On the North American continent, racial discrimination against minorities is everywhere. Discrimination is extremely serious in the central part of the country, and it can even lead to conflict and violence. In contrast, the two coasts are more open, tolerant, and diverse. However, discrimination still exists. Most of the time, it is not an outward emotion like ridicule, cursing, or contempt, but more of an inner doubt, disdain, and disappointment.
This situation is even more intense and obvious in competitive sports. In 2011, Lu Ke was still the only Asian player on the football field, a lone sapling, which was the best proof.
For an ordinary rookie, two victories, one against a division rival and one against a league rival, would definitely have all the fans praising him. But for Lu Ke, two victories were still not enough. The fans were willing to praise and congratulate him, and they were also willing to join in the celebrations and revelry, but deep down, they still refused to accept him.
The wall of doubt was incredibly thick.
Jonathan shook his head with a bitter smile. "Chris, don't get too excited. We all know that this rookie quarterback has performed very well in the past two weeks. But we just think that he still has a lot to learn. There's a reason why a rookie is a rookie. The rookie seasons of the four elite quarterbacks were all a mess."
"Are you saying that we should abandon a quarterback who has led the team to victory for two consecutive weeks and choose to support a quarterback who has failed to turn the team's decline around for six consecutive years?" Chris's eyes widened, and his face clearly showed his anger and confusion.
"I'm just saying that in the next game, Alex Smith would be a better choice. In the future, maybe this quarterback can still become the 49ers' starting quarterback," Jonathan said with a shrug, rambling.
"Jesus Christ." Chris was so angry that he laughed, and he was speechless.
He couldn't imagine it. Chris couldn't believe what was happening in front of him. The craziness and wildness at Candlestick Park were still vivid in his mind. All the fans were passionately celebrating today's victory. But when he returned to "Joe's Bar," he was met with a bucket of cold water, instantly going from summer to winter, as if they hadn't won but had lost the game today.
Jonathan also noticed Chris's surging emotions and repeatedly pressed his hands down to comfort him. "Calm down, calm down. Think about today's victory. This is a good thing."
"You still know we won today? Anyone who didn't know would think we lost the game and were criticizing the quarterback," Chris said sarcastically, making no effort to hide his sharpness and abrasiveness. After the ecstasy, he was hit with a sledgehammer, and now Chris was full of resentment.
Jonathan looked back at the others in the bar. "It seems our attitude has angered Chris." Then, everyone else started to make a commotion, and Jonathan looked at Chris again. "What? After just two games, you've already become a supporter of that quarterback? I've told you that rookies' performances are always inconsistent, and everything is still an unknown. He can sweep the floor in this game, and then get routed in the next."
"Yes, I've become his fan," Chris said reflexively. After he said it, he didn't feel soft-mouthed at all. Instead, he felt a sense of joy.
Thinking back to the details of today's game, his mood became excited again. "He has an unyielding spirit and a hunger for victory. In critical moments, he will never back down and will bravely step up to shoulder the team's entire burden. This kind of game demeanor is exactly what Alex Smith lacks!"
"So, yes, I support him. I believe the future of the 49ers is in his hands!" Chris said firmly, clenching his fist to emphasize his words.
The bar was silent for a moment, then erupted in laughter, as if this was the most absurd joke of the year.
"What's wrong with you guys? Maybe this is the first time in eight years that the team has a hope of making it to the playoffs..." Chris's words were cut off by laughter. "At least we have a good start..." More laughter. Chris had to raise his voice. "And we have a young and excellent quarterback..."
The laughter was completely out of control. It seemed that the words "excellent quarterback" had struck a nerve, and they couldn't stop laughing.
"Chris!" Amid the boisterous laughter, Anthony DiNozzo raised his right hand, cutting through the noise, and greeted him with a smile.
"Guys, show some respect. Hey, guys!" Anthony shouted, finally suppressing the laughter. "At least this rookie quarterback has given our team two victories. He deserves some basic respect." The bar gradually returned to peace again. Anthony complained, "This is much better than last year."
Laughter, real laughter. In the 2010 season, the San Francisco 49ers started with a five-game losing streak and lost to the Seattle Seahawks and the New Orleans Saints in the first two games of the regular season.
"Cheers to The Quarterback!" Jonathan raised his glass in celebration, and then all the other fans also raised their glasses high and cheered, "Cheers to The Quarterback!"
The atmosphere in the bar became lively once again.
Anthony waved his hand again. "Chris, come over here. Let's celebrate the victory together today. Here, I'll get you and your friends a beer on the house."
Chris didn't say anything more and walked towards the bar. Jeff and Nate followed closely behind, with Danny bringing up the rear. Danny stared at Jonathan and refused to look away. After much hesitation, he called out, "That quarterback, he has a name. Lu Ke. His name is Lu Ke."
It wasn't just any quarterback. It was Lu Ke, the one and only Lu Ke.
With wide eyes, Danny and Jonathan's gazes met. As the atmosphere shifted, Danny slowly made his way to his friends at the bar. Jonathan, who was left standing there, rolled his eyes and picked up his glass. Like a comedian at the end of a show, he bowed and saluted the fans around him, earning another round of cheers.
Behind the bar, Anthony skillfully took out a tall beer mug, turned on the tap next to it, and the golden beer started to fill the mug. The fluffy white foam seemed to have a faint scent of wheat. "Don't mind them," Anthony said in a relaxed tone. "They're just a bunch of idiots. During the live broadcast of the game, they were all more excited than the last, and their piercing screams were like 16-year-old girls."
The sharp criticism made Jeff and the others laugh.
"To be honest, this quarterback is a capable guy. In the last 66 seconds of the game, I don't want to over-exaggerate, but the truth is, I saw Aaron Rodgers," Anthony said without hiding his surprise. He placed the filled beer mugs on the bar one by one. "I can imagine how crazy the reaction was at Candlestick Park."
"You really should have been there," Chris said with a sigh. "In the critical moments, Lu Ke's performance was truly clutch!"
"You should have seen his performance in college," Jeff said excitedly, joining the conversation. "In his first game of his career, he was a backup player who was forced to play in a critical situation. The team was down by three touchdowns, and there was less than a quarter left in the game. He threw four touchdowns and completed a shocking comeback. It was even more impressive than today's game."
"Really?" Not only Anthony but Chris also became curious. "I thought he was unknown in college."
"Yeah," Jeff and Nate exchanged glances and nodded. "At that time, the first thought that everyone had when Lu Ke came on the field was, 'Who the heck is this guy?' and 'What is the coach thinking?' More than two-thirds of the fans in the entire stadium left. No one had any hope. Danny also turned and left."
Sensing the gazes on him, Danny nodded generously. "I left. At that time, the only thought I had was that I didn't want to watch this stupid game anymore. But now, I've followed that unknown quarterback to San Francisco and have become a 49ers fan."
Jeff, Nate, and Danny were all fresh graduates.
After the Rose Bowl ended, they temporarily shed their identity as fans and returned to their real lives, and their contact with each other gradually faded.
In early August, the news that Lu Ke had joined the San Francisco 49ers made Jeff excited. By chance, Jeff found a job in San Francisco, and now he could return to the world of football and join the city-wide celebration every game day.
After the big victory in the first week, this week, Jeff happened to run into Nate and then learned that Danny was working in Silicon Valley.
After all this, they were reunited and became Lu Ke's first fans in the professional league. True fans.
"Tell me about that game. What happened?" Chris said excitedly. "Was it his first game?"
"Yeah, but he wasn't flustered at all. It was as if he had been grinding on that field for more than a decade," Nate and Jeff recalled, one after the other.
Gradually, other fans sitting near the bar also gathered around, listening and joining in the discussion.
Everything about this Chinese-American quarterback was too mysterious and too magical. The fragmented pieces of information were not enough to piece together the story. Now, with a loyal fan telling the story of every detail of that game, it was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for the other fans.
Under all the hype and titles, the image of "Lu Ke" gradually became rich and full. It wasn't from rumors, not from the media, and not from the internet.
More and more fans gathered around Jeff and the others. It started with three or five people, then grew to more than a dozen. People came and went, making it a lively scene. As night fell, the excitement of the game grew. "Joe's Bar" was just the tip of the iceberg in San Francisco. The whole city was celebrating.
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