THROUGH THE LINE

A sports story writer of long standing. William Gault tackles the difficult subject of finding a workable balance between football and scholarship and imposing a rational perspective on the game in the plot of his new book. Set in a small midwestern college, the drama is enacted among Marlowe's team members. Mark, the central character, has been granted an athletic scholarship but he fully recognizes the importance of education. But, a wealthy player from Texas, views football as a game, not a world, much to the chagrin of Ed, a poor boy, for whom failure has always meant disaster. Amid the fast paced on-the-field action, fiery disputes arise among the boys resolved gradually as understanding sets in. The point made repeatedly is that football can be dangerous when it transcends the boundaries of a game. Thought-provoking values stressed here may help straighten the path for aspiring athletes, but the absence of substantial reference to academics pays mere lip service to this aspect of the story. As sports stories go, however, this has something to say.