Chapter 739: A Sense of Mutual Respect
"We won! We won! We won!"
In San Francisco, at "Joe's Bar," Jeff Rock passionately pounded on the bar counter, roaring and shouting, completely losing himself in his joy and excitement.
Even though they couldn't be at Lambeau Field to watch the game, and even though they couldn't travel to Green Bay to cheer on the team in person, they were still fighting side-by-side with Lu Ke and the team. Together, they welcomed the first regular season game of the new season, faced the home team Green Bay Packers, and embarked on a new legendary journey!
In this intense offensive battle between two powerhouses, the 49ers had a firm upper hand after an early interception. They joined the Packers in putting on a brilliant show and won by three points, returning from Lambeau Field unscathed.
Instantly, all of Jeff's passion was released. He shouted incoherently, "We won! We beat the Packers! We won!" He was screaming at every person he saw, his veins bulging and his face flushed. "We are the winners! We are the winners! Everyone, watch out, the 49ers are here!"
Nate and Danny, sitting next to Jeff, both laughed happily. They also couldn't help but shout back at Jeff. There were no words, no sentences, just wild roars. "Ah! Ahhh!"
The emotions that had been suppressed for the entire offseason, along with the first regular season win, were all released. Unlike last year's surprise and shock, this time, all the fans embraced their victory with happiness and grace, and they loudly blew the trumpet of celebration.
The entire bar was like a volcano erupting.
Jonathan Baldwin sat in his seat, quietly watching everything in front of him.
Ryan Baldwin pushed his wheelchair to the center of the bar, joining Cliff Hart. He was waving the "Kings of the Bay" flag, a brilliant and joyful smile on his face. The light of happiness overflowed from his bright eyes, enough to illuminate the entire world.
Chris Wilson stood in front of the TV, and as he was shouting, he inexplicably started to cry. The tears flowing down his face were uncontrollable. The overwhelming joy deeply infected everyone in the bar, and a large group of people around him started to join in the ruckus.
Ruth Gray sat at the bar, hitting the table with her hands like she was playing an African drum. The fans next to her were shouting along to the rhythm, watching an old guy chug beer after beer. They had made a bet on the game's outcome before it started, and clearly, Ruth had won.
There was also Noah Parker. He had his arms crossed over his chest, not celebrating or cheering. He was still watching the TV screen, watching the post-game highlights and stats, as if he was quickly calculating what this victory meant.
Cheering, dancing, jumping, roaring, celebrating, the 49ers were enjoying their moment.
Even though all of this was happening, Jonathan still couldn't believe it was all real. Last season, they made it to the NFC Championship, becoming the most watched dark horse in the entire league. This season, they continued their good form, defeating the Green Bay Packers and starting the season with a win.
The San Francisco 49ers were becoming a rising power in the league that could not be underestimated.
Unconsciously, Jonathan's smile grew. He raised the glass in front of him, tilted his head back, and poured all the beer down his throat. Then he slammed the glass on the table, savoring the wonderful taste of this victory.
"Joe's Bar" was just the tip of the iceberg.
According to official data from Fox and the league, the viewership for this game in the San Francisco Bay Area was an incredible 48.3%. The total number of viewers of all ages exceeded 4.3 million.
What did this mean?
First, the viewership rating. It meant that among Bay Area residents aged 18 to 49, over 48% of the audience watched the live broadcast of the game.
Second, the number of viewers. The total population of the Bay Area is 7.6 million, and now more than half of the population was glued to their TVs, watching the 49ers defeat the Packers.
When the referee blew the final whistle, the entire Bay Area erupted. On Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and more importantly, in the streets and alleys of the city, everyone was celebrating wildly. This wasn't a Super Bowl victory, but it was a moment of defeating last year's NFC number one seed and starting the new season with a win.
No one was an exception.
At the same time, at Lambeau Field.
Lu Ke stood there and exhaled a long, long breath. The nerves and muscles that had been tense for the entire game could finally relax a little. His emotions were complex and hard to describe accurately.
Victory, of course, was something to be happy about, especially since it was a victory over one of the league's top-tier teams, which made this win even more significant. But the opponent was the Green Bay Packers, and it was at Lambeau Field. The feeling instantly became complex.
A long time ago, the Packers' quarterback was still Brett Favre.
He once fantasized about joining this team, wearing the forest green jersey, becoming Favre's apprentice, learning from this Hall of Fame quarterback to grow into a top-tier quarterback, and then taking over the legacy from Favre's hands, leading this team to conquer the league and leave a legend of his own.
This was a dream, a distant dream, even an unrealistic dream. But for his young self, it was the greatest motivation to grit his teeth and get back on the field for training. He aimed for this goal day and night, falling awkwardly over and over again, getting back up over and over again, moving forward with passion, never daring to be lazy.
Time flew by.
Now, he finally stood on this field and completed a game, but as an opponent, and he took a victory away from here. In addition to the joy, there was a touch of bitterness. So, he didn't celebrate or cheer. He just stood there quietly, letting his thoughts and emotions spread.
This was his way of showing respect to this stadium and these fans.
"If you change your mind now, I don't think it's too late. My invitation is still valid." In the midst of the noise, a joking voice with a faint smile reached his ears.
He turned his head and saw a sweating Aaron Rodgers. His expression was relaxed, and his eyes were bright. He wasn't too dejected because of the loss. He took the initiative to shake Lu Ke's right hand, then gave a light pull and a shoulder bump. He continued, "I think this place is always willing to open its arms and welcome you."
Lu Ke looked around. The home fans still hadn't left. Everyone was reluctant to leave, cheering on their players, hoping they wouldn't lose confidence for the entire season just because of one loss.
"So, that's your plan? You and I switch places, and... everyone's happy?" This time, Lu Ke didn't respond directly because he knew Rodgers was joking. So, he replied with a joke as well.
Lu Ke never hid that he was a Packers fan.
Similarly, Aaron Rodgers never hid that he was a 49ers fan.
In fact, both Aaron Rodgers and Tom Brady, two top-tier quarterbacks from California, were loyal 49ers fans. Even their families were die-hard 49ers fans. During the draft, the dream destination for both quarterbacks was the San Francisco 49ers.
But in real life, in 2005, the 49ers used their first overall pick to select quarterback Alex Smith, while Aaron Rodgers fell to the 24th pick and was picked by the Packers. In 2000, the 49ers used their third-round pick, the 65th overall, to select a quarterback, Giovanni Carmazzi, who was out of the NFL in just two years. Tom Brady, on the other hand, fell to the sixth round, the 199th pick, and went to the New England Patriots.
Once upon a time, with Joe Montana, the 49ers were the undisputed behemoth on the West Coast. Their huge fan base was shocking, and countless kids hoped to play for the 49ers.
Of course, the team couldn't take in all its fans. In the end, there had to be choices. This also shows how important it is to have an excellent general manager and a wise draft plan.
Hearing Lu Ke's playful remark, Rodgers laughed happily, his chin slightly lowered. "Be careful, that idea is too dangerous. Maybe one day it will become a reality. At that time, we won't be able to tell if it's a good thing or a bad thing."
"Only the most idiotic general manager would be willing to let go of Aaron Rodgers," Lu Ke's words were meaningful. He wasn't just talking about the current and future Packers' general managers but also the former 49ers' general managers.
Rodgers instantly understood and replied, "After watching this game, how many general managers do you think are going back and re-reading last year's rookie scouting reports?"
This was Rodgers's approval and acknowledgment of Lu Ke.
After this matchup, a sense of mutual respect grew between the two players. Because of the other's ability, because their ages were closer, and because of the strange and unpredictable fates of the two cities, a smile appeared in the depths of their eyes.
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