Chapter 591: Home Field Frenzy
Standing at the front of the line was a chubby middle-aged man who looked to be about 40 or 50 years old. His scruffy beard made it difficult to determine his exact age. He was wearing a classic Joe Montana number 16 jersey with a long black down jacket over it. He was well-prepared and undeterred by the cold before dawn.
Behind him was a dark red tent with sleeping bags, blankets, warm clothes, and some simple daily necessities. There was even a box filled with a large amount of official San Francisco 49ers merchandise, showing his true colors as a die-hard fan. The strong sense of life gave people the illusion that he had moved his entire room or even his entire home here.
In fact, he didn't arrive at Candlestick Park just before dawn. He had already arrived and set up camp last night, fully prepared for one reason only: to be the first one to enter the stadium! To be the first fan at this divisional game!
This was a crazy, even foolish, reason.
This was because every ticket holder could enter Candlestick Park, not based on who arrived first. Even if you were late and missed the kickoff, you could still get in. So, there was no need to arrive so early just to be the first one in. But this fan did it anyway, with a tent and equipment, fully prepared to occupy this key position.
This was the first time the San Francisco 49ers had returned to play at home in a month, since the end of Week 15 of the regular season. This was the team's first playoff game in eight years. This was also the first time the team had seen hope of competing for the Super Bowl in 13 years! For the fans, they had really waited for too long. No one wanted to miss it. They even had the illusion that if they entered the stadium early, they could see the game early, gain an advantage early, and celebrate the victory early.
Apparently, he wasn't the only one. Little by little, a long line began to form at the entrance of Candlestick Park and continued to grow. This seemed a bit unbelievable. It wasn't to buy tickets, but to enter the stadium early. But these fans still gathered together and formed a long line. The passion that erupted from the depths of their souls lit up the radiance of Candlestick Park early, guiding other fans to join in and cheer for today's game.
Last night, before going to bed, Raymond noticed the commotion at the stadium entrance, but at that time, there were only about a dozen people in line. In a Candlestick Park that could hold nearly 70,000 fans, a dozen people were just a drop in the ocean. Although it was unexpected, it was still within a normal range. But this morning—or rather, this early morning—the situation seemed to have gotten out of control.
The long line in front of him stretched out along Candlestick Park and seemed to have no end. There were already three to four hundred people within sight, and the end of the line disappeared around a corner. He could faintly see the continuous crowd snaking its way into the distance, which was truly spectacular. This was just to enter! Not to buy tickets!
"Why is the line getting longer and longer?" Raymond's exclamation came out just like that.
Before the start of this regular season, the sales of San Francisco 49ers' season tickets hit a record low in recent years, with only about 60% sold. After years of being a weak team, the fans had gradually lost faith in the team and their interest. Compared to season tickets, they were more willing to buy tickets on a temporary basis, choosing a game they were interested in. That was enough.
But as the season continued, it became hard to find a ticket for any of the San Francisco 49ers' home games. Every home game was completely sold out. Now, it had gone a step further. Even with tickets, they were arriving early and lining up just to enter the stadium and feel the passionate atmosphere of the playoffs?
"Because this is Candlestick Park." A non-sequitur answer, yet it seemed to be the most appropriate and correct one.
Looking down the line, you could see excited and thrilled faces. Everyone was chattering and expressing their opinions, discussing the upcoming game. "How can Bambi and Tebow even be discussed together? They're not on the same level at all, okay?" "To be honest, I don't think it's a bad thing if Tebow beats Brady. Maybe there will be more surprises in the game, and that would be interesting, haha." "Today is mainly about the offense. I hope our defense can do their job, and stop Brees!" "I watched the team's official training video a couple of days ago. Bambi is in good shape. I wonder how many touchdowns he'll throw today." "Brees is indeed on fire, but our defense isn't a pushover! In the end, it all comes down to their on-the-field performance." "I'm still worried about our offensive line. God, don't let them give up easy sacks. They tend to make mistakes every time we play against a strong team." "Don't worry, Bambi will definitely lead us to victory." "The victory belongs to us! Victory! Victory! Victory!"
Amidst the bustling discussion, a fan wearing a number 14 jersey suddenly started to shout. Then, all the other fans around him also started to shout, and instantly, the slogan of "Victory" spread throughout the long line, twisting into a powerful sound wave. Even Raymond couldn't suppress his surging emotions.
This was the reason. All the fans gathered together, sharing their excitement, the joy of anticipation, and the thrill of nervousness. As long as they stood here, they were stripped of their other identities in real life. Everything became simple and pure. They were the 49ers, the 49ers who were crazy about that team. The communication between like-minded friends was enough to get people excited. Even staying up all night and talking until dawn couldn't stop their passion. Adrenaline was constantly pumping, little by little filling the entire Candlestick Park.
"Victory!" Raymond's eyes sparkled with excitement. He couldn't help but raise his hands high and shout with all the other 49ers. At this moment, the high-spirited morale and firm belief united all the strangers, sharing the same name: 49ers.
"Friends, welcome to FM 91.8. This is your host, Jane. It's a beautiful day in San Francisco today, with no clouds and bright sunshine. It's a great day for football. The 2011 NFL playoff divisional round will officially kick off today..."
"...The clash between these two teams has obviously attracted countless eyes. Based on their regular season performances, both sides have a chance. But for the fans of San Francisco, they have a strong confidence and firmly believe that the 49ers will have the last laugh in this game. We'll take a short break now. After the music ends, we'll give our listeners the traffic information for Candlestick Park today."
"According to reports from our field reporters, some fans had already set up camp at Candlestick Park last night, hoping to be the first to enter the stadium and cheer for the 49ers. It's clear that after so many years of making it back to the playoffs, the enthusiasm of the entire city has been ignited, and everyone is full of anticipation for today's game..."
In many radio stations in California, the hosts received the latest news from Candlestick Park as soon as possible. They then realized that this divisional game had mobilized the enthusiasm of the entire city and had erupted with a passion far beyond their imagination. For the Bay Area, it had been a long time coming.
Even the "Today Show" sent a live broadcast team to report on this nationwide event. NBC's morning news program, the "Today Show," is the most popular morning program in North America. For 30 years, it has held the number one spot for morning ratings. At its peak, the number of viewers could even exceed 10 million, which was unbelievable for a morning show. It almost completely dominated the market. In the early 90s, ABC's morning news program, "Good Morning America," surpassed it and for a time held it back, but it didn't last long. Soon after, NBC took back the top spot and has held it ever since 1995, becoming the absolute king of the morning time slot.
This news program has set countless records. For example, they set up a studio in a fishbowl at Rockefeller Plaza, allowing every passerby to watch the live news broadcast and even appear on the real-time screen to greet the viewers. They also created different segments for politics, society, entertainment, sports, and finance to spend the morning with viewers from different fields. The "Today Show" has now become a four-hour live broadcast, covering the entire morning viewing time.
Although their headquarters are in New York, to report on all the news in a timely manner, the "Today Show's" live broadcast teams are located all over the United States, and of course, that includes San Francisco. The divisional game today was already within their reporting plan, but the NBC production team did not expect that they would need to send a helicopter! This was because the scene at Candlestick Park was simply too incredible and far exceeded their expectations. After the on-site host conducted a simple assessment and interview, they communicated with the New York headquarters and decided to send a helicopter reporting team ahead of time—instead of waiting for the game to officially begin and providing a panoramic report from high above.
Thump, thump, thump... Thump, thump, thump... A faint sound came from above Candlestick Park. Many fans looked up and saw a helicopter circling overhead. The host was leaning out, looking at the situation on the ground!
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