Chapter 1003: The Celebration Party
On January 29, 1995, the San Francisco 49ers defeated the San Diego Chargers in Miami to win the fifth Super Bowl in franchise history.
It seed like only a blink of an eye, and 18 years had passed just like that. After nearly two decades of ups and downs, the team was finally back in the championship race. Those distant mories began to feel real again, especially for the older fans who had lived through the glory of the 1990s.
This afternoon, the 49ers had the chance to achieve a perfect season at ho. The strength and glory from 18 years ago had returned to the city and the entire Bay Area. The old fans, the new fans, and the casual fans, everyone was mobilized. They all poured into the streets, joining in on this celebration party.
Candlestick Park could only hold 70,000 people, but for the residents of San Francisco and the Bay Area, this was not a problem at all.
The open space at Candlestick Park, TV screens on the streets, bars, and shopping malls... Everywhere you could see people wearing red ho jerseys could beco a ga venue. You didn’t need many words. Just shouting, "Niners, go Niners," could help you make new friends.
It was okay if you didn’t know the way. You just had to follow the flow of the crowd, and you would eventually arrive at Candlestick Park in the suburbs. There, you could join the embrace of like-minded fans. The hospitable Niners greeted every fan with a bright and friendly smile, cheering, dancing, and shouting to their hearts’ content.
A city-wide celebration!
The winding and boiling red ocean was shimring as it slowly flowed toward the stadium entrance, like golden sunlight scattered on a calm sea. The gentle breeze created small ripples, and the whole world was reflected in a dazzling light, like a lazy, warm air enveloping every pore.
At this mont, a flag was sailing and fluttering in the wind. If you listened closely, you could hear the sound of waves crashing. The white wake began to fan out behind the flag. Slowly, the waves beca more and more majestic, and the montum continued to rise!
Without even realizing it, all eyes fell on that flag. It was a bright flag with a baby deer, Bambi, sitting on the ground. The adorable pose looked lifelike in the roaring wind, as if its eyes and movents had been given life.
Cliff Hart had once again beco the center of attention.
After two seasons of developnt and promotion, this flag had beco one of the most famous symbols of Candlestick Park. It would be there on ti for every ho ga, leading the fans to cheer for the team. Bambi had beco another unofficial totem of the 49ers because of Lu Ke’s outstanding performance.
It seed that as long as you saw this flag, it ant that the 49ers, playing at ho, would once again march toward victory with their heads held high!
Cliff was carrying the flag, followed by a series of his friends, Jeff Locke, Nate Chandler, Danny Reese, Chris Wilson, and many others. There were at least 20 of them. They were all waving their golden support scarves, moving forward in the red ocean like they were sailing through waves.
That hint of gold, like a dazzling and bright sun, instantly lit up the vibrant and pure red of the entire field!
In the roaring wind, their shouts could be heard in unison, "Victory!" clap clap "Victory!" clap clap.
The unified footsteps were like the rhythm of a marching army. After each cheer, there would be a four-beat pause, and the sound of footsteps would beco like a drum, echoing and complenting each other. That overwhelming montum broke out without a care and spread throughout Candlestick Park.
Slowly, more and more people joined in.
They didn’t need to run; they just needed to stomp. One shout, two stomps. That subtle rhythm made people’s hearts race and their blood boil. Then, the sound followed the footsteps of Cliff and his friends, slowly becoming unified, and finally, it beca a unified roar from the entire crowd, echoing through the sky all the way to Candlestick Park.
"Victory!" clap clap!
"Victory!" clap clap!
"Victory!" clap clap!
The sound, which was as powerful as thunder, was reverberating under the entire sky, as if thousands of soldiers and horses were charging. The montum of overwhelming everything and sweeping away all obstacles made Candlestick Park tremble. The belief in victory was tightly twisted into one rope. For the first ti, the entire Bay Area was united.
When the Arizona Cardinals’ players arrived at the scene, they were all stunned. Even though they were truly in the middle of it, they still couldn’t believe their eyes:
One ga, one team, one victory, could actually cause such a strong and fierce effect, as if they could feel the raging chaos just by being in the air.
Even at CenturyLink Field, you couldn’t feel such a strong unity. And at the University of Phoenix Stadium, they hadn’t felt the madness of a ho crowd for many years. Although the Cardinals’ ho jerseys were also red, a different shade of red from the 49ers, they had never truly appreciated the heart-stopping sight of a red ocean.
Patrick Peterson fell into silence.
The last ti they played against this team at the University of Phoenix Stadium, they suffered a humiliating "0-55" defeat. The heart-wrenching bitterness and pain were still vivid in his mind. The loss was so cruel and bloody that they beca dazed and numb for a while. It seed that they couldn’t even feel angry.
That confusion continued on the way back. Patrick heard the post-ga analysis on the radio. "When we go to Candlestick Park to play against the 49ers at the end of the season, do we still have the belief and will to defeat our opponent? After being in a slump for so long, do we still have the confidence to win?"
These sharp and cruel words made him pull himself together. They were divisional rivals, sworn enemies. He would never surrender. He would never give up!
Even though the Cardinals were in a deep offensive slump this season, and their defense had completely failed, unable to recover or make a breakthrough, it seed that they had lost the key to victory. Facing the undefeated 49ers, their talent on paper was completely inferior. But, he would not surrender! And he would not give up!
Whether they would win or lose, they would only know after they fought.
But now, Patrick was a little unsure.
In front of the vast red ocean at Candlestick Park and the deafening shouts of "Victory," all that fighting spirit, all that ambition, and all that ntal fortitude just made him feel small and helpless. It seed that he was already knocked out with one punch before he even had a chance to fight back.
That belief in victory made the Cardinals fear the fight before it even began.
Taking a deep breath, and then another deep breath, Patrick clenched his fists, cheering himself on, and tried his best to get rid of the feeling of suffocation and frustration in his chest.
Before they ca to San Francisco, they had already anticipated the difficulties and challenges of playing on the road. Candlestick Park was now known as the league’s new "ho field from hell," and it wasn’t just for show. So, everything in front of them should have been expected. The quality and magnitude were just a little more than what they had anticipated. They didn’t need to be nervous or scared at all.
After all, it wasn’t these fans who were going to be fighting on the field!
On the contrary, he should feel happy and lucky because the 49ers’ fans were too confident and too certain. The saying that a proud army is bound to lose was an eternal truth. It would be best if the 49ers’ players also thought that the Cardinals were easy to bully and let their guard down. Then, he would give them a head-on blow and take the victory without hesitation.
After adjusting his breathing, Patrick finally cald down and prepared for the tough battle ahead. However, when he looked up, he was unsure again. The entire team bus was filled with a sense of dejection. The faces of his teammates showed fear and disbelief. The uneasy feeling still lingered.
This was not good news.
"They are sworn enemies! Sworn enemies that will not rest until one is dead! Even without the extra factors here, they will never lose easily! And we should never give up easily! Guys! Do you hear ?" In a state of ergency, Patrick started shouting without caring. Although he was not the defensive captain, his desire for victory and his hatred of defeat made him stand up.
Patrick’s voice echoed in the Cardinals’ team bus, but... his voice seed so weak. Outside the bus’s windows, the thunderous roar of "Victory!" clap clap! was still heard. The waves, one after another, ca crashing down, and Patrick’s voice completely disappeared within it.
The 49ers’ fans did not target the Cardinals. The visiting team’s bus passed through the red ocean and entered Candlestick Park smoothly and safely. They were just cheering, celebrating, and supporting. But that pure and fiery belief in victory made Candlestick Park a fortress that could not be conquered.
This was the most helpless reality.
After entering the locker room, Cardinals’ head coach Ken Whisenhunt once again encouraged his players loudly. He brought up the "For Pride" social dia topic. He brought up this terrible season. He brought up the way to end this season, reawakening the players’ fighting spirit. Even if they were to lose this ga, they had to die with their heads held high.
However, in the first offensive and defensive play of the ga, the ho team, the 49ers, gave them a heavy blow!
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