American Football: King of the Bay Area

"Sorry, sorry, sorry."

A chorus of apologies rang out as two tall men clumsily made their way over. They kept apologizing because they were carrying a massive banner. It was rolled up, so the design wasn't visible, but the pole alone, which took both of them to carry, looked like it weighed a ton. They could barely maneuver as they tried to move between the stadium seats.

The two men shuffled between a few rows before finally confirming their seat numbers and stopping next to Jeff. "These are our seats," said one of them, a blond man with a full beard that hid his age. He gave Jeff a bright smile. "Hey, you guys are 49ers too!"

Then, the man shifted to show off his jersey. "Number fourteen, LU." It was a San Francisco 49ers jersey, and it was Lu Ke's number. He said excitedly, "Our team finally has a reliable quarterback, right? I love that guy. Bold, daring, and plays with his brain, haha!"

Before Jeff could even answer, the man noticed, "Your jersey is Lu Ke's too!" He immediately stuck out his right hand, grabbed Jeff's, and pulled him in for a handshake and a shoulder bump.

In the blink of an eye, the man had completed the entire greeting routine all by himself and was already gleefully continuing, "You're all 49ers, right? Hehe, lucky us today. I thought the Fierce Tiger Team's ticketing system here would have deliberately split up all the away fans."

The man first nodded to Chris and the other two, then eagerly started showing off. "This is a support banner we had custom-made for Lu Ke. What do you think? Grand, huh? Cool, right? Once the game starts today, we're gonna wave it in the stands and let Lu Ke see his fans' support!"

The man held up the banner and unfurled it:

On a red background, golden lines sketched out a cartoon version of Bambi the little deer. Bambi was sitting on the ground, having seemingly tripped, and was endearingly holding up his two front hooves. Even without any facial features or expressions drawn, the vivid lines made the image of Bambi leap off the fabric. Then, hanging jauntily from Bambi's antlers was a golden crown. If you looked closely, you could see that the crown was encrusted with white, red, and black gems, spelling out a phrase.

"King of the Bay Area".

It wasn't just Jeff, nor was it just Chris, Danny, and Nate. A whole section of 49ers fans nearby turned to look, their jaws dropping as they gasped in amazement at the massive banner.

To a stranger, the banner meant nothing. Even most San Francisco 49ers fans probably wouldn't understand the cartoon image. But to the true, die-hard fans, they instantly understood the deep meaning behind it.

Bambi the little deer—that was Lu Ke's nickname. On a football field, it was a soft, weak image. No one was optimistic about him, and no one supported him. But surrounded by wolves, he had resolutely and bravely carved his own path, creating his own miracle.

Any team that underestimated Bambi was bound to pay the price.

Looking at the banner before him, Chris felt a surge of emotion.

'He'd thought two weeks was too short for Lu Ke to win the fans' hearts. He'd thought being one of the Undrafted Players meant the fans wouldn't give him much support or trust. He'd thought people were still just waiting and watching this young team. He'd thought Lu Ke was still fighting a lone battle on the field. He'd thought the cold indifference at Joe's Bar was a reflection of the entire fanbase...'

But he was wrong.

There were others like him. Maybe Lu Ke still had many shortcomings, but he firmly believed that the team's future rested on Lu Ke's shoulders.

All at once, Chris shot to his feet, his face flushed with excitement. He pumped his fist and yelled, "Bambi!" After he shouted, some fans nearby started whistling, and calls of "Bambi! Hey! Hey, Bambi!" rose up sporadically. It wasn't an organized cheer, just a few scattered calls, but it made Chris realize that he truly wasn't alone.

"Chris Wilson." Chris proactively extended his right hand, introducing himself.

The man in front of him finally reacted. "Haha, I forgot to introduce myself. Cliff Hart. This is my classmate, Noah Parker."

Right after, Jeff stood up and introduced himself, then introduced his friends. In an instant, several other fans nearby stood up to exchange names, and the scene became boisterous.

After a round of greetings, Jeff finally had a chance to interject, "Students? You're all still in college?"

Cliff nodded, chuckling. "Yeah, we're at Berkeley. Just started our sophomore year. We caught Bambi's game by chance in the first week, and then we made a special trip to the home game for the second week. Next thing I know, here we are."

UC Berkeley was another top-tier university. Both Berkeley and UCLA were part of the University of California system, and although they were two independent institutions, there was a greater sense of kinship between their alumni.

In an instant, Jeff, Nate, and Danny started chattering excitedly, talking about Lu Ke's exploits in college and the comeback at the Rose Bowl. They'd told the same story countless times, but it never got old, especially the memory of the whole stadium roaring "Bambi" in the final moments of the Rose Bowl. It was still vivid in their minds.

Gradually, more and more fans gathered around them. It seemed as though the entire San Francisco 49ers section was concentrated in this one small spot, a rather amusing sight. He had only been the starting quarterback for two games. Although both the *San Francisco Chronicle* and the *World Daily* had written special reports on him, to most fans, Lu Ke was still a new and unfamiliar face.

Cliff turned around and surveyed the away-fan section. "This is our entire cheering section today?"

In a vast sea of empty seats, fewer than five thousand people sat, sparsely scattered across the north stands. They had no presence at all and gave off a pitiful, shabby vibe. Recalling how massive the away crowds for the Seattle Seahawks and Dallas Cowboys had been at Candlestick Park over the last two weeks, the stark difference in front of them now was instantly deflating.

"I think this is already better than expected," Jeff said with a shrug, offering his own take. "But hey, the home fans seem pretty listless today too, which is good news for us. Look, their side of the stadium isn't even full. I can't make heads or tails of it."

Not just "not full"—at least a third of the seats in Paul Brown Stadium were empty. The vast, startlingly empty patches exuded a bleak desolation that made it impossible for anyone to get hyped. The atmosphere for watching the game live was listless. The game hadn't even started, but it already felt like they had lost.

"Because Cincinnati is about to become the next Detroit," Noah, who had been standing in the back without drawing any attention, spoke up. For the first time, he became the center of focus.

Noah looked like a typical nerd. His black, curly hair was a messy bird's nest in the wind, and a pair of black-framed glasses rested on his nose. The number fourteen 49ers jersey hung loosely from his shoulders like a scarecrow's clothes, and his slender wrists looked devoid of any strength.

He pushed up his glasses and began his explanation like a professor. "Before the 2008 financial crisis, Cincinnati was already one of the poorest cities in the United States. Over twenty-two percent of the population and eighteen percent of households lived below the poverty line. After the housing market collapse, they never really recovered. The Fierce Tiger Team's home game attendance has been sluggish ever since. I'm guessing last year's terrible record didn't help, either."

'Detroit is on the verge of bankruptcy. Is Cincinnati next?'

Noticing everyone's eyes on him, Noah cleared his throat, then slowly, very slowly, turned to face the field. He said nothing more, using his posture to avoid their gazes, refusing any further questions or interaction.

'What a... weirdo.'

Jeff looked worried. "Is he... okay? He doesn't really seem like the football fan type."

But Cliff just burst out laughing. "You'd never believe it, but this trip to Cincinnati was actually his idea." Then, Cliff leaned in conspiratorially and whispered, "He said this is the first time since Joe Montana that the 49ers have had a quarterback who plays with his brain."

After Joe Montana retired, the San Francisco 49ers had another glorious era under the leadership of another Hall of Fame quarterback, Steve Young. However, Young was a dual-threat quarterback. In his career, he threw for 232 passing touchdowns and 107 interceptions, and also had 43 rushing touchdowns.

After finishing his whispered comment, Cliff stood up straight again. "Even if the stadium isn't full, we're still the underdogs here. This is still an away game. The team needs us, and Bambi needs us!"

At that moment, the attendance at Paul Brown Stadium was around forty thousand. For a stadium that could hold sixty-five thousand, it felt quite empty. But the San Francisco 49ers fans only numbered around five thousand, which meant the home fans outnumbered them at least seven to one. A power imbalance like that was enough to amplify the home-field advantage to its absolute maximum.

"Guys! Quick! Let's get all the 49ers together! We need to group up and become one solid force!" Cliff was a man of passionate action. No sooner said than done, he used the flagpole for support, hopped up onto a seat, and shouted, "All 49ers, come over here! Gather 'round! Don't stick to your assigned seats, everyone get over here! Let's cheer for our team together! Let's help our team steal a win on the road!"

Cliff scanned the crowd, his voice booming from deep within his Dantian like thunder, resounding with power and conviction. "I'm ready for a victory! Who's with me?"

A sudden gust of wind swept through, and the banner billowed in the air!