Chapter 407: Home Field Treatment

“Hey, Jack, Annie, you’re here! Quick, come over here!”

A middle-aged man, drenched in sweat, walked over. He had short, graying hair that hinted at the passage of time. His well-built, slender frame made him look nothing like a forty-year-old. He was wearing a number 14 San Francisco 49ers home jersey, which instead of looking out of place, made him seem even more comfortable and relaxed.

This man’s name was Li Monian, a second-generation immigrant. His parents’ generation had come to San Francisco long ago, and he had been born, raised, and came of age here. He now worked at a high school as the football team’s wide receiver coach—a true industry insider.

Back at UCLA, the offensive coordinator, Norm Chow, was of Asian descent—the descendant of Korean immigrants. In truth, there were far more professionals of Asian descent working in football than one might think; however, the number of active players on high school and college fields dropped off dramatically.

This time, the Chinese Community had organized a group to come to Candlestick Park to watch the game. The event was initiated by a Chinese organization, but the one responsible for organizing and executing it was Li Monian.

Although the high school where Li Monian worked had a mediocre football team, and he himself was no big shot, he was still a professional. To the laymen, even the convoluted process of buying tickets was a mystery, to say nothing of the rules of football. Li Monian had readily taken on the responsibility, becoming the biggest contributor to today’s event.

Right then, Li Monian’s shoulders and arms were draped with San Francisco 49ers scarves, making him look like a mobile, human-shaped coat rack from a distance. He called out enthusiastically, “Here, everyone take a scarf. These are our cheering props for today. When the visiting team is on offense, we’ll wave our scarves and make noise to disrupt their play-calling.”

Lu Zhengze didn’t hesitate. He took two scarves, handed one to Jiang Youning, and asked, “Is there anything I can help with right now? Just say the word.”

Li Monian broke into a wide smile. “Of course. Could you go find Chen Zhenzhen right now? She’s leading a small team in charge of the on-site cheering, but they aren’t familiar with Candlestick Park and don’t know the exact location of the stands. So, could I trouble you to take Chen Zhenzhen and her group inside to get set up?”

“No problem!” Lu Zhengze immediately made an “OK” sign with his hand and was about to head into the stadium with Jiang Youning, but Li Monian’s voice stopped him.

“Jack. Thank you,” Li Monian said earnestly. Lu Zhengze thought he was being thanked for his help and chuckled. “It’s nothing compared to what you’re doing. I’m just helping out a little.”

But Li Monian shook his head. “No, what I mean is, thank you for supporting Lu Ke in chasing his dream. We all know how difficult it is for Chinese parents to agree to their child becoming a professional athlete instead of taking the conventional path—finding a stable office job.”

Lu Zhengze was slightly taken aback.

This was always the case for Asian immigrants. Despite living in a different land, far from home, they often refused to assimilate, stubbornly adhering to their traditional values to get by.

Gradually, the gap in values and life philosophies between first, second, and third-generation immigrants grew wider. The younger generations of immigrants found themselves caught in a void—unable to find a sense of belonging in their original culture, yet also unable to find a foothold in their new society.

The fact that Lu Ke was the Alliance’s first starting Chinese-American quarterback was due in part to the inherent physical barriers, and in part to the limitations imposed by traditional mindsets.

Before Lu Ke, Wang Kai was the only player of non-mixed Chinese descent in the Alliance’s history. However, there have been quite a few mixed-race players with partial Chinese heritage. This could be attributed to reasons of talent, as well as cultural and traditional factors.

Just as Li Monian said, whether this history was made intentionally or not, and whether Lu Ke carried the weight of that history on his shoulders or not, as a player making history in the NFL, every step Lu Ke took was changing the future for countless people.

There was a time when Li Monian himself had faced such challenges and difficulties.

As a second-generation immigrant over forty, he had walked the same path as Lu Ke twenty years ago, but his journey had ended in failure. Forget joining the NFL and becoming a professional football player—even becoming a football coach, he had shouldered pressure from his family and society.

Now, things were finally starting to change, slowly.

To say nothing of the distant future, at the very least, this was not only the first time the Chinese organizations in San Francisco were watching a football game, but it was also the first time they had organized as a group to participate in mainstream American culture. A moment like this hadn’t been seen since Yao Ming landed in the NBA. And this time, they had taken it a step further, joining the ranks of America’s number one sport.

Perhaps, one day in the future, they would unite to fight for more rights for Chinese people in the United States and overseas—not just in sports, but in politics, society, history, and economics. This wasn’t just about the rise of China, but the rise of all overseas Chinese.

It was difficult, and even more distant, but who knew? The footprints of history were being made, unknowingly.

Seeing the stunned expressions on Lu Zhengze and Jiang Youning’s faces, Li Monian, whose mind was flooded with memories, let out a hearty laugh to hide the choking sensation and the slight sting in his nose. “I just wanted to say, thank you. Thank you for opening your hearts and accepting that your child is different. As for the rest, I hope I’ll have the chance to properly thank Lu Ke one day. This is something he has earned, and something he deserves.”

With that, Li Monian left without pausing.

Watching his retreating back, Lu Zhengze and Jiang Youning exchanged a look. Then, Jiang Youning smiled. “It looks like we’re not the only two people standing steadfastly behind Ke, supporting and encouraging him.”

On the path to chasing dreams and making history, having companions to walk with, to encourage each other, to cheer each other on, and to cross the finish line together—it felt truly wonderful.

…

“49ers! All you 49ers in the house!” Inside Candlestick Park, the loud, rousing music suddenly cut off, replaced by the voice of the stadium announcer. People who were still trickling into their seats all looked up at the big screen above the field, listening for the announcement.

“Welcome to Candlestick Park for Week 10 of the NFL regular season! The game is just twenty-five minutes away from kickoff. Today, we have another sold-out home game! Let’s hear it for yourselves, and let’s hear it for the team!” Spurred on by the announcer’s call, the entire crowd began to scream and roar, the roaring sea of red beginning to show its might.

The announcer then continued, “But today, Candlestick Park is welcoming a special group of fans. They have always lived in this city and are an indispensable part of our lives. Some of them may be our closest friends, while others might simply be focused on their own lives and not as familiar to us.”

“But today, they’ve come to Candlestick Park, joined our ranks, and become 49ers, feeling the pulse and heartbeat of this city. Now, please allow me to welcome them as they join us in supporting our team to keep moving forward, to keep winning. Ladies and gentlemen, let’s give a huge round of applause to welcome the 49ers from Chinatown!”

As the announcer spoke, the camera on the big screen focused on one section of the stands. The faces gathered there were a bit unfamiliar—a whole section of faces of Chinese descent was definitely a sight never before seen at Candlestick Park. But at this moment, they looked slightly shy and bewildered by the camera.

This was all too unexpected; Lu Zhengze, Li Monian, and the others hadn’t anticipated it at all. Moreover, compared to Western fans, Eastern fans are generally more shy and reserved. Thrown suddenly onto the big screen, Western fans might show off for the camera, while the Eastern fans couldn’t help but show shy smiles.

At that moment, the five hundred Chinese fans were a bit stunned, unsure how to react. Suddenly, a few figures stood up among the fans, shouting something to the crowd. Then, one by one, all the fans raised the signs in their hands above their heads, piecing them together to form a picture—

a red background with gold lines outlining the image of Little Deer Bambi, with a crown hanging from one of his antlers. Below it, written in flowing golden script, were the words “King of the Bay Area.” Both in English and in Chinese, written in a dashing, powerful calligraphy style.

A mere five hundred fans were insignificant in Candlestick Park, a stadium that could hold seventy thousand people. But at this moment, the giant mosaic they created with their signs was displayed on the big screen via the camera lens. In an instant, it ignited the passion and cheers of the entire audience.

There was only one reason: Lu Ke.

The rookie quarterback who was leading the team to victory after victory was now uniting the passion of all of Candlestick Park, of all of San Francisco.

And so, the entire crowd began to cheer as one. First came screams of “AHHHH!”, but then someone changed the chant, and gradually, all the shouts merged into a single, mighty roar.

Lu Zhengze and Jiang Youning exchanged another look, seeing the shock and astonishment in each other’s eyes. Then, joy and excitement surged through them, and they joined in the crowd’s chant.

Every single person in Candlestick Park—not just the spectators, but also the staff, and even the guests in the VIP suites—every one of them deeply felt the powerful force of this wave, irresistibly and uncontrollably wanting to become a part of it.

Listen. That was the cry coming from the stadium: “King of the Bay Area! King of the Bay Area! King of the Bay Area!”