Jay Fox sprinted toward the editor-in-chief's office, his footsteps sliding on the floor. Many people greeted him along the way, but Jay didn't slow down. He didn't even have ti to wave, just kept running like a tornado. He burst into the office and ca to a screeching halt, narrowly avoiding a collision with soone.
"Jay! Are you insane?" Emily Pulver hadn't expected the sudden intrusion. Even though Jay didn't hit her, the books in her hands fell all over the floor. Emily was speechless. As she knelt to pick up the books, she complained and teased, "Stop running around like a maniac. This is just the school paper, not the 'Los Angeles Tis.' No news is that urgent."
Jay quickly knelt to help, chuckling. "Emily, I'm so sorry, it's all my fault." Jay quickly gathered the books but didn't hand them over. Instead, he asked, "Do you have a minute?"
Emily reached for her books but, seeing Jay's ingratiating smile, she beca wary. "What's wrong? I'm about to head to class. If it's important, wait until I get back. I'll be in the editing room all afternoon for layout."
"I'll walk with you," Jay said, holding the books and leading the way with a grin. Emily narrowed her eyes at him but didn't say much, and she walked quickly. Jay followed close behind. "I want to write an article."
"So write one," Emily said matter-of-factly. She was the school newspaper's editor-in-chief and a senior in journalism. Not everyone on the school paper was a journalism major, but most of them were, and Jay was one of them. "Once you have it written, bring it to the editorial eting, and we can discuss it. Didn't you say last week that you were busy with the new sester and weren't planning on writing for a while?"
"This is a special case," Jay quickly explained. "I'm thinking of getting this article done before the afternoon deadline. Please, I need to have this article in the first issue of the sester." The deadline for submissions was today, and he didn't have ti for a long eting or a long wait. He had to act fast, and finding Emily was the most direct way.
"Are you crazy?" Emily made a face, expressing her exasperation. But Emily was a journalist, and she understood the importance of tiliness. She asked, "Tell , what's so exciting about this news?"
"The first Chinese-Arican official player in the Bruins' history!" Jay blurted out without holding back. Emily stopped dead in her tracks.
The United States is a country of immigrants, and people from all races form the foundation of the nation. But racial integration has always been a problem, and racism is rampant. Even in 2010, the racial hierarchy still existed and perated every aspect of life, with white people discriminating against Black people, and Black people discriminating against Latinos, Asians, and even Jewish and Arab people.
The sports world was no different. Black players had been in professional football since the 1920s, and professional baseball broke the color barrier in the 1940s. But almost a century later, there had never been an Asian player in the NFL, let alone a Chinese-Arican. It wasn't until last year that the first Chinese-Arican player appeared in the NFL, but he wasn't a starter, just a rotational substitute.
So people said it was a matter of physical talent. But was it? In real life, Chinese-Arican players had appeared in basketball, baseball, and even hockey, not to ntion soccer. At the ti, Yao Ming was still a beloved basketball superstar. But in football, Chinese-Arican players were still a novelty. To be precise, the sa was true for Asian players in general. Was it really just because of physical talent? Probably not.
It wasn't just in the professional leagues; even in college leagues, Asian players were a rare sight. At least in Emily's mory, there had never been an Asian player on the Bruins' team.
California had always been a leader in racial and cultural integration and developnt. As one of the most famous universities in California, the Bruins' football team having the first Chinese-Arican player was a solid step toward multicultural integration. It could even be considered one of the best news stories of the year!
As Lu Ke's roommate, Jay's first reaction to the news was happiness for his friend. He knew better than anyone how hard Lu Ke had worked, and Lu Ke deserved this. His second reaction was to spread the news. Jay was well aware of the attention and buzz this news would create. More importantly, if Lu Ke could use this as a starting point to move on to the NFL draft, that would be a story that would rock the nation!
As for the professional league, that was a distant future and a distant goal. Jay wasn't that crazy yet. But just thinking about it was enough to make his blood boil. Jay understood the value of this story better than anyone. He wanted it to be in the paper as soon as possible, before the new season started.
So, he had intercepted Emily on her way to class, trying to get a page in the paper before the deadline. It seed he had succeeded. With just one sentence, he had captured Emily's attention. Her eyes widened, an excited expression appeared on her face, and she stopped walking, eager to ask, "A starter?"
Jay's expression froze for a mont, and then he said with a grin, "Don't be in such a hurry. One step at a ti. You can't get fat in one bite, right?"
"A substitute?" Emily's expression imdiately beca conflicted.
Jay quickly said, "Hey, Emily, at least this is a huge step forward. On the road to making history, no one knows the ending, right? Just like Martin Luther King Jr...."
Emily rolled her eyes and started walking again. "Oh my God, you're not serious, are you? You're actually comparing this Chinese-Arican kid to Dr. King?" Jay shrugged, a non-committal smile on his face. Emily had to take a deep breath. "Jay, you know, if he's just a substitute, it's not a newsworthy story. The entire team has nearly 60 players, and less than half of them can play. Substitute players don't get any attention, so there's no value in reporting on them."
"Co on, Emily. You should know how important this small step is!" Jay pleaded earnestly. "I know a substitute might never get to play and might just warm the bench, but think about Seabiscuit. No one believed in him at first, but he created a miracle. All we need is a little belief in miracles."
Seabiscuit was a racehorse. During the Great Depression, he was a racehorse with no talent. He was small, his legs weren't great, and he had a stubborn and headstrong personality. Almost everyone thought he couldn't be a real racehorse and should either be a farm horse or be put down.
But after many hardships, soone finally discovered his talent and brought it out. Seabiscuit went on to achieve impossible victories again and again, becoming a symbol of hope during the Great Depression and leading people out of despair.
"First Martin Luther King, then Seabiscuit?" Emily looked at Jay speechlessly but then laughed, shaking her head. "I'm just telling you, no one wants to hear a story about a substitute. A substitute won't even play. Even if we publish it, no one will pay attention."
Jay didn't say anything, just crossed his hands and clenched them into fists, looking like he was begging.
Emily stopped again and sighed. "500 words, at most 500 words." That was her way of agreeing. Jay imdiately cheered loudly. Emily continued, "Turn it in before 3 PM. I'll try to find a spot for it. But I'm telling you, no one is going to care, probably not even the Chinese students. You know they don't watch football."
Jay just nodded nonchalantly. He was just so happy that he could finally write an article about Lu Ke.
Emily laughed in exasperation. "Can I have my books back now? I think you don't need a hostage anymore." Jay quickly handed the books back to Emily. "See you this afternoon, and thank you, Emily! You know what? You look beautiful today!" He said, backing away, and then turned and started cheering.
Emily tidied her books in her arms and called out, "3 PM, don't be late!" But Jay was already cheering and getting farther away. She didn't know if he even heard her. Emily shook her head helplessly, ready to leave. But after two steps, she realized: Who was he? She had forgotten to ask for his na!
With a wry smile, Emily decided not to worry about it and jogged toward her classroom.
In the first issue of the UCLA school newspaper for the fall sester of 2010, the following story was published:
Chinese-Arican student Lu Ke has beco an official player for the Bruins, making it onto the ga roster. This makes him the first Chinese-Arican player to be on the official football roster in the school's history—and the first Asian-Arican to achieve this feat. This not only writes a significant page in football history but also marks an important step toward eliminating racial segregation. This is crucial for both the school and the team.
With the new NCAA season about to begin, the highly anticipated Bruins team has released a major story. This was the first ti Lu Ke's na appeared in print in a newspaper.
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