American Football: King of the Bay Area

”This city is so boring. I’m already starting to miss Los Angeles. God, even the bars are this dull. Isn’t there anything fun to do here?”

”Try walking down the streets here as an Asian. You’ll change your tune.”

”Welcome to the club!”

...

The first voice was Logan Newman, the second was Lu Ke, and the third was Marcus Lynch. The three of them were currently sitting in a Cowboy bar in Indianapolis, but instead of alcohol, they had lemonade in front of them. The Rookie Training Camp was officially kicking off tomorrow, and they had to be ready.

Indianapolis is the capital of Indiana, located in the Midwest region of North America. It’s a major transportation hub connecting the coasts and various central cities, with exceptionally developed railways and highways, earning it the nickname ”The Crossroads of America.” It’s the fourth-largest state capital in the United States by area and one of the most bustling major cities in its region.

It was a typical Midwestern city. White people and Catholics were the dominant majority, making it conservative, stubborn, reserved, and dull. This also made racial discrimination particularly severe here. After the assassination of the famous civil rights activist Martin Luther King Jr., riots broke out in every city across North America except for Indianapolis—because the white population held absolute dominance.

The dark joke from Lu Ke and Marcus just now stemmed from this fact: one was Asian, the other was African-American.

Indianapolis was indeed a boring city, with few entertainment options and a lack of vibrant recreational activities. It was a place of early to bed, early to rise; a big city with the simplicity and comfort of the countryside. All of this city’s madness and passion were dedicated to a single activity, a single team: the Indianapolis Colts.

Ever since the football team arrived in Indianapolis in 1984, it had instantly become the pride of the entire city. After the turn of the century, under the leadership of the legendary Peyton Manning, they made it to the playoffs for eight consecutive years and won the Super Bowl in the 2006 season. It’s no exaggeration to say that the Colts are the soul and spirit of this city. On every game day, all eyes are on them!

Every year, the Rookie Training Camp is held at the Colts’ home stadium, Lucas Oil Stadium, and this year was no exception. The training camp would start on February 18th and last until the 22nd. After the camp, the thirty-two teams would formulate their draft strategies based on the rookies’ abilities and their own team needs. The draft itself would be officially held on April 28th.

A month ago, the state combine officially began. Eight players from the Brown Bear Team participated and underwent basic testing. In the end, five of the eight players received an invitation to the Rookie Training Camp: Logan, Lu Ke, Marcus, and from the Defense Team, Raheem Moore, along with the surprising addition of David Carter.

For this Rookie Training Camp, Lu Ke chose to travel with Logan. The two of them drove out of Los Angeles together, taking a road trip to enjoy the scenery and savor their last moments of leisure before the camp began.

Just before they reached Indianapolis, Lu Ke got a call from Marcus. He had arrived a day early and was complaining about being bored, lonely, and having nothing to do. So, they agreed to meet at a bar to relax a bit. Even if they couldn’t drink, they could at least play some darts, talk about girls, and pass the time.

But, unfortunately, they were disappointed. The bar was practically empty, without even a single drunk bum passed out at the counter. It was hopelessly boring.

”How about we just head back to the hotel?” Lu Ke lifted his glass, staring at the milky white liquid through the glass, a bitter smile tugging at his lips. ’Sitting in a bar drinking lemonade... this feels so lame. Like a sixteen-year-old kid who snuck into a bar but is too much of a goody-two-shoes to actually order alcohol, revealing his true colors. This... is so awkward I can’t even.’

Logan didn’t answer, his expression unwilling to give up. He scanned the bar reluctantly. ”Can we stay a little longer?” After saying it, even he felt his resolve weaken, so he quickly added, ”Five minutes. Just five minutes.”

Marcus and Lu Ke exchanged a look, a hint of a smile in their eyes. Just as Marcus was about to say something, the JINGLE-JANGLE of a wind chime came from the doorway. All three of them instinctively turned to look—it meant a customer had arrived.

Sure enough, a wave of boisterous laughter drifted over first, followed by a group of tall and strapping young men. It looked like there were four of them, each with a brilliant smile on his face. Their steps were light, their voices cheerful, and even the swing of their shoulders seemed to kick up a light breeze. Their triumphant swagger was almost unstoppable.

”You guys think they’re like us?” Logan’s mood immediately brightened. He’d been sitting there getting bored for over twenty minutes, practically growing moss. Now, seeing a group of vibrant young men, he couldn’t contain his excitement.

Lu Ke’s gaze lingered on the newcomers for a moment before he nodded slightly. ”I think so.” Like them, they were football players attending the Rookie Training Camp. Their posture and the way they were dressed all pointed to it.

Marcus was also eager. ”So, should we go over and say hi?” he suggested enthusiastically. ”We could introduce ourselves, show some goodwill. Who knows, maybe we’ll be teammates in the future?” Future teammates, fighting side-by-side in the professional league. Just the thought of it got Marcus excited, and he wasn’t the only one—

Marcus and Logan high-fived each other over Lu Ke.

”Look, we got some country bumpkins over here, drinking lemonade in a bar!” A sharp, mocking voice suddenly rang out, followed by a roar of laughter as everyone cracked up. Another voice added, ”Even girls don’t drink lemonade anymore. They must be kids who haven’t even hit puberty yet.”

”Go on home, little babies, there’s no milk for you here!” A coarse, grating voice boomed like a great bell, thundering through the bar and triggering another round of explosive laughter.

’How completely random!’

Both Logan and Marcus had fiery tempers and shot to their feet in an instant, but Lu Ke was a step faster. ”Don’t worry, I’ll take good care of your mother.” The subtext was: *I’m sleeping with your mother, so... call me ’Dad.’*

”Fuck!” The human tower at the front rolled up his sleeves and charged forward without another word. But Marcus and Logan were no pushovers. They were already on their feet, and now they took a large stride forward to intercept, the atmosphere in the bar instantly becoming tense and explosive.

”Hey! Hey! Cowboys!” the owner behind the bar shouted sternly, slamming his fist on the counter a few times to get everyone’s attention. He then tapped a shotgun against the bartop, chewing his gum nonchalantly. ”You got a problem, take it outside. Inside my bar, every single one of you shuts your mouth!”

The threat of the shotgun was palpable. The young men on both sides instinctively took half a step back, and the hair-trigger tension immediately eased. But both groups still stared daggers at each other, unwilling to back down.

Sitting off to the side, Lu Ke calmly picked up his lemonade, took a small sip, and added unhurriedly, ”I still prefer milk.”

The expressions on the four men opposite them changed again. Just as they were about to make a move, the bartender—THWACK!—slammed the shotgun down on the counter. Whatever fire they had managed to muster was snuffed out once more.

One of the young men kicked a chair next to the bar, sending it CLATTERING. ”All you’ve got is a big mouth. When it’s time to get serious on the field, you’ll all be little kittens.”

Lu Ke swirled the lemonade in his hand, the ice cubes clinking crisply. ”Logan, do you hear someone talking?”

Logan was a smart guy and immediately understood Lu Ke’s meaning. The other guy was mocking Lu Ke for being all talk, but he was doing the exact same thing—the pot calling the kettle black. It was just self-humiliation. So, Logan replied, ”Meow, meow.”

Marcus didn’t hold back at all and burst out laughing.

You didn’t need to turn around to know that the faces of those four were probably dark enough to drip water. It’s just that their complexions were already dark, so you couldn’t tell even if their expressions soured. Young men really can’t keep their cool. One of them, standing diagonally behind, patted the guy who had kicked the chair—the same one who started the provocation—and said, ”Don’t you guys know who he is?” His face was full of pride, his chin lifted as if he were speaking down his nose at them.

The three of them exchanged a glance, unable to hold back their smiles any longer. That line was truly immature, like something out of a high school squabble. Lu Ke then raised his voice and said, ”Sorry, Peyton, we shouldn’t have been so rude.”

The implication was clear: *You’re not Peyton Manning, so what gives you the right to say that? What makes you qualified?* The key point was that Peyton Manning was white, while the young man before them was black. With that one simple sentence, Lu Ke had ridiculed his opponent into utter humiliation. The guy’s confident, arrogant posture took a head-on blow, and for a moment, he was stunned.

When it came to a battle of wits, Lu Ke, with his journalism background, had never been afraid of anyone.

Logan and Marcus were having the time of their lives, laughing uproariously without mercy. In the end, the young man who had started the taunts couldn’t take it anymore either. He shoved the hand off his shoulder, shot to his feet, and snapped, ”What, is the latest Heisman Trophy winner not enough for you?”

The Heisman Trophy, the highest honor in the NCAA! The most recent winner was the quarterback from Auburn University, Cam Newton. ’So, this arrogant young man who looked down his nose at everyone... was Cam Newton?’