American Football: King of the Bay Area

”Do you have a clear goal for the future?” Lu Ke was slowly backing his car into a parking spot when Lech’s question, so broad and profound, came without any warning.

Lu Ke was stunned for a moment, then laughed in spite of himself. He didn’t answer right away, instead steadily parking the car and turning off the engine. Only then did he turn to Lech. ”Are you testing my reverse parking skills, or my ability to improvise?” The witty comeback made Lech break into a wide smile.

After the banter, Lu Ke’s smile faded. He spoke seriously, ”Everyone talks about the Super Bowl. Winning the Super Bowl is every player’s goal. Obviously, I’m no exception.” It wasn’t an ingenious answer, but a sincere one. ”But I know where I stand. The Super Bowl is still too far off for me. That’s the ultimate goal. For me, right now, winning the starting position and winning every single game—that’s everything.”

This wasn’t false modesty, nor was it self-deprecation; it was being down-to-earth.

Every player in the Alliance yearns to win the Super Bowl. That’s the ultimate goal, but there’s only one champion each year. For Lu Ke, rather than reaching for the stars and thinking about the Super Bowl, it was more pragmatic to focus on improving his own skills. After all, the starting position and game-day victories were what was most realistic and what he coveted most right now.

”Win the games, one by one. Then, I think the Super Bowl will naturally fall into place.” Lu Ke broke into a wide smile, his eyes glinting with immense confidence and resolve.

Lech smiled and nodded. ”That’s interesting.” Such was his assessment.

Lu Ke possessed the calm composure and reserve of an Easterner, yet also the confidence and outgoing nature of a Westerner, a true fusion of two cultures’ traits. As the first player of Chinese Descent in NFL history, Lech wasn’t sure if this was a good or bad thing, or what future it might lead to. But one thing was certain: it was interesting.

Lu Ke nodded pointedly, the corners of his mouth twitching into a slight smile. ”That’s an interesting assessment as well.” The same adjective, yet the meaning now felt entirely different. ”Alright. I have to get to the practice field now. What about you? Need me to call you a cab?”

A gentle, refined smile appeared on Lech’s wrinkled face. He waved his hand lightly. ”Don’t worry. This is Candlestick Park, not a National Park. I can always find a way home.”

Lu Ke didn’t exchange any more pleasantries. After getting out of the car, he said goodbye to Lech again, then shouldered his gear and started walking towards the locker room.

Lech was an agent, and a very established one at that; Lu Ke knew exactly what that implied. But in reality, he wasn’t in a hurry.

It wasn’t because Lu Ke didn’t need an agent. Quite the opposite, it was precisely because of how important and crucial an agent was that Lu Ke wanted to choose carefully.

Just as Trent Balk had his reasons for choosing Lu Ke, everyone had their own calculus. If Lu Ke managed to secure a foothold in the Alliance—even if not as a starter or a star player, but merely as a stable, reliable backup—his commercial value in the Asian immigrant market, and by extension the broader Asian market, was not to be underestimated.

It wasn’t a consideration from a competitive angle, but a strategy from a business operations perspective. The commercial value of the title ”First Asian Player in NFL History” was self-evident. When the San Francisco 49ers announced Lu Ke as the starting quarterback, even the Alliance itself gave its endorsement, launching a series of promotional campaigns.

He wasn’t an expert on the matter, but he wasn’t completely in the dark, either.

An outstanding agent, the right agent, a compatible agent—this was all crucially important for Lu Ke’s career, market development, future planning, and even his personal life.

In fact, the relationship between an agent and a player is a two-way street. They can choose to walk the path to success together, but either party can also choose to terminate the relationship at any time.

An agent hopes to secure greater profits through a player; likewise, a player hopes an agent can help them better plan their career. A truly great partnership should be one of mutual assistance and promotion. However, in today’s materialistic society, such professional relationships are incredibly fragile.

The Tom Cruise movie ”Mr. Sweetheart” focused its lens on a football agent. In the film, the character Tom played concentrated all his energy on a single player, going all-in and wholeheartedly helping his client reach the pinnacle of his career.

In reality, however, driven by profit, an agent often represents numerous players. Top agents like Tom Condon, who manage large rosters, are commonplace.

Although players changing agents or agents terminating contracts were common occurrences, Lu Ke didn’t want to waste too much time on the matter. He just wanted to focus single-mindedly on his games and training, leaving all the trivial off-field affairs for his agent to handle.

If he could help it, Lu Ke didn’t want to be constantly switching agents.

After the first week of the regular season, following the game against the Seattle Seahawks, Lu Ke’s personal phone blew up with calls from fourteen different agents. They introduced themselves, they made their initial pitch, they mapped out his career path, they expressed their lofty ambitions...

But there were simply too many of them. It was overwhelming, difficult to judge, and ultimately counterproductive.

To Lu Ke, they felt more like an endless barrage of annoying sales calls; he couldn’t remember a single one of the fourteen agents’ names. Soon, the second week’s game arrived, and then, he had secured two straight wins. After that victory, the calls became countless. Lu Ke simply switched his phone to silent and didn’t pick up a single one.

All told, there were seventy-eight missed calls from twenty-seven different unknown numbers. It was a little insane.

Now, Lech Steineberg had appeared before Lu Ke in person. This wasn’t a phone call, but a face-to-face conversation, and the reality of the situation slowly began to crystallize. It not only demonstrated Lech’s sincerity but also gave a tangible form to the abstract role of an ”agent.”

But Lu Ke didn’t let it go to his head; he was proceeding with his selection process carefully and deliberately. Since he had already missed out on having an agent for his rookie contract signing and negotiations, a little more delay wouldn’t hurt. Besides, with the third week of the regular season looming, Lu Ke needed to concentrate. These off-field matters would have to be put on the back burner for now.

It was Wednesday, and a full day of demanding tasks awaited him. Lu Ke walked on with a steady pace, without a backward glance or a moment’s hesitation.

Lech didn’t leave. He stood in the parking lot, watching Lu Ke’s back as he walked away, an intrigued expression in his eyes. Compared to Lu Ke, Lech had clearly gotten more out of their meeting today.

Lech Steineberg, sixty-two years old, was one of the most senior and authoritative agents in the business.

He wasn’t affiliated with any of the major agencies; instead, he owned his own independent firm: ”Steinberg, Murad, and Dunn Sports Management.” As the name implied, the company was named after its three partners. But this independent firm was one of the absolute top players in the industry.

Unlike Tom Condon, Lech Steineberg was a maverick in the business. Throughout his career, in nearly every Era, he focused on representing just one quarterback at a time, dedicating all of his attention and energy to a single player.

In the nineties, Steve Young of the San Francisco 49ers: a three-time Super Bowl champion and Hall of Fame quarterback. Also in the nineties, Troy Aikman of the Dallas Cowboys: a three-time Super Bowl champion and Hall of Fame quarterback. And in the first decade of the 21st century, Ben Roethlisberger of the Pittsburgh Steelers: a two-time Super Bowl champion and the holder of numerous rookie quarterback records.

Of course, the peak years of these quarterbacks overlapped to some extent, but on the whole, Lech never represented too many players. He stuck to a path of quality over quantity, truly perfecting his craft and methodically becoming the absolute best in the business. Even top-tier agents like Tom Condon had to show him a measure of respect.

For reference, Lech Steineberg was the real-life inspiration for the movie ”Mr. Sweetheart.”

Currently, the only football player on Lech’s roster was ”Big Ben” Ben Roethlisberger.

Big Ben had entered the Alliance as a rookie in 2004. In the blink of an eye, that fledgling rookie had transformed into a seven-year veteran, now officially entering his eighth season. Intermittently, Lech had been searching for a new rookie worth taking on, but holding to the principle of quality over quantity, he had yet to sign his next quarterback.

Until Lu Ke appeared.

To be honest, Lech still hadn’t made a decision. Today was merely a first meeting, an observation. But it had been a very fruitful one.

He first took notice of Lu Ke back at the Rose Bowl earlier in the year. Lech, who was living in Los Angeles at the time, had been at the game that night. He witnessed the entire stadium erupt in a frenzy and saw the last-two-minute comeback, leaving him with a deep impression of the backup quarterback.

But that was as far as it went. Lech didn’t launch any investigation; back then, his interest was sparked more by Lu Ke’s identity as a player of Chinese Descent. Curiosity and a touch of gossip held sway.

It was Lu Ke’s stunning and brilliant performance during the Rookie Training Camp that truly piqued Lech’s interest. He, more than anyone, understood the untapped potential of the Asian market and Asian immigrants.

Today’s official meeting had upended some of his assumptions while solidifying others. This player was, indeed, an interesting fellow.

Now, Lech found himself looking forward to it. Who would come out on top in this week’s battle for the San Francisco 49ers’ starting quarterback spot?

On one side, a former first-overall-pick quarterback, an Alliance veteran—steady and reliable, but who had never quite managed to get over the final hump. Now, returning from injury, he was looking for a personal breakthrough. On the other side, the rookie quarterback—dazzlingly talented, but also volatile. After two consecutive wins, he hoped to keep his momentum going.

What seemed like an obvious choice was, upon closer inspection, fraught with countless possibilities. Jim Hubble—the decision was now in his hands.