Chapter 777: Wonderland
Zhou Yuxiang: I'm so jealous and bitter! I refuse to speak to you now!
Zhang Sanfan: Xiao Fei, we can't see the TV broadcast, so we're counting on you. Please be sure to cheer for Bambi for us.
Zhang Jiaju: I like Marcus Lynch! Please shout, "Marcus, I love you!" for me at the stadium.
Wang Sixin: Remember to buy merchandise! You must remember! My number 14 jersey!
Yang Nan: Bambi! Bambi! Bambi!
Lei Qingkong: Xiao Fei, if you have a chance, give Bambi the gift we prepared. If not, it's okay to give it to a local Chinese fan. They'll have more chances to see home games in the future and can eventually give it to Bambi. The thought is what counts. For today's game, just enjoy the atmosphere.
Sun Tongfei exited WeChat and turned off his phone screen. The buzzing messages in the group would probably not calm down anytime soon. They were even more excited than Sun Tongfei, who was actually at Candlestick Park to watch the game. One by one, they couldn't help but yell and cheer in their own ways, sending their "blessings."
Sun Tongfei looked down at his hands, which were trembling uncontrollably. He couldn't help but smile wryly.
In the second half of this year, Sun Tongfei won the opportunity to go to Michigan State University's training camp to study American football. This was an incredibly rare opportunity. In addition to the training camp, Sun Tongfei also got the chance to watch a game in San Francisco, to see one of Lu Ke's games at Candlestick Park. It was a dream come true.
The biggest problem was buying tickets.
From the moment Sun Tongfei officially decided to go, his friends began to search for ways to buy tickets, hoping to get them through official channels. However, since the season began, tickets for the 49ers' home games had become incredibly hard to find. Not to mention scattered fans from other cities, even local fans in San Francisco were actively looking for home game tickets.
Sun Tongfei wasn't even picky about which game to attend, as long as it was at Candlestick Park, but buying a ticket was still incredibly difficult.
He missed the home game against the Detroit Lions.
He missed the home game against the Buffalo Bills.
Finally, he managed to buy tickets for the New York Giants game.
This was completely unexpected. In fact, if he had missed the New York Giants game, the 49ers' next home game against the Seattle Seahawks would have been his last chance, because Sun Tongfei had to report to the training camp and couldn't change his personal schedule. After the training camp ended, he didn't know if he could still fulfill this dream.
But fate was so coincidental.
So, on October 14, Sun Tongfei showed up at Candlestick Park, ready to watch this heavyweight rematch of the conference finals.
The League's Consideration
Unexpectedly, the game between the San Francisco 49ers and the New York Giants was not scheduled as a night game. This wasn't a huge surprise, as the 49ers' game against the New Orleans Saints this season was also not scheduled for primetime.
The league clearly had its reasons.
It wasn't because the league was starting to underestimate the 49ers. On the contrary, this season, the 49ers received the highest-level treatment in the last decade, with three night games scheduled:
Week 7: A home game against the Seattle Seahawks, a Thursday night game.Week 8: An away game against the Arizona Cardinals, a Monday night game.Week 11: A home game against the Chicago Bears, a Monday night game.
The first two games were divisional matchups. The grudges and explosive moments accumulated from last season clearly added more excitement this season. The third game was a clash between two teams with deep roots. The excitement might not surpass the games against the Green Bay Packers or the New Orleans Saints, but it had a stronger fan base.
The league's official intention was very clear: to further increase Lu Ke's influence in divisional rivalries and among veteran fans, and to make the image of this Chinese-American quarterback clearer and more distinct. Whether Lu Ke could seize the opportunity and deliver a great performance was up to him.
Regardless, the Week 6 game between the 49ers and the New York Giants was just an ordinary Sunday afternoon game.
But for Sun Tongfei, this was a blessing because night game tickets would definitely have been harder to buy. After all the twists and turns, Sun Tongfei finally arrived in San Francisco, at Candlestick Park. The excitement that erupted from deep within his heart made his fingertips tremble uncontrollably.
"Oh, oh, oh." "Ah, ah, ah." "Hum, hum, hum."
A restless sound came from outside the car window, getting closer and closer. As the line of cars slowly moved forward, the sound got louder and louder, clearer and clearer, and more and more turbulent. Then, a huge red wave came crashing down. The vibrant red was like a roaring ocean, spreading boundlessly in his sight, as if the whole world was left with only one color.
Sun Tongfei couldn't help but open his mouth slightly. His mind completely froze. Not a single thought could be formed. He could only stare dumbfounded at the magnificent scene in front of him.
In one moment, he felt incredibly small and humble, completely unable to contend with the vastness in front of him. In another moment, he felt incredibly tall and mighty, turning into a drop of water in the ocean in front of him. That contradictory but harmonious feeling continued to surge in his chest. In no time at all, he had already adapted to the atmosphere.
The taxi slowly stopped along the line of cars. After paying the fare, Sun Tongfei opened the car door, and a huge wave of heat rushed over him. All 25,000 of his pores opened up, greedily and eagerly breathing in the joy and enthusiasm in the air. Before he could even take a step, his blood had already begun to boil.
Watching a game in person was different after all.
The surging crowd seen on the live broadcast was just a bunch of black dots on a screen. But when you were truly in the middle of it, you became one of the thousands. The experience brought by the vastness of the sea of people was completely different. What's more, the environment for watching football in his home country was not comparable to that in North America. It didn't even have the qualifications to be compared. The sense of shock that came over him instantly made all words lose their meaning.
Sun Tongfei stood in place, with a moment of hesitation and bewilderment. The environment was completely unfamiliar, the people were completely unfamiliar, and the world was completely unfamiliar. He didn't know where to go, what to do, or who to ask for help. English words came to his mouth, but he couldn't squeeze out a single one. He just stared blankly at the red ocean in front of him.
"Bambi! Bambi! Bambi!"
A huge red wave surged forward, passing by Sun Tongfei from both sides, whooshing and whooshing, incredibly lively. Sun Tongfei became even more flustered, but by chance, his eyes met another fan. The fan didn't say much but just glanced at the 49ers home number 14 jersey on Sun Tongfei's body. His eyes widened, and he excitedly shouted, "Bambi?"
As if possessed, Sun Tongfei also waved his fists and replied, "Bambi!"
The next moment, the fan put his hand on Sun Tongfei's shoulder and gestured for him to move forward with him. In a daze, Sun Tongfei was also confused. He subconsciously followed the crowd, raising his arms and shouting, "Bambi!"
At first, Sun Tongfei was a little dazed, following along and shouting senselessly, not understanding what was happening at all, just like Alice in Wonderland. After entering a beautiful wonderland, he was still confused, as if he had lost the concept of who he was, where he was, and what he was doing. He just passively followed along, bewildered and confused.
But after a short while, that bewilderment gradually disappeared. Sun Tongfei slowly began to integrate into it, turning into a drop of water in the vast ocean, setting off a huge wave at Candlestick Park.
This was true football!
This was a true sport!
It made people's blood boil, made them obsessed, and made them forget themselves. Just a shout was enough to break down the barriers between strangers and also break the shackles and obstacles of culture, race, and age. It successfully built a bridge between them, allowing them to cheer, shout, and enjoy together.
After entering Candlestick Park, Sun Tongfei realized that there were far more Asian faces in the stadium than he had imagined.
Yesterday, in the group chat, people were expressing deep concern, wondering if Sun Tongfei, an Asian face, would be too conspicuous and unique in the stands of Candlestick Park. After all, Chinese people living in North America might not be willing to go to live sporting events often. Attendance and participation were a problem worth discussing.
But now, Sun Tongfei found that he still needed to personally go and see it, to truly feel it through his eyes and experience to get to the truth.
"I'm from China, and I'm also a football player." With just this simple self-introduction, Sun Tongfei could immediately attract a large number of fans to take pictures with him. Everyone couldn't wait to call out "Bambi," as if just this one slogan was enough.
Just when Sun Tongfei thought this was the most wonderful happiness, he saw Lu Ke, wearing the number 14 jersey, enter the field and begin to warm up. In an instant, his boiling blood froze, and a passion from deep within his soul was screaming:
I want to stand on that field too! I want to wear a professional player's jersey! I want to be a part of a professional league!
At that moment, Sun Tongfei truly began to burn.
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