American Football: King of the Bay Area

”Bambi! Bambi! Bambi!”

The shouts gradually merged into one. Lu Zhengze stared, dumbfounded, at the frenzy erupting throughout the stadium, which seethed like churning magma. It wasn’t just a small section of the crowd; over half the audience in the entire Rose Bowl was pumping their fists and cheering. What was even more incredible was that the Brown Bear Team players on the sideline looked up one by one, and some even joined the chorus.

Tears welled up in Lu Zhengze’s eyes. He stood up, raised his right hand high, and joined the crowd’s chant, ”Bambi!”

That was his son.

The first time they watched Lu Ke’s game from the sidelines, his small frame had been completely swallowed by a sea of taller, stronger kids. He looked like he could barely breathe. The slightest bump sent him flying like a piece of paper. His and Jiang Youning’s hearts had ached for their child, and they tried to persuade Lu Ke to quit—to choose basketball or some other activity. But Lu Ke was unmoved. He stubbornly gritted his teeth and persevered, one step at a time.

When he faced discrimination for his Chinese descent, he didn’t give up. When he was constantly bruised black and blue at a young age, suffering one injury after another, he didn’t give up. When he lost his chance to compete for the quarterback position in eighth grade due to an unexpected injury, he didn’t give up. When he was rejected from the team in his freshman and sophomore years, he didn’t give up. When he joined the team as a practice player, unable to even make the official roster, he still didn’t give up.

Now, he stood on the sideline as a backup player, a member of the team. More importantly, the entire crowd was chanting his name.

Lu Zhengze’s voice began to tremble and his vision blurred, but he didn’t falter, shouting with all his might, ”Bambi!” That was his son!

Jiang Youning stood up as well. Tears streamed down her cheeks, and she was sobbing too hard to make a sound. Her eyes were fixed on the figure wearing number eleven on the sideline, who was surrounded by his teammates, looking a little overwhelmed. The deafening chant echoed, swirled, and shook the entire Rose Bowl Stadium.

”Wow, folks, right now in the stadium... uh, a curious scene is unfolding inside the Rose Bowl Stadium... The entire crowd is chanting a name. But it’s an unfamiliar name, and we’re not quite sure what’s going on.”

”Listeners, right now the Brown Bear Team fans inside the stadium are all shouting the same chant. We don’t know what’s happening just yet, so please stay tuned for updates.”

”Uh, Bambi? Little Deer Bambi? I’m not quite sure, but the Brown Bear Team fans in the Rose Bowl are chanting the name of Little Deer Bambi. Is there some meaning to this? Are they hoping Little Deer Bambi can defeat the Badgers? Heh, the Brown Bear Team fans are certainly getting creative.”

...

The commentary box was in chaos. The commentators were completely bewildered, with no idea what was going on. Everyone was frantically contacting their assistants, asking the same question: What on earth is happening inside the Rose Bowl?

Only Kirk was an exception. ”Folks, right now all the fans in the stadium are chanting the same name: Bambi!” Kirk felt his heart pound, his chest surging with an incredible excitement.

”Bambi. His name is Lu Ke, a senior at UCLA. This is a player with a legendary story. He joined the team as a practice player and became the third-string quarterback at the start of the season. But in the Brown Bear Team’s final game of the season, down by three touchdowns, he came in off the bench and led the team to score four unanswered touchdowns, completing a stunning comeback to defeat their crosstown rival, the University of Southern California, for the second time in a decade!”

As he spoke, Kirk’s eyes grew warm. The excitement from that game weeks ago surged through his veins. ”Tonight, the entire crowd is once again calling for their savior, hoping Bambi can pull the team back from the brink for a second time and bring the Rose Bowl trophy back to UCLA for the first time in twenty-five years!”

”Folks, we are witnessing a miracle! Not a miracle in the game, but Bambi’s miracle! This Chinese-American quarterback, who started out as a practice player, is creating his own moment on this one-of-a-kind field!” Kirk declared passionately. Without realizing it, he got swept up in the emotion. The overwhelming chant reawakened memories of the last game. His blood began to boil, and his voice rose to a crescendo.

Adam Klein glanced back at the crowd in surprise. The fans’ faces were twisted with excitement. Then he saw Blake Simmons’s knowing smile, which seemed to say, ’So, interested now?’ Adam could only shake his head and chuckle, though his expression remained impassive.

’The crowd is irrational,’ Adam thought. ’In a crisis, they just instinctively look for a hero to save them. That sensational comeback in the last game made Lu Ke the obvious choice in their eyes. But as a scout, I have to stay calm and objective. I’m sure the Brown Bear Team’s coaching staff won’t make such a foolish mistake. Sticking with Kevin Price is the smart move.’

But the crowd in the stadium seemed to have other ideas. The chants of ”Bambi” grew louder and louder, and even the neutral fans began to join in on the fun. It got to the point where the Badger Team’s fans were completely baffled. They didn’t know whether to jeer or boo. They had no idea what kind of tactic this was.

A thunderous roar crashed in from all directions. Lu Ke looked up and saw the vast, teeming crowd of a hundred thousand people, stretching out as far as the eye could see. Everyone was chanting his name. His heart began to beat in time with the chant. Thump. Thump. Thump. The pounding made his muscles tremble faintly. He was excited, thrilled, and a little overwhelmed. In that moment, he was on top of the world.

It wasn’t just the crowd. The offensive players on the sideline—Logan, John, Marcus, and the others—all averted their gazes, trying to hide their mouths as they shouted in unison, ”Bambi!” They were clearly delighted by the scene unfolding.

Standing to the side, Kevin was in agony.

Every shout was like an arrow piercing his body—more and more of them, sinking deeper and deeper, growing heavier and heavier. It left him with no way to fight back. He felt like he was standing in a wok of boiling oil, every pore of his skin screaming in agony. But the overwhelming roar was so dense that the air itself felt thin. Kevin was powerless to resist; he didn’t even have the energy to be angry. He could only stand there, stunned, as a wave of humiliation washed over him.

’Lu Ke, that damn Lu Ke! Goddamn Lu Ke!’

The chants grew louder, wave after wave. It seemed to disrupt the Badger Team’s offense while firing up the Brown Bear’s defense. A sack, a pass breakup, and a rushed throw that resulted in an incomplete pass. Just like that, they shut down the Badger offense completely, forcing them to punt.

At this point, there were two minutes and thirteen seconds left in the game.

In American football, each team has three timeouts. Additionally, there’s the two-minute warning—an automatic timeout that occurs when two minutes remain in each half.

This meant the Badger Team could deliberately burn off thirteen seconds, punt after the two-minute warning, and leave the Brown Bear Team with exactly two minutes on the clock for their offense. And that’s exactly what happened. By the time both special teams units came off the field, there were precisely two minutes remaining in the game.

The Brown Bear Team’s defensive captain, Justin Edison, ran off the field with a tense look on his face, shouting to his teammates on offense, ”We did our part! We did our part! It’s all on you now!”

Anthony Jefferson turned to face the crowd. With a triumphant smile, he placed his hands under his chubby beer belly and subtly gestured, egging on their chants. He mouthed the name, ”Bambi!” Then he turned back, his eyes glinting as he looked at his colleagues. Both Chuck and Norm turned to look at Rick.

Rick glanced left, then right, but there was no escape. He looked up, and the entire stadium was in an uproar, everyone chanting the same name. ”Bambi!” ’Sixty thousand people? Seventy thousand? A hundred thousand?’ All the voices merged into one, shaking the world to its core, heralding what felt like an imminent, continuous volcanic eruption.

Rick couldn’t believe his eyes. He took in the magnificent spectacle before him with shock and awe. His mouth fell slightly open, but he couldn’t utter a single word; the sound was trapped in his chest. His mind went blank for a moment, unable to think. He could only manage to ask, ”Who orchestrated this?”

But his voice was instantly swallowed by the roaring tide of shouts, without making the slightest ripple. Rick knew he would probably never get an answer.

Rick let out a long breath. He hesitated, his mind racing. His gaze lingered for a moment on Kevin, then shifted to Lu Ke. Finally, he waved Norm over and mouthed a single word, ”Bambi!”

Only years later, looking back, would Rick realize that in that single moment, he had made the most important decision of his professional career.

A wide grin spread across Norm’s face. He nodded at Rick, then turned, walked over to Lu Ke, and slapped him firmly on the chest. ”Kid, you’re in!”

Lu Ke clenched his fists and sprinted onto the field.

In an instant, the entire stadium erupted. The chants of ”Bambi” gave way to a passionate roar. ”AHHHH!” The sound crashed down in wave after wave, like the churning ocean after a tsunami, like ten-story waves slamming down. The Rose Bowl felt like a lone canoe in a raging storm, in danger of being capsized at any moment.

Everyone was screaming. Everyone was clapping. Everyone was jumping. In that moment, the entire world cheered for Lu Ke! The entire world bowed to Lu Ke! The entire world went crazy for Lu Ke!

Jiang Youning leaped to her feet, her hands raised high. Using every ounce of her strength, she screamed until she was hoarse, ”Go, Bambi! Go!” As she screamed, tears of joy streamed down her face.