The story is written in the
third-person limited omniscient, with Christian Darling as the focal character. Christian is 35-year-old and has been married to his wife Louise since they graduated from college. He has in recent years begun drinking. Christian works as a traveling men’s garment salesman. Louise has developed her career as an editor of a fashionable magazine and socializes with impressive figures from the world of fine art and literature. She has extramarital affairs and addresses Christian affectionately with the diminutive "Baby." Louise’s earnings maintains the couple’s luxury lifestyle. Alienated from his wife’s liberal set and sensing his own relative decline, he sustains himself by the memory of his
college football days. At the age of 20, he had returned a pass for 80 yards, an event that has emerged in his memory as an enormous athletic and social triumph. The reception was only in a practice game with his own team members, and he never actually achieved any real success as a college receiver. The story closes with his visit to the old football field. In the twilight, he attempts to duplicate the glory run he had made as a youth. Exhausted at the goal line, he startles a boy and girl making out on the turf. Embarrassed, Christian attempts to justify his behavior: "I —once I played here." He quickly retreats to his hotel. ==Critical appraisal==