Arc Fatigue: The football arc is reasonably well-received in itself, but its length is too much for some readers, spending more than a year in real-life time on one single football game.
Unintentionally Unsympathetic: Neither Ellie nor Hubbs comes out smelling like a rose in the wake of Hubbs walking out on her.
You'd be hard-pressed to say Ellie doesn't deserve some sympathy for her situation, but it doesn't change the circumstances. After their marriage, she turned into a more overbearing and thoughtless character who didn't give a crap about her husband's desires and utterly rejected his attempt to renew their relationship. She also flat out lied about the circumstances to get financial aid despite the fact that Sedine had taken up a job just to help provide for her.
Hubbs isn't much better either. The situation makes it look like he's a man tired of being held back and going off to pursue his dreams. But he's still guilty of making only one real attempt to repair his marriage and left his wife and child with a "Dear John" Letteron Christmas night with barely a second thought.
