Chapter 747: The First Home Game
Candice Swanepoel gently bit the tip of her tongue, her lips slightly parted unconsciously. A gentle, warm smile hung on her face as she concentrated on the young girl in front of her, fully immersed in her work. A few beads of sweat appeared on her nose, and her deep, bright eyes sparkled with colorful light, revealing a surging excitement.
"Finished!"
Candice's right hand paused, completing the final stroke. She took a step back, examining the fruits of her hard work as if she were admiring a perfect piece of art. Finally, she nodded in satisfaction and snapped her fingers. "That's it! Let's go! The 49ers' warriors are waiting for our cheers!"
The young girl looked about 17 or 18. There was still a hint of childishness on her face. On her slightly reddish cheeks, there were two face-painted logos of the San Francisco 49ers, clearly showing that she was a fan.
These two painted logos were the result of Candice's focused work just now.
Today was September 16th, another Sunday. It was the first time the San Francisco 49ers would play at Candlestick Park this season. They would face the powerful Detroit Lions, which would undoubtedly be a highly anticipated matchup in the entire league, as two playoff-level teams would clash.
The game officially kicked off at 1:15 PM PST.
So, early in the morning, Candice arrived at Candlestick Park not only to watch the game and cheer for Lu Ke but also to truly become a part of the 49ers, immerse herself in the game's atmosphere, and enjoy the passion and excitement of a live game.
At this moment, Candice was wearing a number 14 San Francisco 49ers jersey with a pair of light blue denim shorts, full of youthful energy. She had two face-painted number 14 jersey logos on her cheeks, showing her true identity as a fan from head to toe.
Even though Candice arrived at Candlestick Park six hours early, the place was already bustling with fans. The sight of the entire city being empty on game day had become a beautiful new landscape of San Francisco.
In fact, there had already been signs of this.
After the huge success of last season, the San Francisco 49ers' home game tickets became incredibly popular this season.
The season tickets, which went on sale in May, sold out in less than 10 hours. The remaining tickets for the first home game of the season in Week 2 sold out in less than five minutes after they went on sale online. Even the VIP boxes were fully booked in April.
There was no doubt that the San Francisco 49ers were one of the most watched teams in the league right now. Even the 60,000 seats at Candlestick Park seemed a bit insufficient.
The grand scene at Candlestick Park today was not surprising.
After arriving at the stadium, Candice immediately blended in with the enthusiastic and hospitable fans. A number 14 jersey was the best way to communicate.
Candice enthusiastically participated in the fan activities, helping to hang banners, making cheer signs, and distributing team scarves. She was busy all morning, and as more and more fans arrived and started getting ready to enter the stadium, Candice came over to help with face painting.
The young girl took out her phone, pointed the camera at herself, looked carefully, and then showed a satisfied expression. She smiled brightly at Candice. "Thank you. By the way, do you like number 14 too? I do. He's such a handsome guy, isn't he? I think his eyes are so beautiful!"
After saying that, the young girl didn't wait for Candice's response and skipped toward the stadium entrance.
"Eyes?" Candice was full of questions. She didn't understand where this comment came from and couldn't help but think about Lu Ke's eyes. Unexpectedly, her cheeks started to feel a little warm.
"Candy, Candy, can you come help for a bit?" A voice came from not far away, interrupting Candice's thoughts.
It must be because the weather was too hot.
Candice came to this conclusion and looked in the direction of the voice. She saw Li Monian walking toward her in a hurry, with sweat on her face that couldn't hide the brightness and joy in her eyes. "Candy, do you have time now? Can you help explain the cheering methods and things to look out for to those Asian fans?"
"Of course, no problem," Candice readily agreed. After a brief pause, she actively proposed her idea. "But why not tell the fans that they can talk to the fans around them? I believe the 49ers' fans would be very happy to answer their questions. This way, we can break down the barriers between fans, don't you think?"
"Or do you think it's better for us to explain it in advance?" Candice added.
"No, no, no," after thinking it over, Li Monian also realized. "You're right. Since we're all 49ers fans, we shouldn't deliberately make distinctions. Everyone should unite and cheer for the team. That's the most important thing." Li Monian nodded repeatedly in agreement.
"Do you know? There are over 5,000 Asian fans here to watch the game today at Candlestick Park!" Li Monian couldn't help but rub her hands, her face filled with uncontrollable excitement. "5,000! This was unimaginable before! Now, they're finally starting to understand the charm of football, haha!"
After showing off a little, Li Monian turned and left with light steps, walking quickly toward the Asian fans not far away.
This year, they should learn to open their arms and embrace different possibilities, truly becoming a part of the 49ers and the city of San Francisco. They should break out of their comfortable confines and step into the outside world. Perhaps in the near future, Asian fans could also become an important part of the 49ers' fan base.
After seeing off Li Monian, Candice was about to get back to face painting. The corner of her eye caught sight of Lu Zhengze and Jeff Lock, along with a group of other people, standing not far away. They were trying to get the large crowd of fans to gather, but it was not an easy task.
There were too many people talking at once.
In this small area, there were hundreds of fans coming and going, chattering endlessly. The buzzing noise was overwhelming and everywhere, instantly drowning out the calls of Lu Zhengze and Jeff. It was like an ant trying to shake a tree; it was a drop in the ocean.
Candice greeted her friends who were also face painting and temporarily put down her work. She walked quickly to a nearby truck filled with props and souvenirs, skillfully talked to the fan in charge of the props, and then started looking around. Soon after, she found a "megaphone."
It was a bright yellow plastic amplifier, or as it's called, a "loud hailer."
Candice pointed the red megaphone at her mouth and started yelling.
"We are the Niners!"
"We are warriors!"
"We are the Niners!"
"We are warriors!"
Even with the megaphone's amplification, Candice's voice was still just a drop in the ocean among the tens of thousands of people there. It was insignificant and could not be sustained. But Candice was not discouraged. Her shouts successfully attracted the attention of Lu Zhengze and Jeff. Candice quickly waved them over to join her. They immediately understood.
In such a bustling and lively scene, relying on individual power, whether to maintain order or to cheer, was just too difficult.
So, Lu Zhengze and Jeff all gathered around Candice, huddling together, and in unison, they joined Candice's shouts.
"We are the Niners"
"We are warriors!"
Wave after wave, one after another, gradually, more and more fans around them shifted their attention and enthusiastically joined the cheering. Then, like a snowball rolling downhill, the crowd grew exponentially. The fans nearby immediately raised their right hands and started shouting along.
"We are the Niners!"
"We are warriors!"
The cheers gradually spread from outside Candlestick Park to inside. Every fan shouted the slogan that was deeply etched in their bones, twisting all their passion and excitement into one rope and collectively letting it out, welcoming the first home game of the 2012 season in a magnificent and majestic way!
The scene gradually became more and more spectacular, regardless of the occasion or location. Regardless of age or race, every fan and spectator in Candlestick Park couldn't wait and roared passionately together. The momentum grew far beyond imagination, clashing with the sound of metal and spreading majestically through the air.
When Stephen Curry arrived at the entrance of Candlestick Park, he saw a magnificent sight in front of him:
The tall Candice, holding a megaphone in her left hand, with the sleeves of her bright red jersey rolled up, had glistening sweat on her forehead. But the smile on her lips shimmered brightly amidst the sea of red. One shout after another, she awakened the silent Candlestick Park from the offseason.
At this moment, the scene was so grand that all words lost their color.
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