D Salinger, Holden Caulfield is never looked at as an athlete but as an outsider, someone who jumps from school to school. Although sports and games help him tremendously to get over the death of his brother Allie, they are never a dominant part of Holden's life. At first glance it may seem like the motif of sports and games primarily illustrates connecting to society. Upon closer inspection, readers see that it really elucidates Holden's need to fill the hole in his heart left by Allie's death. He does this by engaging with one person at a time for social success and being happy.
To begin, Holden can only get into a deep relationship with someone once he has been involved with a sport with that on person. There are two factors necessary, the sport and there only being one other person. This is shown when Holden "played tennis together [with Jane] every morning, and golf almost every afternoon, [He] really got to know her quite intimately" (Salinger 76). The words 'tennis' and 'golf' are very important. Tennis is a sport where athletes can play in doubles, or on the same team. The fact that Salinger had them play 'tennis together' shows that their relationship is growing because he just as easily could have had them playing against each other, although that wouldn't express how close they have gotten through these sports. The other sport they played together was golf and this has the same kind of connotation as tennis. In the 'golf' that Holden is talking about he is going to a course with Jane to play with her just like they play tennis 'together.' The two of them playing these specific sports together expresses the depth of their relationship. Playing golf with Jane is especially chosen to connect to Allie as well. Allie used to watch Holden play golf, "and he was sitting there" (Salinger 38). This is a direct connection between the loss of Allie to Holden attempting to fill this hole through sports.