Joe Kingman

Joe Kingman is the main protagonist in the movie The Game Plan.

History
Joe Kingman is a superstar quarterback for the Boston Rebels (which football league the team is affiliated with is unknown). Even as a young man, he loved the game of football, and he worked hard to secure a spot in the professional aspect of the game. However, Joe also grew up a little bit spoiled and very egotistical, due to the knowledge he had of his great talent. Early in his career, he married a young woman named Sara Kelly, but they divorced after a year of being together. After Joe and Sara broke up, Sara learned that she was pregnant with Joe's child, although she never revealed the news to her former husband.

About eight years later, Sara unfortunately died in a car accident, and her young daughter, Peyton, decided it was time to meet her biological father. Around this time, Joe's career had reached its all time peak, as the Boston Rebels were on their way to the playoffs. When Joe finally met Peyton on his front door step, it threw him for a loop. Not only was he shocked to learn that he had a daughter, but he also had to deal with ballet classes and recitials (which he also had to participate in), trading in his sports car for a station wagon, waking up first thing in the morning to hear classical music playing on the stereo, and even seeing his dog wear pink nail polish and a tutu. At first, Joe's selfishness and arrogance got the better of him (Joe once forgot about Peyton and left her alone in his new restuarant and bar at three in the morning), but his heart eventually warmed to Peyton, and they shared a beautiful father-daughter relationship. Joe's career in football never faltered; he brought the team all the way to the championship game.

However, during lunch at a local restaurant, Peyton had a bad allergic reaction to nuts, and Joe had to take her to the hospital. Peyton's aunt, Karen Kelly, discovered that Peyton had snuck to Boston to meet her father, rather than join another ballet school like she claimed, and Karen demanded to take custody of Peyton, reasoning that Joe was not a very good father.

Joe was very saddened by Peyton's departure, and his performance in the championship game reflected that. He took a really bad hit, and had to sit out for the rest of the game. However, Peyton showed up to see her father play, and the joy of seeing his little girl again gave Joe the strength to finish the rest of the game. Karen came to Boston with Peyton, and told Joe that she needed to be with her father, giving him her blessing to have Peyton live with him. Joe, with a new attitude about the game and on life, helped his team win the championship, bringing his football career to an new high and a brillant end (it is revealed that Joe is in his thirties, and although it's not really mentioned, soon he would have to retire). After the game, the news reporters asked Joe what he would do after winning the championship game, to which Joe emphatically stated, "I'm gonna take my daughter home.

Trivia

 * Joe is allergic to Cinnamon