In his prime as a baseball player, Troy was excluded from the white, professional baseball league. Comparing Troy's batting average to that of some of his professional peers (.432 to .269 respectively) shows that Troy was withheld a promising career simply because of the color of his skin. Troy bitterly continued in life wondering "What if?" Because Troy had no other substantial skills, he went on to be a garbage man for the remainder of his career. Having experienced the drawbacks of a low-paying lifestyle, Troy wanted Cory to learn a well-paying trade instead of expecting athletic talent to yield a career. Perhaps he also wanted to spare him the pain of disappointment and frustration that accompanied him the rest of his life. Contrary to this, however, Troy does offer Cory the chance to play sports, given that Cory maintains his chores and continues to work at A&P. With school in the mix, this balance is an impossible demand and Cory falls behind in his chores.
In many ways, Troy's influence upon the world around him is caged or fenced in. Troy is mired in his garbage job, beset by unfulfilled dreams, obligated to pay his son and creditors, and bound to a house that was paid for by the misfortunes of his brother. Although Troy tests the waters of his entrapment by challenging his boss (and receiving a promotion) and extending his grasp to another woman, Troy lives primarily within his prison-like property. Within this domain, Cory was one of the few remaining subjects Troy had control over. Troy's older son, Lyons, had left the nest with dreams in music and experienced them largely unfulfilled just like Troy. With what little influence Troy still had on the world, Troy hoped to see a better life exist vicariously through Cory.
Troy felt responsibilities towards Cory but they rarely extended into affection. Likely as a result of his own disconnected upbringing, Troy mirrored his father's familial role of providing the minimum needs of clothing, food, and shelter. His care, guidance, and common interests in sports were his main strengths as a father, but he did not offer so freely his love. This contributed to the hostility that rose between the two as Cory suggested that Troy didn't want him to play football out of fear that Cory would be better than him. On the contrary, Troy did care about Cory; he took the responsibility of raising and guiding him his whole life, which would suggest that he wanted the best future for Cory, especially a life opposite to his own. He believed by learning a trade, Cory would have the best chance.
Cory, understanding that they live in a different time than when his father played sports, disagrees that he will be rejected by recruiters and that by putting his job on hold in the football season, there will be time for both. Troy doesn't have the patience with his son's differences, and out of their conflict, Troy turns Cory away from him. For better or for worse, Troy's efforts contribute to Cory pursuing a career outside of sports. Cory spends years in the marines earning good money but at the cost of their relationship. Although we may never know what would have happened had Cory played football, in his own way, Troy tried to prepare his son for entering the world, and succeeded, but forever experienced it afterwards with a fence between them.
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