Standing on the field, Patrick Peterson was gasping for air. His mind was in a state of chaos, unable to sort out his thoughts. He replayed the play over and over again but could never see the whole picture. Only one thought kept getting bigger and bigger in his head: Logan Newman! Logan Newman! Logan Newman!
Peterson had been tasked with covering Newman. But somehow, Newman had broken free and created the biggest open space the Cardinals had seen all day, scoring a touchdown with unstoppable momentum. As for Peterson, he was completely bewildered, standing next to Vernon Davis, with no idea how the play had been completed. He felt completely humiliated.
He looked left in confusion and right in bewilderment, trying to find an answer, but he only saw similar emotions in the eyes of his teammates. Everyone was breathing heavily, staring blankly at each other, not understanding what had happened. They had clearly had the upper hand, almost completely choking the 49ers' offense. From blitzing the quarterback to defending the short pass and putting pressure on the entire line, everything was in the Cardinals' control. But just as they were about to break, the 49ers had a powerful comeback and delivered a fatal blow. How did this all happen?
Peterson looked up and saw the silence in the stadium. The sea of dark red was stunned, and even the curses had completely disappeared. Countless question marks were exchanged in a dazed and helpless way, as if they had lost their focus. The huge University of Phoenix Stadium was in a state of extreme contrast, and this time, it was the home fans who were freezing. The sea of dark red, made up of 60,000 people, seemed to have lost its spirit. They were dazed and helpless, sitting blankly in their seats. Meanwhile, the 3,500 people in the white wave were gathered in a small corner, but they unleashed a powerful and majestic force. Their passionate screams and cheers were like a tornado, rampaging and destroying everything in the empty and quiet stadium.
The referee's whistle blew, signaling both special teams to come onto the field because the San Francisco 49ers' coaching staff had indicated that they would go for a one-point extra point. The shrill whistle finally woke up the home fans. Almost by instinct, all the boos, curses, and insults were directed at the San Francisco 49ers' side. A torrent of foul language and a buzzing noise like a locust plague filled the air. This time, the home fans aimed their attacks at the away team, especially Lu Ke, who had just sounded the charge with that last play. Their anger instantly took over, and they blurted out racist remarks.
When the first openly racist remark was made, it was as if a floodgate had been opened. Countless negative comments poured out like a flood, and the ugly and nasty words were truly unbearable. Even the 49ers' offensive and defensive teams on the sideline couldn't stand it. Logan finally couldn't hold back. His temper flared up instantly, and he threw his water bottle on the ground. He turned around and started yelling at the home fans behind him. He was red-faced, veins popping out, and spitting as he yelled. If the two sides had been standing face-to-face, a fight would have been inevitable. But what was frightening was that in front of a sea of home fans, Logan's voice was completely lost, unable to put up any kind of fight. The hateful wave of dark red instantly swallowed Logan, like a giant beast opening its bloody mouth, and a bloody stench rushed at him.
After the play, Lu Ke was high-fiving the coaches when he immediately noticed Logan, who was on the verge of losing control. The expressions of the other offensive and defensive players were also not pleasant. Playing on the road was one thing, but racism was another. This had risen to a completely different level. Lu Ke immediately rushed over, grabbing Logan and bumping him hard with his shoulder. "Calm down! Calm down!" Looking into Logan's bloodshot eyes, Lu Ke yelled, "I say, fuck them! Tell them to get the hell out of here! The best way to shut them up is to score touchdowns! One touchdown after another! Let all this trash talk shut their mouths for good!"
"The worse their trash talk, the better we're doing our job. They're starting to get scared. They're a bunch of shameless cowards! We should enjoy this kind of treatment. This is the best reward for us!" Lu Ke roared wildly, not just at Logan but also at his teammates. "Remember, this is a compliment to us! It proves that we succeeded in making them angry!" As the victim of the racism, Lu Ke was more angry and emotional than anyone else, but Logan and his teammates' initial impulse had calmed him down. They could fight, they could yell insults, and they could even use their fists, but they didn't have much of a chance against 60,000 fans. What's more, Lu Ke was facing not just 60,000 fans but the racism and prejudice that came from the whole society.
The best way to fight back will always be with absolute strength on the field. With one victory after another, they could make them shut up. If one victory wasn't enough, they'd get two. If that wasn't enough, they'd get another! Just like in this game, since two passing touchdowns and two rushing touchdowns weren't enough, they'd get a few more! Lu Ke turned around to face his teammates, with the sea of dark red behind him. The curses covered the sun, making it dim, but Lu Ke's figure didn't show any fear. He stood up straight and raised his right hand high. "Now, they're calling for a better performance from us. Let's shut them all up with one touchdown after another!"
At this moment, Lu Ke exuded an awe-inspiring spirit of perseverance and unyielding determination. Even Logan was stunned, and all his anger subsided. In its place was a surge of passion and excitement. He couldn't wait to get back into the game.
Logan looked up again at the twisted faces behind him. He finally understood the weight of Lu Ke's words, and his emotions calmed down a little, but looking at the provocative faces behind him, he still felt a burning anger. Then, Logan saw Lu Ke's right hand held high. He opened his hand, turning it into a flat palm, a "five," and also a slap, as if to say that since the home fans were calling for more humiliation, he would not hesitate to give them what they wanted. Then, he flipped his hand and clenched it into a fist, leaving only one finger up.
The middle finger.
The long and straight middle finger, strong and powerful like an old bamboo, stood up toward the sky with vigor and determination, giving them the simplest and most effective response! Logan couldn't help but laugh, and all his anger vanished because he knew that this war was not over yet!
The commotion between the away team players and the home fans attracted a lot of attention. The referees on the field and the commentators off the field noticed what was happening. Everyone knew that the Chinese-American quarterback was a ticking time bomb and would eventually ignite the controversy surrounding racism. Even in 2011, the number of white quarterbacks was still significantly higher than the number of black quarterbacks, which would still cause related controversies from time to time. How much more so now that a person of Asian descent had appeared? The only question was when, how, and in what way would it explode? After a quiet half-season, no one expected it to be ignited in Arizona.
Suddenly, everyone looked at each other, not knowing what to do. Everyone was cautious and careful with their words. But not everyone was flustered. At the same time, Leigh Steinberg, who was standing in the away team's VIP box, breathed a sigh of relief. Lu Ke's Chinese-American identity was like an elephant in the room. The entire North American society knew that racism against Asians existed. No one could avoid it, and no one could deny it. But before it officially exploded, no one was willing to talk about it, as if as long as they continued to ignore it, it would never happen.
It was just like the elephant in the room. Everyone could see it. It was so big, so strong, and so threatening. But it was also so gentle, so quiet, and so calm. Everyone pretended not to see it and avoided talking about it, and the elephant wouldn't move. Over time, people got used to its existence and thought that everything was normal. Until one day, the elephant gets angry, and then a disaster happens. This was not just about racism against Asians but also about social issues like school violence, gun control, and police brutality. The elephant was always there, but no one was willing to uncover the truth before it exploded.
Today, the elephant had finally gotten angry. People could no longer pretend not to see it. This was not a small argument from Charles Davis or a commentator's personal opinion. It was a confrontation and an insult from the field, and it was a reflection of a common social belief. The issue had to be taken seriously. After signing Lu Ke, Leigh had been waiting for this day. Now that it had finally arrived, a war had begun. There was a war on the field, and there was another one off the field. Leigh calmly and methodically started making arrangements.
Since they were ready to start a war, he would give them a war!
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