Foul Trouble

Foul Trouble has an abundance of characters who make limited or sporadic appearances, and this storytelling pattern is designed to reflect the vast and fast-paced world of athletics. Within the barrage of personalities that Terrell and Danny must navigate, Omar Whytlaw becomes a prominent character whose palpable skills and positive attitude deeply impact Danny and Terrell and influence their development. Although Omar is a highly skilled and sought-after player, unlike Swanson, he has not let his rising success rob him of his integrity or transform him into an uncaring person. For example, when Omar pulls Danny aside to praise him, this scene shows that he pays attention to all players, not just the ones who are being hyped by the media. This unexpected praise becomes a turning point for Danny, who has always thought of himself as little more than a vehicle to help drive Terrell to success. As a result of Omar’s encouragement, Danny’s confidence improves, and so does his performance on the court. Although Danny provides support for Terrell both on and off the court, he also benefits from these experiences and discovers his own worth along the way as he learns the importance of Valuing True Friends over Fair-Weather Friends.

Given the mismatched levels of attention that Terrell and Danny receive from the various representatives, the two protagonists must find a way to overcome The Unfairness of Subjective Value Judgments, and this theme is also demonstrated during the boys’ encounter with the NCAA. This organization exists to establish and enforce specific rules that govern what student athletes, colleges, and recruiters are allowed to do. The NCAA also dictates certain activities that athletes must refrain from during various types of events. Alex’s teammate breaks many of these rules by accepting gifts and money from brands and prospective schools, but he has not been reprimanded because he, like Terrell, is a highly sought-after player. When the boys are confronted by the NCAA for their alleged rule-breaking in Chapter 10, the agents’ plan is to punish Danny rather than Terrell, simply because Danny is the only player who is not categorized as a superstar and is therefore considered expendable. Pinning blame on Danny would demonstrate that the NCAA is doing its job while sparing the star athletes from scandal. This incident is designed to indicate that even the rule-makers are corrupt in the high-stakes sports world. The NCAA has its own best interests in mind, and these do not necessarily align with the best interests of the students. As this encounter demonstrates, the rules apply differently to Danny than they do to Terrell and others like him.

Although the players’ main focus has been to excel on the court and gain the attention of prospective colleges, Omar’s devastating injury acts as a grim return to reality for the athletes and strips them of their illusory sense of invincibility. Faced with the knowledge that Omar’s life and future have been forever altered in a single moment, they must come to terms with the fact that they are running a similar risk. Omar loses much of the movement in his legs as a result of the fall, putting him out of commission and destroying his prospects of winning a full athletic scholarship. Seeing this misfortune, Danny, Terrell, and the other athletes are forced to change their approach to basketball and to the representatives working to recruit them. Although Omar is infrequently mentioned in the rest of the book, his misfortune stands as a constant reminder that everything the boys have worked for can vanish in an instant. This realization helps Danny to let go of any lingering resentment about Terrell’s popularity, for he now understands that the pressures of this type of popularity have contributed to Omar’s accident. Ultimately, the incident illustrates the complex nature of decision-making, for Feinstein uses Omar’s misfortune to imply that a single decision can have a profound effect on the course of a life.