"Sorry, sorry, sorry."
A series of apologies ca, and then two tall n awkwardly walked over. The reason they were constantly apologizing was that they were carrying a huge flag. The flag was currently rolled up, so you couldn't see the design, but just the flagpoles for the two of them looked incredibly heavy. It was difficult for the two of them to move between the rows of seats.
The two of them lingered between a few seats and finally confird their seat numbers. They stopped next to Jeff. "These are our seats," said one of the blonde n with a full beard. You couldn't tell his exact age, but he gave Jeff a bright smile. "Hey, you guys are 49ers fans too!"
Then, the man moved aside and showed his jersey. It was a San Francisco 49ers jersey with the number "14" and "LU" on the back. It was a Lu Ke jersey. He said excitedly, "Our team finally has a reliable quarterback, right? I like that guy. He's bold and he uses his brain to play. Haha!"
Without even waiting for Jeff to answer, the man noticed, "Your jersey is also Lu Ke's!" He imdiately extended his right hand, grabbed Jeff's right hand, pulled him in, bumped shoulders, and gave him a high-five.
In the blink of an eye, the man had completed the entire routine by himself and continued happily, "You guys are all 49ers fans, right? Hehe, we're lucky today. I thought the ticketing system here in Cincinnati would intentionally separate the visiting fans."
The man first nodded to Chris and the other two, and then he couldn't wait to show off. "This is a banner that my friend and I specially made for Lu Ke. What do you think? It's grand, right? It's cool, right? After the ga starts today, we're going to wave it in the stands so Lu Ke can see the fans' support!"
The man held the banner up high:
On a red background, a cartoon image of Bambi was outlined with gold lines. Bambi was sitting on the ground, cutely holding up his two front paws. Even though his facial expression and features weren't drawn, the vivid lines made Bambi's image co to life. Then, a golden crown was casually hanging on Bambi's antlers. If you looked closely, you could see that the crown was inlaid with white, red, and black gems that spelled out a sentence.
"The King of the Bay Area."
It wasn't just Jeff, or Chris, Danny, and Nate. Fans from a large section around them all turned their heads and looked at the huge banner with wide eyes and exclamations of admiration.
To a stranger, this banner would have no aning. Even most San Francisco 49ers fans probably wouldn't understand the cartoon image on the banner. But for true die-hard fans, they imdiately understood the deeper aning.
Bambi, this was Lu Ke's nickna. In the context of a football field, it was a weak image. No one was optimistic about him, and no one supported him. But in an unfavorable situation where he was surrounded by wolves, he bravely and resolutely fought his way out and created his own miracle.
Any team that looked down on Bambi would inevitably pay the price.
Looking at the banner in front of him, Chris couldn't help but feel emotional.
He thought that two weeks was too short for Lu Ke to win over the hearts of the fans. He thought that being an undrafted rookie wasn't enough for fans to give him more support and trust. He thought that people were still waiting and watching this team of young players. He thought that Lu Ke was still fighting alone on the field. He thought that the cold shoulder from "Joe's Bar" was a microcosm of the fans...
But he was wrong.
There were people just like him. Although Lu Ke still had many shortcomings, he firmly believed that Lu Ke held the key to the team's future.
Suddenly, Chris stood up and shouted with excitent, "Bambi!" After he shouted, a group of fans around them started to whistle and shouted, "Bambi! Hey! Hey, Bambi!" It wasn't a cheer, just a few scattered shouts, but it made Chris realize that he was truly not alone.
"Chris Wilson," Chris said, extending his right hand and introducing himself.
The man in front of him then ca to his senses. "Haha, I forgot to introduce myself. Cliff Hart. This is my classmate, Noah Parker."
Imdiately after, Jeff also stood up, introduced himself, and then introduced his friends. In an instant, several fans around them also stood up and exchanged nas, making the scene very lively.
After a round of greetings, Jeff had ti to interject, "Students? Are you all still in college?"
Cliff nodded and said with a smile, "Yes, we're from Berkeley. We're sophomores. We accidentally watched Bambi's ga in the first week, and then we made a special trip to watch the second ga at ho. Now, I just know that we're here."
UC Berkeley is also a top university. Both Berkeley and UCLA are part of the University of California system. Although they are two independent systems, the alumni still have a greater sense of closeness.
In an instant, Jeff, Nate, and Danny started chatting excitedly about Lu Ke's college stories and the coback in the Rose Bowl. The sa story was told over and over again, and they never got tired of it. Especially the cheers of "Bambi" in the final monts of the Rose Bowl, which were still so vivid in their mories.
Gradually, more and more fans gathered around them. It seed that all the San Francisco 49ers fans were concentrated in this small area, which was a funny sight. Lu Ke had only been the starting quarterback for two gas. Although the "San Francisco Chronicle" and "World Journal" had written special reports, for most fans, Lu Ke was still a new and unfamiliar face.
Cliff turned his head and looked at the section for visiting fans. "Is this all the support we have today?"
In a whole section of empty seats, there were only less than 5,000 people scattered sparsely in the north stands. There was no montum at all, and it gave off a pitiful and uninspired vibe. Thinking back to how overwhelming the visiting fans of the Seattle Seahawks and the Dallas Cowboys were in the first two weeks at Candlestick Park, and then looking at the scene in front of them, the huge difference in attendance was instantly deflating.
"I think this is already more than expected," Jeff said, shrugging and complaining. "However, the ho fans also seem to be unmotivated today, which is good news for us. Look, their stadium isn't even full. I have no idea what's going on."
It was more than just not being full. At this mont, at least a third of the seats in Paul Brown Stadium were empty. The large empty sections were shocking and gave off a desolate and bleak feeling, which made it hard to get excited. The atmosphere of watching the ga live felt weak, as if they had already lost before the ga even started.
"Because Cincinnati is about to beco another Detroit," Noah, who was standing behind them, said. Noah, who had been a non-presence until now, beca the center of attention for the first ti.
Noah looked like a typical nerd. His black curly hair was a ss in the wind, and he had a pair of black-rimd glasses on his nose. The number 14 49ers jersey was hanging loosely on his shoulders like a scarecrow, and his slender wrists didn't seem to have much strength.
He pushed up his glasses and began to explain like a professor, "Before the 2008 financial crisis, Cincinnati was one of the poorest cities in the United States. Over 22 percent of the population and 18 percent of the households lived below the poverty line. After the housing market crash, they never fully recovered, and the attendance rate at the Bengals' ho gas has always been low. I guess last year's terrible record didn't help either."
Detroit was about to go bankrupt. Was Cincinnati next?
Noticing that everyone was looking at him, Noah cleared his throat and slowly, slowly turned around to face the field. He didn't say a word, refusing to answer any questions or have any more contact by avoiding eye contact.
What a... weirdo.
Jeff looked worried. "Is he okay? I don't get the feeling that he's a football fan."
Cliff, however, burst out laughing. "You would never believe that this trip to Cincinnati was actually his idea." Then, Cliff leaned in mysteriously and said in a low voice, "He said that Lu Ke is the first quarterback since Joe Montana who uses his brain to play."
After Joe Montana retired, the San Francisco 49ers had another glorious period under the leadership of another Hall of Fa quarterback, Steve Young. However, Young was a dual-threat quarterback. In his career, he had 232 passing touchdowns, 107 interceptions, and 43 rushing touchdowns.
After the private conversation, Cliff stood up straight again. "Even if the stadium isn't full, we're still at a disadvantage. This is still an away ga. The team needs us, and Bambi needs us too!"
At this mont, the attendance at Paul Brown Stadium was about 40,000 people. A stadium that could hold 65,000 people was indeed a bit empty, but the San Francisco 49ers fans only numbered around 5,000. This ant that the ho fans were at least seven tis their number. This kind of power imbalance was enough to maximize the ho-field advantage.
"Guys! Quick! Gather all the 49ers fans! We need to gather together and be one!" Cliff was a passionate guy. He did what he said and, holding up his flagpole, jumped onto his seat and shouted, "All 49ers fans, co over! Gather around! Don't sit in your assigned seats. Let's all gather together! Let's cheer for our team together and help them get a win on the road!"
Cliff scanned the area, and his voice ca from deep within his diaphragm, rumbling like thunder, loud and powerful. "I'm ready to welco victory. Who else is with ?"
The wind suddenly picked up, and the flag fluttered.
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