On the training ground, the players are running with their heads down. It looks like a normal daily training; but if you look closely, you can notice something abnormal.
The running players are divided into two parts, two obvious parts.
The players who had been on the sidelines in the previous two weeks gradually integrated into the team according to their own choices. As a result, two completely different groups appeared running on the court, with half a court between them. , Jingwei clearly distanced himself.
After an incredible victory in the second week of the regular season, the team seemed to finally begin to integrate; but it only lasted two days, and when they met again, the contradictions became acute again, and even intensified than before, becoming It’s getting more and more obvious, and it’s getting more and more difficult, with no solution in sight.
Is this because the team is still in the integration stage after undergoing a major purge in the offseason? Or is it because the conflicts between senior players and new players are irreconcilable? Or is it because of... the Chinese-American quarterback?
But these are just speculations. It is unknown what role Lu Ke's Chinese identity played in the conflicts in the San Francisco 49ers' locker room.
After all, there is only one Chinese-American quarterback in the entire league. No one knows how things will develop, and no one knows how things should be resolved. Likewise, no one knows how other players will react.
For reference, when the first black man entered the football league and when the first black man entered the baseball league, the situation was very similar: all players, all coaches, and all owners in the entire league collectively opposed it, and even all spectators continued to protest and ostracize , black players even have to face ubiquitous life threats; and teams that choose to hire black players also need to face overwhelming pressure from public opinion and their own fans.
Of course, in the locker room, the black players have no friends and are alone.
Of course, competitive sports are different after all. In the end, they relied on their own strength and performance to win one victory after another, proving their abilities, winning recognition, and changing history.
Now in the twenty-first century, things have changed and apartheid is history. However, the situation of Chinese-American players can still be learned from.
In addition to the two wins, the San Francisco 49ers in the third week of the regular season welcomed the return of Alex Smith. As for the team's quarterback position, Lu Ke is no longer the only choice; in the eyes of many people, it is not the best choice either.
Whether to fight under a Chinese-American quarterback who was an undrafted rookie, or to play under the leadership of a veteran who was the top pick in the draft, before the coach makes a starting choice, the players have obviously made their own choice.
Today is the official media day. All reporters will ask questions about Alex and Jim’s choice. Regarding the starting quarterback, this is a topic of concern to everyone; even if the decision is not made today, the team will make a decision at the latest. A choice needs to be made on Friday, otherwise the tactical drills for Sunday's game will be missed.
As a result, today's locker room became a powder keg.
During the run, Pares's emotions not only did not calm down, but became more and more turbulent. He glanced at Alex several times with anger, but finally couldn't hold it back, "What the hell happened just now? Your mind is in trouble." Are you wet? That guy is really too arrogant. If you don’t suppress his arrogance, there will be no place for you in the team!"
As he spoke, Pares simply stopped, gasped for air, and shouted angrily, "Don't tell me, are you going to give up and surrender like this? This is your team! I don't want to You have to play ball under that young Chinese boy!"
Pares's voice echoed over the empty stadium, but it failed to stop Alex. He continued to run forward, seemingly unaffected at all.
Pares was angry and helpless, biting his gums, and finally started running again and chased after him.
"This is my team." Alex's voice rang out in an orderly manner. Conversations during running required adjusting the breathing and controlling the rhythm, so Alex always remained calm and spoke straightforwardly.
Pares thought he heard wrong, and turned to look over, showing confusion. Then Alex confirmed again, "This is my team." Pares's expression suddenly changed. It became brighter, and the excitement was uncontrollable. He waved his fists and almost jumped.
"But, I will choose my way." Alex added immediately. Pares couldn't help but be stunned. This time, Alex turned his head and looked at Pares, "This is a rugby field. Those boring and stupid methods have no meaning. Only by truly defeating him on the field and winning back my starting position can I take over the team again."
"But..." Pares tried to say something else.
But Alex interrupted Pares rudely and asked without any breathing space, "Why, you don't have confidence in me? You don't think I can defeat him with my strength?"
Paris was speechless. There was a moment of hesitation in his mind, but it was fleeting. Pares immediately reacted, "I am confident. Alex, of course I am confident. But, you have been injured for six weeks and just last week. Start resuming training, how do you feel now..."
"Recovering." Alex told the truth. It is always difficult to resume training after suffering injuries and a long absence. It takes two or three times the effort to regain the feel and condition. "Yesterday, I officially started passing training; today, I am ready to join the physical confrontation training. As for the effect... we will have to wait and see, I can't wait now."
Pares nodded repeatedly and agreed, "I can't wait any longer. You must give that rookie a good look, teach him a lesson, and let him know what a real starting quarterback should be like." !”
The competition has officially begun!
"Jim, you should know that there is no way to solve the problem." Offensive coach Craig Roman frowned, with a worried look on his face, "Conflicts in the locker room only rely on suppression and punishment. Those conflicts and The conflict will only intensify and never be resolved."
"Yes, I think so." Defensive coach Vic Fangio also nodded in agreement. "Instead of suppressing them like this, it's better to let them explode just now. Fight hard, fist against fist, showdown." , venting out all the negative emotions makes it simpler and more crude. Each of these athletes has excess energy and must vent it out, and then everything will be fine."
"So, what you mean is, just let those players poop on my head?" Jim's anger still hasn't subsided, and he kicked the chair next to him fiercely. The flush on his cheeks still hasn't subsided, and he looks like As if they were cooked, "Since they have excess energy, let's train hard. If thirty laps doesn't work, you can do fifty laps; if it still doesn't work, double the strength training in the gym. Mark and Kevin will definitely be happy to see the results."
Jim put his hands on his waist and paced back and forth in the locker room angrily, seemingly unable to calm down at all.
Kip Kleist couldn't help scratching his head and looked at Craig and Vic, only to find that both of them had expressions of "I tried my best." Kip could only let out a long breath. He bit the bullet and said, "Jim, is this your response plan? The locker room problem must not be underestimated. Don't you have a better idea?"
For any team that requires teamwork, locker room issues cannot be ignored. Throughout history, there have been countless situations where a top team fell apart due to conflicts in the locker room, leading to the end of an entire dynasty.
The San Francisco 49ers are not a top team, but they are a team waiting to be revitalized. After overturning and rebuilding in the offseason, the team is now on the rise. Not only is the fresh energy injected by the quarterback, but the defensive team and offensive line are also getting better; if the locker room problems cannot be properly resolved, the two-game winning streak will The light will soon fade.
In the face of Kip's kind inquiry, Jim waved his hand irritably, as if he was shooing away flies, "You expect me to come up with a solution. A group of football players with excess hormones, do you want us to surround ourselves like high school girls?" Do you want to sit down by the campfire, have a long talk and share your thoughts? Dog/shit!”
Jim breathed heavily several times, and his chest rose and fell violently, "I am the coach, and we are all coaches. Our task is not to act as their nannies, but to formulate tactics and prepare for the game!" At this point, Jim nodded vigorously. , seemed to be confirming his thoughts, "Yes, we need to discuss now. This week's starting quarterback will be the official media day soon, and we need to unify our rhetoric."
The members of the coaching team exchanged glances with each other, and finally all looked at Craig and Vic - these two people are the head coaches of the offensive and defensive teams, and their position on the team is second only to Jim - their eyes are all Similar questions were asked:
Is this how to solve the locker room problem? Or to explain it more accurately, just let it go? Thirty laps of punishment and then just ignore it? Is this really okay? Those irreconcilable conflicts, don't they matter? Don't we need to think of other solutions?
However, both Craig and Vic spread their hands, shrugged, and said nothing, looking helpless. So everyone else also shut their mouths.
"Victory, the best way to solve all problems is victory!" Jim shook his fist and said impassionedly, "Then, we must focus on victory now. In the third week of the game, the starting quarterback, What do you think? Alex or Lu Ke?"
In a way, Jim was right. The locker room problem is actually the quarterback problem: Alex Smith or Lu Ke?
