made me whole. I’d been playing football since the fourth grade.

It was who I was. It was all I was” (Bavaro, 5). This quote is followed by the violence from the coach to the players and between those practicing on the field. This creates a different understanding of the conflicts of the game while highlighting that the internal components of the game are the first complexity with football. Showing the internal dynamics of the game of football continues throughout the story as this affects the livelihood of the players and their interaction with others. At times, this is based on the way in which the game is played.

However, the dynamics of the NFL, expectations from coaches, injuries and other problems lead into the world in which the players live in for a longer period of time. This is inclusive of difficulties that occur with the players when going into the world. The deals which are made and the different aspects that are related to this all reflect in the work of the football field and the results that occur from personal associations and relationships. The strength of this is the ability to capture how the game and the structure of the NFL begin to reflect the lives of those playing the game, beginning with the dynamics that are a part of the game.

When reading this novel, there is not only a strength in understanding how the complexities reach the football players and the world of professional football. The novel allows one to step into the world of football and to question the system and why it is supported in this manner. The different problems are noted by fans and are often advertised by the league. However, the games continue to pose the same problems and create the