Chapter 861: Fan Support
Jeff Locke had already packed his gear and arrived at Candlestick Park early, full of excitement. He thought he was early enough, but he was surprised to see that there were already about six or seven hundred fans scattered in the spacious Candlestick Park, spread out between the tree-lined avenues and the empty parking lots.
After the buildup and consolidation of last season, Candlestick Park had become the city's biggest and most popular carnival venue on game days, so this quiet scene was a rare sight.
But it was to be expected.
Today's home game was scheduled to start at 1:30 p.m., and it was barely 8 a.m. now. Even the most fanatical fans wouldn't be this impatient. But in another thirty minutes, after about 8:30 a.m., the parking lot would start to get busy. Many fans would arrive early to find a more convenient parking spot.
The reason Jeff came so early was that he had a big task.
Dragging four large duffel bags, Jeff walked toward the stadium. The bags' combined size was even bigger than Jeff's, making his movements look a bit clumsy.
"Hey, Jeff, need a hand?" A passing fan walked over and offered to help.
Jeff looked up, panting, with sweat dripping down his forehead, and showed a big smile. "Of course, that would be great."
The person who appeared in front of him was Li Monian, the organizer of the Chinatown Niners. Although there was a big age difference between them, Li Monian and Jeff's group of fans were very familiar with each other. They had even organized a get-together to watch a game when the team went on the road to Minnesota.
Li Monian was also carrying a large bag on his shoulder and asked curiously, "Is this for today's special event?"
After Li Monian helped him with one of the bags, Jeff immediately felt a lot lighter. He looked at Li Monian again, and his eyes lit up. "You prepared, too!"
Li Monian's neck was adorned with a golden support scarf.
The San Francisco 49ers' jersey colors were mainly red and white, with black as a classic option. Gold was a common accent color on different jersey styles, and the support scarves and hats were the same. In fact, the San Francisco 49ers had released a classic retro gold support scarf with a gold base and red lines woven into it, but not many fans owned one.
Today, Li Monian had specially prepared a retro gold support scarf, and his intention was obvious.
Li Monian tilted his head slightly and pointed at the gold baseball cap on Jeff's head. He said with a smile, "Just like you."
Although they belonged to different fan groups and their communication outside the stadium wasn't as frequent as one might think, they both responded to Lu Ke's call to action.
"Yeah. I originally wanted to prepare support scarves, but we didn't have enough in such a short amount of time. We completely cleared out the team's warehouse, and it still wasn't enough. So, a group of us agreed to wear gold hats ourselves and save the support scarves for fans who didn't prepare anything."
Jeff explained briefly, and then he saw a big smile in Li Monian's eyes. "Oh, young people are indeed more thoughtful than us. You're one step ahead."
After exchanging glances, the two of them looked at their bags and suddenly understood. They both broke into a bright smile.
Jeff's and Li Monian's bags contained the same items: retro gold support scarves. Jeff and Li Monian had arrived at Candlestick Park early with the same purpose: to hand out support scarves to the fans.
It's true that the topic had caused a stir on social media, but Lu Ke's usual activity level was too low, so his followers might have missed it. Not to mention the lazy fans. Gold items weren't that common in everyday life, and it would be even more difficult to bring one to the stadium. It was very likely that they wouldn't be able to respond immediately.
So, the fan groups represented by Jeff and Li Monian came up with the same idea: to actively respond to Lu Ke's call and show their support for Ryan. They raised money and bought support scarves, hoping to create a real wave of support in Candlestick Park.
They knew very well that with seventy thousand fans in Candlestick Park, the power of just a few fan groups was a drop in the bucket. They could only arm a thousand or two thousand fans at most, which was the absolute limit. It was impossible to light up the entire stadium. But they still contributed their power without any hesitation.
Li Monian looked at Jeff's hat curiously. "I don't remember the 49ers ever releasing a gold baseball cap?"
"Oh, this is a hat from another brand, not related to football." Jeff turned his head and showed the brand logo on the back of his head to Li Monian. "A gold hat like this is really rare and hard to find. I think we can suggest to the team that we make our own official gold baseball cap. Imagine a red ocean with a golden streak running through it. The scene would be spectacular."
Li Monian also nodded repeatedly. "I think that after the game today, we can give the gold hat as a gift to Bambi. He'll definitely be very happy. After all, the gold item was his idea."
"A gift?" Jeff was a little stunned and didn't react immediately.
Li Monian went on to explain, "Today is Bambi's birthday, and it's also a home game. This is such a rare coincidence, so we also prepared some gifts and hope to have a small celebration for Bambi after the game."
November 11th, that was Lu Ke's birthday.
Last year, Lu Ke had already secured his position as the starting quarterback, but his influence among fans was still limited, and the 11th wasn't a game day, so there wasn't much of a reaction from the fans. It just passed quietly. This year, the situation was completely different.
First, this was the first game back after the bye week. After going undefeated in the first half of the season, they were about to start the second half. Second, it was a home game, and it happened to coincide with a special event Lu Ke started to unite all Niners fans. And third, it was a game against their divisional rival, the old enemy, the St. Louis Rams.
All of this made this game incredibly special.
This time, it was Jeff's turn to be stunned. He widened his eyes and took a long time to react. "...I really didn't know. It's true that the experience that comes with age is different and better than ours."
"Haha, let's not keep praising each other. The Niners are starting to show up one after another, and we should hurry up. There's a lot of work to be done today." Li Monian was still not used to American culture and felt a little uncomfortable with the praise.
Li Monian and Jeff walked toward the entrance of Candlestick Park, helping each other.
...
Today, every fan who arrived at Candlestick Park could feel the different atmosphere. It was more lively, more excited, more exhilarated, and also warmer. The subtle energy made their boiling blood feel even more alive, as if they had entered a new world, a new and interesting one.
At first, everyone thought it was because the bye week had allowed their enthusiasm to build up and be released without reservation when the home game arrived. But then, they slowly discovered the difference. "Ryan Baldwin," "support," "charity," "Lu Ke's social media," "Niners," "fighter"... all the keywords pieced together a small part of the story.
Finally, when they arrived at the entrance, the volunteers and fans were the most beautiful sight:
On the left side, it looked like a reception area with two long rows of fans facing each other, about forty or fifty people, forming a narrow welcoming aisle, waiting for every fan to enter Candlestick Park. On the right side, it looked like a free zone with a large group of fans scattered around, at least two hundred people, dotting every corner like stars.
What's even more interesting is that everyone was wearing the San Francisco 49ers' red home jersey. The vast red ocean had become a typical symbol of Candlestick Park. It was precisely because the red was so eye-catching that it was easy to spot a gold accessory on everyone.
As they got closer, they could see that the fans on the right were explaining today's event: Lu Ke's birthday, Ryan's illness, and the long article on social media. The fans on the left were handing out gold accessories, mainly gold support scarves, welcoming every fan to join today's event.
What was even more surprising was that the number of fans who voluntarily wore gold accessories today far exceeded their imagination.
There were gold badges, gold headbands, gold necklaces, gold handkerchiefs, gold sweatbands, gold bandanas, and gold backpacks. Even more exaggeratedly, some people had painted their faces and arms gold, cheering and jumping and joining the carnival party. The fervent frenzy was further igniting the passion of Candlestick Park.
When these fans appeared, it was the most touching and wonderful moment. It wasn't just Jeff and Li Monian, but countless other Niners fans who stood behind Lu Ke and Ryan. Without any prompting or help, all the Niners had voluntarily united.
In this moment, the heart of Candlestick Park was once again united.
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