American Football: King of the Bay Area

The seven rounds of the 2011 draft were over. After three days of hype, excitement, and spectacle, the event, spanning from the first round to the seventh, had finally come to an end.

This year, a total of five players from UCLA had entered the draft. Ultimately, four of them were selected—an outstanding result. Raheem Moore was picked in the second round, Logan Newman in the third, and both Marcus Lynch and David Carter in the sixth.

The only one who regrettably went undrafted was Lu Ke.

That’s right. Lu Ke’s name was still nowhere to be found in the seventh round picks. Ironically, the New York Jets did select a quarterback in the seventh round: Greg McElroy.

It was ironic because almost no one remembered Greg’s performance at the Rookie Training Camp.

Greg stood at 6.16 feet (188 cm) and weighed 220 pounds (100 kg). Compared to Lu Ke, his height-to-weight ratio was more balanced. But aside from that, his physical test results were unremarkable. His numbers for the 40-yard dash, 20-yard shuttle, broad jump, vertical jump, and 3-cone drill were all nearly identical to Lu Ke’s.

On the other hand, Greg’s performance in the positional skill tests was mediocre; he completed twenty of thirty passes. In the scrimmage that followed, he gained less than thirty yards before throwing an interception.

In other words, other than a weight advantage, Greg held almost no edge over Lu Ke. Of course, being a seventh-round pick wasn’t anything to brag about. But between Greg and Lu Ke, the New York Jets chose the former—not Lu Ke, who had excelled in passing, leading the offense, and on-field command.

In the context of the seventh round, one could argue it was an ambiguous choice and the Jets simply made the decision that best suited them. But one could also argue that this is the reality of the NFL: forget a Chinese-American quarterback, even a player of Chinese descent is a huge challenge for any team. If this was the case for a market as open and massive as New York, what hope was there for teams in other cities?

Often, racial discrimination isn’t about vile slurs or condescending exclusion. It’s the deep-seated beliefs and ideologies that inherently separate two races from one another—that is the most terrifying form of discrimination. Because it is nearly irreversible. Black people have spent half a century, women two centuries, and they are still struggling.

And what about Asians?

In soccer, basketball, and even track and field, Asians, represented by the Chinese, are gradually breaking new ground, proving that race isn’t the ultimate barrier to athletic talent—prejudice is. But the world of football remains virgin territory. This was the challenge left for Lu Ke, and the chasm that lay before him.

The fact was that the New York Jets had chosen Greg McElroy in the seventh round, not Lu Ke.

Of course, Lu Ke had gotten almost no playing time during his college career. He had no game film, no reference points, no scouting reports. Relying solely on one fifteen-minute performance and a two-minute drill, along with a roller-coaster showing at the Rookie Training Camp, was not enough for him to break the racial barrier.

And so, the draft concluded. Lu Ke went undrafted.

After the Newmans left, along with a wailing Logan who simply wouldn’t stop, the house finally fell quiet. Lu Zhengze and Jiang Youning turned and went back inside. As they crossed the living room, they could see Lu Ke standing in the backyard.

Lu Ke stood on the porch, his back to them. Nearby wind chimes were chiming, their sound crisp and distant. Cool moonlight and warm, yellow lamplight spilled down, outlining his lonely and desolate silhouette.

Looking at her son’s back, a bitter taste filled Jiang Youning’s mouth. She didn’t know what to say. She knew better than anyone just how much effort Lu Ke had put in to get this far.

She still remembered back in ninth grade, when Lu Ke’s frame had been too slight. He couldn’t hold his own in team practice, his strength, stamina, and explosiveness all lagging far behind. To catch up with his teammates, Lu Ke trained relentlessly, never daring to let up for a single day.

One day, Lu Ke came down with a slight fever after getting caught in the rain, but he refused to miss practice and insisted on joining the team’s daily training. Halfway through, he snuck off to a place where no one would notice and vomited violently, to the point of throwing up bile. Then, pretending nothing had happened, he slipped back to continue training.

When he got home, Lu Ke was so pale he was drained of all color. He collapsed right there on the front porch. If their neighbor, Tiffany, hadn’t found him in time, realized he was burning up, and rushed him to the hospital, who knows what would have happened. The doctors later said that Lu Ke had a high fever of over 103 degrees and bronchitis. The infection was spreading to his lungs; if it had been left unchecked any longer, the outcome would have been unthinkable.

Jiang Youning had been frantic when she rushed to the hospital, sobbing uncontrollably. In the end, it was a newly-conscious Lu Ke who comforted her. ”Mom, now I have an excuse to be lazy, and you won’t have to worry anymore.” He only managed to say half of it before passing out again, delirious from the fever.

And that wasn’t the only such incident. Every time Jiang Youning saw how hard Lu Ke trained, her heart ached for him, but he always managed to grit his teeth and push through. He didn’t give up when he failed to make the team for two years in a row in college. He didn’t give up when he was just a practice player in his junior year... He had clawed his way to today, one step at a time.

But now, all that effort had just been invalidated.

Jiang Youning’s nose began to sting, and tears welled in her eyes. Then, she felt an arm wrap around her. She looked up and saw her husband’s reddened eyes. ”Ke is the one who’s hurting the most right now. You know he needs our support more than anything. Our son doesn’t get knocked down easily. Even if we both felt like giving up, he still wouldn’t. So, we can’t fall apart before he does.”

”I just... my heart aches for him...” Jiang Youning covered her mouth, forcefully wiping away her tears. ’If she had her way, she’d rather Lu Ke become a journalist than battle it out on a football field. As a mother, she would be proud of him no matter what he achieved!’

”I know.” Lu Zhengze held his wife, gently patting her back. ”I’ll go talk to Lu Ke. Remember, he needs our support.”

With that, Lu Zhengze took a deep breath and made his way over.

Pushing open the back screen door, Lu Zhengze stepped outside. The April wind, rolling in from the sea and over the hills, carried with it a hint of dampness and chill that instantly cleared his head. Lu Zhengze came to a stop beside Lu Ke. He found himself looking up at his son, who was now taller and broader than he was, wanting to say something but not knowing where to start.

”Dad. I want to keep trying,” Lu Ke said, speaking first. His words drew Lu Zhengze’s gaze to his son’s face.

On that face, which was losing its boyishness and beginning to mature, there was no sign of the disappointment or sadness he’d expected, nor any trace of pain or bitterness. Instead, there was a faint smile—a smile of confidence and determination.

”I went undrafted, but I’m still an undrafted rookie,” Lu Ke said, meeting his father’s gaze squarely. ”I know I’ve worked hard for so many years—I gave it my all, really—but I still wasn’t picked. In that case, the smart thing to do would be to give up. I think I’m smart enough to do that math.”

Lu Ke let out a small laugh and quipped, ”The logical thing to do would be to give up football and start looking for a journalism job. I still have four months. The time before September is peak season for job hunting. I should be sending my resume everywhere—San Francisco, Los Angeles, even New York—to find more opportunities. I need to plan for the future before my ’recent graduate’ status starts to lose its shine.”

”But, Dad, I want to give it one more shot.” Lu Ke offered no grand excuses, just looked at his father with sincerity. ”I know it’s stupid and irrational. But I don’t want to give up just yet. It’s not because I can’t accept the outcome. It’s because I feel like I still have untapped potential. I’m hoping some scout out there will see it, and I believe I can earn a spot for myself on that field.”

’The Rugby Superstar System was one source of his confidence. But even without the system, in all the years before he acquired it, Lu Ke had never been one to give up easily. His confidence came from the system, but it came even more from himself.’

’Before Qi, at least six other people had obtained the system, but not every one of them succeeded. Ultimately, in the competitive arena, you are the one who holds the key to victory.’

Lu Zhengze didn’t answer right away. He studied Lu Ke carefully, a warmth stirring in his heart. He saw his younger, more headstrong self in his son. Immigrating to the United States in the mid-nineties hadn’t been the beautiful dream they’d imagined. The difficulties and challenges they faced had been far greater than they expected, but he and his wife had gritted their teeth and persevered, building their own life one step at a time.

They had gotten their chance, and they had seized it. Now, it was their son’s turn.

”Here in the United States, don’t people talk about taking a ’gap year’?” Lu Zhengze finally said. ”After graduating from college and before starting a full-time job, you give yourself a year to explore the world, explore the unknown, and find what you’re truly looking for. Maybe it’s a dream, maybe it’s freedom, maybe it’s wealth.”

Lu Zhengze patted Lu Ke’s shoulder. ”I hope you find it. When it comes to sports, your mom and I can’t help much, but you just need to remember that we’ll always support you. In our hearts, you’re the best quarterback there is.” Letting out a long breath, Lu Zhengze also broke into a smile. ”So, go for it. Undrafted Players still have opportunities, even if they weren’t selected. I believe in you.”

A dream isn’t called a dream because it’s beautiful, or even because it’s attainable. It’s called a dream because it transcends life and reality. The path toward it is fraught with unimaginable difficulties and requires a certain foolish courage. Giving up on a dream isn’t hard. It’s the persistence, the chase itself, that is the most arduous part.