In New York, at Taylor's Music Studio, Taylor Swift—finished her busy workday and headed to her computer.
"Luke's exhibition football game must be over by now, right?"
During her album recording session that afternoon, she'd vaguely heard staff talking about the game, but Taylor always stays completely focused on her work, so she didn't ask. It was only once the workday was done that she could finally check out the game details.
"Luke definitely won. I just wonder by how much. I'm guessing at least 30 points."
Tay is a massive Luke fan and has unconditional faith in him. She never even considered the possibility of him losing; for her, it was only a question of the final score difference.
When she clicked on the final score, she paused.
"49-24. That's not much of a win, is it?"
"I better check out what happened. If Luke actually played, they shouldn't have just won by that amount."
Clicking on the news link, she was surprised again.
Why were there two different videos of the game? One showing only the first half, and the other the full game. She'd never seen a game released like that. Why just post the first half?
What was even more baffling was that the video of just the first half had significantly more buzz than the full game—the views and discussion data were literally ten times higher.
Curious, Taylor clicked on the first-half video. She was quickly stunned by Luke's performance.
"Man, that's not exciting football to watch, but it's so satisfying! Just blindly charging forward and winning. This must be the joy of someone with overwhelming talent."
Tay understood that feeling completely, as she experienced it herself in the music world.
When she saw the 34-0 scoreboard, she couldn't help but laugh out loud. "You're just rubbing it in, that's so bad! But I like a bad boy."
At that moment, Tay understood why there were two versions of the video. For the vast majority of viewers, the game essentially ended at halftime, with the score permanently locked in people's minds at 34-0. This was the legend Luke left on the field, one that people would talk about for years.
The remaining second half was nothing more than a cover-up. Its only value was to prove that the New England Patriots weren't actually weak—after all, they did make up a lot of points in the second half and were still clearly better than the New York Giants without Luke.
Their utter humiliation earlier was entirely because Luke was so ridiculously good; he had single-handedly flipped the script on who was strong and who was weak.
Tay had zero interest in checking out the full game video.
She kept scrolling through the online comments. She remembered that just yesterday, the mainstream narrative was still downplaying Luke, suggesting he was just full of himself and would be embarrassed during the actual game.
"Well, the truth's right here now. Let's see what they've got to say!"
"34-0. That score is immortal. I admit I was wrong to underestimate Luke before. I hope he can feel my apology."
"Luke doesn't just have the skill of a great player; he has the grace and compassion, too. He chose to sit out the second half so his opponent wouldn't be totally embarrassed. I respect that sportsmanship."
"After this game, is Luke seriously going to join the NFL? I really don't want every single game to be this boring. Great Demon King, please go back to your abyss and stop ruining things for the rest of us!"
That last comment was a little dramatic, but it definitely captured the public's real fear.
"Luke's main job is acting, so as long as his acting career is going well, he won't be looking to play in the NFL. So, if you want him to stay away, you should support his movie! 'Pirates of the Caribbean' is coming out soon."
"Perfect! That's a great way to seal away the Great Demon King. I'll definitely go see 'Pirates of the Caribbean' multiple times when it's out!"
Seeing the online narrative do a complete 180 made Tay feel a rush of satisfaction.
But she quickly realized something: Luke had taken another huge leap forward in his career. If she didn't step up her game, she'd only fall further behind him.
So, instead of taking a well-deserved break after a long day of work, Taylor got right back to hustling.
### The Media Fallout
While Luke's game was exploding all over the internet, traditional media outlets were quick to follow up with their own coverage:
"The Storm Stirred by a Short Video."
This was the headline from The New York Times. Keeping their classic, serious style, the article detailed the entire sequence of events, helping readers understand why Luke was at the center of a public firestorm and why he, an actor, ended up playing in this exhibition game. The report seemed neutral and objective, but by the end, you couldn't help but feel a little admiration for Luke. His grounded, "I won't start trouble but I'm not afraid of it" attitude, combined with his good looks, won him many new fans.
"Is Anyone Still Questioning Luke as the Best Quarterback?"
This report came from The Los Angeles Times. It focused mainly on Luke's on-field performance as a quarterback, thoroughly proving just how outstanding he was. The article also pointed out that Luke wasn't just a great quarterback; his performance on the defensive side was just as good as his offense. Luke was, essentially, a genius-level all-purpose player who could shine brilliantly in any position. So, going back to the original controversy, Luke playing as a school's quarterback was completely overkill—he was just being nice by playing at that level. The earlier doubts about him were baseless and unnecessary!
"Thank Goodness Luke Spared Football—The Golden Goose is Safe!"
This was the headline from The Wall Street Journal. As a primarily business and finance news outlet, they approached the story by looking at the NFL's commercial value and the impact of Luke's game. The conclusion was clear: the disruptive force that is Luke chose to back off, and everyone who makes a living from the sport should be thankful for it.
There were countless other reports from various media outlets that aren't worth listing individually. The main takeaway is that Luke was, at this moment, the hottest topic in North America.
Before, only people who had seen his movies or knew about his fight with Tyson were aware of his existence. Now, Luke's fame reached virtually every age group. Whether you liked him or not, his name was unavoidable for a while, mentioned and discussed by so many people that not talking about Luke made you seem out of the loop.
Luke's national recognition had taken a historic leap, making him a household name.