On the East Coast of North America, the showdown between the Philadelphia Eagles and the San Francisco 49ers attracted countless eyes, not because of any history between the two teams, but because both teams' quarterbacks were a source of hot topics.
One quarterback had a difficult career but returned to his peak last year and was determined to make a Super Bowl run this year. After losing to a division rival at home last week, he was eager to bounce back this week. The other quarterback came out of nowhere, like an ugly duckling, and transformed into a shining star, with every step he took making league history.
The battle between the two quarterbacks easily created many topics and drew a lot of attention. In this week's Sunday regular season, this game was undoubtedly the main focus.
Meanwhile, on the West Coast of North America, the city of San Francisco was also buzzing. All eyes were on the City of Brotherly Love on the other side of the continent, keeping up with the NFL games this week.
Nobody could resist winning. With no expectations, the San Francisco 49ers had an unbelievable three-game winning streak. They instantly became the city's darlings, and people were half-believing and half-doubting, wondering if they really had a chance to make the playoffs this year. Even the most pessimistic skeptics started to waver in their beliefs.
Nobody dislikes winning.
Especially after the team's press conference on Friday, Jim Harbaugh confirmed that in the head-to-head competition among the four quarterbacks, Lu Ke had stood out. He had beaten Alex Smith and Colin Kaepernick and had truly convinced the coaching staff with his skills.
Hope was born.
Although the fans still warned themselves not to have too many expectations, reminding themselves that the higher the expectation, the greater the disappointment. In the end, Lu Ke was a rookie quarterback. Even if you put aside all of his other shortcomings and problems, all rookie quarterbacks need more time to grow. A three-game winning streak was already incredible. They should be more patient and more composed.
But deep down, the excitement and thrill were gradually spreading. Week after week, this rookie quarterback was breaking through the icy hearts of the die-hard San Francisco fans, earning their approval one step at a time.
Chris Wilson pushed open the door of "Joe's Bar" and walked inside. In an instant, all eyes were on him.
At this moment, the bar was crowded with people. Everyone was uniformly wearing the San Francisco 49ers' white away jerseys. Under the creamy yellow lights, they created a magnificent visual effect of a vast ocean in the small space of only fifty to sixty people.
Chris didn't pay any attention to the glances he received. He walked toward the bar with a stern face. But it was clear that even though he didn't want to talk to anyone, others weren't willing to let him off easily. "Chris, why didn't you go to Philadelphia to support Bambi this week? Are you broke and can't afford it?"
"Shut up, Jonathan!" Chris exploded like he had eaten gunpowder and immediately shot back.
Jonathan Baldwin was also taken aback and frowned slightly. "What's wrong, Chris? Can't I even make a joke?"
"No, you can't," Chris said without hesitation, his eyes wide as he shot back.
"The team needs us now. The team's momentum is on the rise. We should give the team more support and encouragement. These young men have done the best they could, especially Bambi. Look at his performance on the field. He's working harder and fighting harder than any of us so-called die-hard fans. But what are you so-called fans doing?"
Looking at the familiar faces in front of him, Chris felt an unprecedented sense of alienation. An indescribable anger was crashing in his chest. "You're tearing them down, you're opposing them, you're just standing by. Three wins, and you still can't give them your support? So what are you waiting for? Failure? Will you be happy if the team fails and proves you right?"
His words poured out without a single pause. Chris was spitting fire as he vented all his anger, not just at Jonathan but at all the fans in the bar.
The team needed their support, and Bambi needed their encouragement, but they kept pouring cold water on them, standing by indifferently, and even gloatingly hoping that the team would mess up. When did they become so indifferent and so critical? Could three games not even move them?
Was it because of Lu Ke's Chinese-American background?
Chris didn't want to speculate, but seeing the fans as motionless as a pool of stagnant water, he felt heartbroken that the team was fighting alone. So, he looked everyone in the eye without backing down, saying fiercely, "Shame! I'm ashamed of you! You don't deserve to be called 49ers!"
His sharp words made the fans in the bar look away and fall into silence. They were uncomfortable and awkward, not knowing what to do. Including Jonathan, who stood there with his head down, not saying a word, as if he had become invisible.
Looking at the fans, who were like a pool of dead water, Chris felt a sense of frustration. He opened his mouth again, trying to say something, but in the end, he didn't say anything. He dropped his shoulders in disappointment and walked to the bar, nodding to the owner, Anthony Tinozzo. "A beer."
Anthony took a glass, poured a large beer from the keg, and placed it on the counter. He asked calmly, "Why didn't you go to Philadelphia?"
After the hearty outburst, Chris's emotions gradually calmed down. Faced with the same question, this time, Chris didn't get angry. "I couldn't get a ticket. The Eagles fans bought all the tickets, and they didn't leave any for the away fans. Even if we went, we wouldn't be able to get in and support them."
The trip to Cincinnati last week was, after all, an exception.
In fact, Chris had been tempted to go to Philadelphia specifically, and even if they couldn't get into Lincoln Financial Field, they would cheer from outside to show the young people on the team that they still had the solid backing of their fans. But he was just an ordinary office worker and was broke. If he had a ticket, he would have gone all out, but unfortunately...
Thinking of this, Chris felt a wave of frustration again. "If our tickets…" The attendance at Candlestick Park in the first two regular season games was quite good, but it was still not full, and the fans were not energized at all. Halfway through his sentence, Chris stopped again. He dejectedly picked up his beer and took a big gulp.
Anthony looked at Jonathan, who was standing in the open space, and paused awkwardly for a moment. Then he turned around and walked back to his original seat, remaining silent. Anthony looked back at Chris and said reassuringly, "Chris, we're used to failure. With this sudden success, nobody dares to believe it's real. Maybe we just need more time."
"But!" Chris said urgently.
Anthony, however, shook his head firmly. "At least everyone showed up. See, my bar is completely full today. Wait a little longer, and the others will probably be sitting on the pool table. Deep down, we all want to win. This is our team!" Anthony pointed to the San Francisco 49ers' flag on the wall behind him and then didn't say anything more, going back to his work.
Chris looked at the flag and was lost in thought for a moment.
"We are 49ers! We are 49ers!" A burst of excited cheering, accompanied by the loud sound of the bar door being pushed open, rang out, easily catching the attention of everyone in the bar.
A group of young men rushed in like a tide. One of them was even carrying a flag and trying to wave it, but he was afraid of hitting the ceiling, so he had to be careful, and his movements looked a little funny.
Jeff Lock, who was standing at the front, looked at the surprised bar and opened his arms. "What's wrong? Isn't this the 49ers' fan base?"
"Hey, Jeff!" Chris immediately stood up and quickly walked over to give Jeff a big hug. "You found this place! Welcome, welcome!" Chris enthusiastically hugged every one of the young men: Nate Chandler, Danny Reese, Noah Parker, and Cliff Hart, who was struggling with the flag.
Since they couldn't get away game tickets this week, they all came to "Joe's Bar" to watch the game and cheer on the team together.
"Brother!" Cliff laughed heartily. After straightening the flag, he couldn't wait to start cheering and stirring up the atmosphere. "What do you say, who's ready? All the 49ers, let's unite and cheer on Bambi and go for a four-game winning streak! Who's with me?"
"Me! Me!" Jeff, Danny, and the others all raised their right hands, but the rest of the people in the bar were silent. Cliff wasn't discouraged. He spread his hands and said in disbelief, "Come on, we're all fans! Football isn't watched like this. There's no energy. Let's get some passion! We have good momentum right now, so shouldn't we all unite and keep going?"
Looking at the bar, which still had no response, Cliff made an exaggerated expression. "Oh, this is awkward. Did we walk into an Eagles fans' bar?"
"Watch your mouth, kid. We're all 49ers here!"
"Don't be a show-off! We've spent our entire lives supporting this team! You kids wouldn't understand."
Cliff's words caused a stir, and many people started to argue back. Cliff smiled contentedly and nodded. "Right? That's what I'm talking about. Now it finally looks a little like a 49ers fans' bar! Come on, let's get ready! The game is about to start!"
The bar finally started to liven up and came back to life. Although it wasn't heated, it at least broke the silence. Cliff, Chris, and the others all came to the bar, ordered beers, and got ready for the game to begin.
On the other side of the continent, the players of both teams were ready to take the field!
NOTE:
New chapters drop Three times a day, every Monday through Sunday! Plus, you have the power to unlock more: we'll release Three bonus chapters for every 300 votes! Let's get this story moving together.
Support me on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/MistaQuartz
Explore up to 20 chapters in advance!