Mike Lupica's Million-Dollar Throw

Since Nate Brodie receives the opportunity to win a million dollars in Mike Lupica’s Million-Dollar Throw, his life has been unpredictable and at an all time low. Not only has his otherwise consistent throwing arm been failing him recently, but Nate is starting to feel the pressure that his father does by working two jobs. With news reporters and his entire town watching him and his every mistake, Nate begins to feel pressure on the football field for the first time. Through the actions and dialogue of the characters, Mike Lupica shows that the main points of the story are that everyone has off days and that sometimes one must make sacrifices for the ones they love.
First, a new theme in the story is that everyone has off days - from professional quarterback Tom Brady to the protagonist Nate Brodie, the state football star. The text states, “Second interception of the game. First time that had ever happened to Nate Brodie in his life.” (Lupica, 60) Although Nate does not have his best game against the Bears, he learns to shrug it off and that it happens to everyone in sports. “All week long he had tried to make a joke out of the Blair game, at least when he was with his teammates…” (Lupica, 92) This shows a new lesson in the story - that everyone

has bad days, but they are essential to becoming a whole person and learning from mistakes.
Next, a point unveiling in the plot line is how Nate’s Dad sacrifices doing a job that he loves to support his family.

“‘Pressure is doing a job that you hate, that even makes you hate sports sometimes, so you can hold on to what’s supposed to be your real job, except you can’t make a living at that job anymore...Pressure is never having enough money and starting to think you’re never going to have enough again.’” (Lupica, 81) This conversation between Nate and his Dad proves that Nate’s Dad is under more pressure than he shows, and that he despises his job and financial situation. A point drawn from this situation is that sometimes one must sacrifice their comfort to ensure the comfort of the ones they

love.
To conclude, two new main points introduced in Million-Dollar Arm are to learn from bad days, and that sometimes one must do what is best for their family, even if it is not their favorite thing to do. These lessons are shown through Nate and his father, neither of whom are at the best place in their lives.