Chapter 772: Continually upgrading
“We will crush the Chargers, we will crush the Chiefs, and we will defeat them.”
“New England are champions!”
“We don’t care about them, just a bunch of clowns.”
“I know they want to beat us, but it’s not going to happen. Yes, it’s that simple.”
“Indeed, they might need a bit of luck, and a bit of help, because we won’t be holding back.”
It was noisy and explosive—
Social networks, fully ignited.
From players to coaches to fans, the Indianapolis Colts’ attitude quickly swept across the web, and New England Patriots fans also launched a counterattack without hesitation, going full offensive.
The mory was still vivid.
In the sixth week of the regular season, the Kansas City Chiefs visited Gillette Stadium to challenge the New England Patriots, a ga in which both teams fought fiercely, with the Patriots ultimately winning at ho with a last-minute field goal.
However!
This victory did not beco the focus of heated debate—it was overshadowed.
After the ga, various discriminatory and offensive remarks at Gillette Stadium angered Li Wei, who t them with a resounding counterattack.
After the match, the New England Patriots beca the target of a mass attack on social networks, culminating in a League investigation, warnings, and fines.
That incident already made the Patriots and the Chiefs sworn enemies; but things didn’t end there—
After the ga, a particular photo unexpectedly went viral.
Wearing an away white jersey, number 23 stood on the railing of Gillette Stadium’s stands, full of righteous indignation, pouring down rage; a sea of royal blue fans surged from all sides, yet all trembled at the feet of number 23.
A single white figure stood tall against the endless blue expanse.
In the photo, Li Wei didn’t show his face, just a profile, yet precisely because of that, the image of “one man against the world” reached a poignant and grandeur extre, adding a deeper layer of aning to the entire photo.
After that regular season ga, this photo was also posted on social networks.
Initially, it did not attract much attention and was soon subrged in the flood of hot discussions; but as ti went on, the likes and shares of the photo increased more and more, like a snowball turning into a major hotspot.
And after the “New York Tis” officially published it, it reached a new peak.
Four months have passed, and now this photo has beco a new cultural phenonon, spreading far and wide across the corners of the internet.
For Patriots fans, this photo is a mockery, a taunt, an attack, a humiliation, constantly reminding them of what happened that day, even though they won the ga, but this scene after the match had them nailed to the pillar of sha.
Too painful to watch. Seething with anger.
And still, that’s not all, things still haven’t ended.
At a critical mont, Nike seized the opportunity and made a decisive move—
They bought the usage rights from the original photographer of the photo, then started printing T-shirts.
Colored version. Black and white version. Printed version. Watercolor version.
Nike released four versions in one go, all white T-shirts, and officially launched them in December, causing a sensation across the web.
In just one week, this T-shirt sold three million pieces across the North Arican continent.
At this point, the situation had completely spiraled out of control, transitioning from a pure sports event to a cultural phenonon, and becoming an important footnote in the NFL.
Goodell let out a long breath of relief, thankful the League handled the situation promptly and appropriately, otherwise, the League would now be flogged; but instead, thanks to the League’s proactive handling, football’s reputation among Asian audiences continued to rise, seizing the opportunity presented by Li Wei’s incident once again.
New England Patriots: …
So, New England is a stepping stone once again?
Every T-shirt sold is like a slap across the faces of New England Patriots’ fans and the cheeks of Gillette Stadium, stinging badly.
No holding back.
Without fanning the flas, the Patriots and Kansas City Chiefs already hate each other to the core. When the Indianapolis Colts continued to add fuel to the fire, New England’s fans completely lost it.
Full-on explosion!
“Haha, I just love how they hate us but can’t beat us,”
Patriots fans are master provocateurs, imdiately seizing the vital point, taunting the fools who fail with the poise of victors.
The smoke of battle, spreading continuously, escalating relentlessly.
In the midst of chaos, the overlooked, neglected, forgotten Los Angeles Chargers were quietly sharpening their knives.
Over the years, becoming more Zen-like and exuding a Christlike big-heartedness, Philip Rivers said in an interview:
“I don’t mind.”
“I know we’re the underdog. We’re not favored, but we’ll still step onto the field and fight for victory with all our might.”
Calm, indifferent, yet resolute.
People seem to have forgotten that the Chargers’ regular season record of twelve wins and four losses is only second to the Chiefs, and even better than the Patriots.
In reality, people widely criticize the Chargers for benefiting from an easy schedule, with generally weaker opponents. Only the Chiefs and Seattle Seahawks, whom they’ve beaten, made it to the playoffs, which supposedly makes them a faux-strong team.
However, facing the Baltimore Ravens in the wildcard ga, who had just defeated them in the regular season, the Chargers showed a completely different side in the playoffs, clinching their ticket to the divisional round with a convincing victory.
As everyone discusses the Colts’ missed opportunity for revenge against the Patriots, the Chargers are also eager for the chance to overco their divisional archrival, the Chiefs.
They will surely give it their all.
Therefore, there are still many uncertainties in the ga between the Patriots and the Chargers.
If the Patriots underestimate their opponent, they could end up like last year, halted at the divisional round yet again.
All this hot debate, dominating social dia feeds, indirectly proves Goodell’s point:
Indeed, the ga between the Chiefs and the Colts may have been lackluster, affecting viewership; but Li Wei and the Chiefs have gradually developed the aura of a strong team, and the discussion around them remains intensely heated.
There’s absolutely no need to worry.
The first divisional ga did not disappoint. Despite the process and outco not being entirely satisfactory, the highly anticipated Chiefs did not let down expectations, kicking off their title defense with an easy win.
Then, with no pause, the second divisional ga kicked off imdiately, with the echoes of battle still sizzling on social dia. The call to arms sounded once more, pushing the postseason climax to new heights.
This ti, another hot topic of the season, the Los Angeles Rams took the stage, hosting the youth-dominated Dallas Cowboys at ho.
Bang bang bang, bang bang bang.
Furiously hamring on the desk.
On one side, Goff and Donald; on the other, Prescott and Elliott.
They all share the traits of a new generation, dominance, rising steadily over the last two seasons.
No matter the outco, the rise of the young generation is sothing to look forward to. Two years after Big Manning’s retirent, the new wave has finally taken over smoothly, filling the void. Perhaps they can’t yet reach that pinnacle, but the future of the NFL seems brighter and more promising than ever before.
As expected, people always crave the new and tire of the old, even in the NFL.
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