That Championship Season

That Championship Season is a 1972 play written by the American playwright and actor Jason Miller. Set in Scranton, Pennsylvania, it concerns a terminally-ill retired Catholic high school basketball coach celebrating the twentieth anniversary of his team's state championship with his former players. The play won widespread critical success and numerous accolades, including the Pulitzer Prize for Drama and the Tony Award for Best Play.

The play is told in three acts. In Act 1, the protagonist, referred to merely as "Coach," hosts a reunion celebration for the Pennsylvania state basketball championship team he led to victory twenty years ago. Two of his starting lineup are talking in Coach's living room: Tom Daley and George Sikowski. Tom is an alcoholic, while George is now the mayor of Scranton. Coach is presently out getting food and drinks with two other members of the starting lineup: Tom's brother James, who is also George's campaign manager, and Phil Romano, a wealthy business owner. George and Tom discuss Coach's health gravely, mentioning a recent operation. They both fret over the fact that Martin, the team's best player and the one who made the game-winning shot, won't be there for the reunion. In fact, he has never returned to Scranton. George also mentions a big campaign contribution he expects to receive from Phil, adding that he would have never won the mayorship without Coach's influence as a pillar of the community.

Coach, James, and Phil return, discussing George's reelection campaign. When Tom goes to the bathroom, the remaining men talk in hushed tones about their former teammate's alcoholism. The group also bemoans the lack of respect in America these days. Despite Coach's words that they should all work together to get George reelected, Phil expresses skepticism over his reelection campaign, saying that as mayor, George raised taxes and made a number of embarrassing mistakes, like buying an elephant for the zoo only to see it die days later. Coach works himself up over the lack of unity both in the room and in America at large, and George has to help him upstairs to rest. While George is gone, Phil tells James he won't contribute to George's campaign. James counters that the only reason Phil won't support George is that Phil is having an affair with George's wife, Marion.



When George comes back down, James announces Phil's intention to support the rival candidate, Norman Sharmen. George counters that Sharmen's uncle was a Communist; he is prepared to smear his rival if necessary. Phil says there is no chance George can win without Phil's support, Communist uncle or not. James then reveals the affair between Phil and Marion, which Phil does not deny. George picks up a rifle hanging on the wall, aiming it at Phil.

In Act 2, Coach intervenes, and George puts down the rifle. Despite learning of the affair, Coach insists that the men must stick together and act as a team to get George reelected. Phil refuses. James, a surprisingly canny political operator, dares Phil to call Sharmen right now to offer a campaign contribution. When he does, Sharmen turns him down, and Phil realizes that James knew this would happen and had played Phil for a fool.

After another of Tom's frequent trips to the bathroom, he falls down the stairs, obviously very drunk. Though Tom is unhurt, James is agitated by all the sacrifices and excuses he makes for his alcoholic brother. Coach has separate conversations on the porch with Phil and George during which he tries to convince the two to reconcile and work together to win the election. With Phil tentatively back on George's side, he suggests paying a professional campaign manager to replace James. When James angrily refuses, Phil punches him in the face. James vows to release information that would torpedo George's campaign if he is asked to step aside as campaign manager. As Act 2 ends, George vomits into the championship trophy.



As Coach struggles to keep the unit together in Act 3, the man's cruelty and bigotry become more evident. He brands James a whiner for not being more of a team player. After George calls his wife and gets her to admit her infidelity, Coach advises him to go home and physically abuse her in retribution. When he refuses, Coach says he has no pride. After Coach berates Tom for being a useless alcoholic, Tom has had enough. He reveals the reason Martin never returned to Scranton: According to Martin, Coach told him to severely hurt the opponent's best player during the state championship game. Martin ended up breaking the boy's ribs. Coach denies it before punching Tom.

In the wake of the confrontation, Coach reflects on the championship game and the sacrifices needed to win it. He plays an audio recording of the winning shot and the celebration that followed, allowing the men to lose themselves in the nostalgia of the moment while forgetting the ugly realities surrounding it. The group reconciles. Coach takes a photo of the four men, and they take a photo of Coach alone.

That Championship Season is a dark but rewarding play that comments on the fissures in the social fabric of 1970s America while exposing the perils of falsely glorifying the past.