Chapter 1357: Chapter 1356: Urban Legend
Last season, Li Wei crowned himself as the regular season MVP with a historic stance, then further climbed to the top of the Super Bowl and won the MVP to prove himself, becoming the first Asian in the history of North America’s Four Major Sports Leagues to accomplish such a feat, even in the Five Major European Football Leagues, it was unprecedented.
The heat wave, sweeping the globe.
If it were only this, then it’s just a hot topic, a trending subject, a flow of traffic, after a brief stir on social networks, it would return to calm, people still wouldn’t watch the NFL, still wouldn’t be interested in football; relying solely on a hot topic to thoroughly overturn the market is still too difficult.
However, in the subsequent 2019 season, Li Wei continued to write history.
The highest-paid running back in the League, globally the highest earning professional sports player, the first to collide fashion with sports, plus a perfect season.
Unstoppable, rising steadily, the footsteps of Li Wei creating history are continuing, one step after another, continuously attracting wave after wave of traffic.
The hot topic, is no longer just a topic, the label “First Asian Regular Season MVP in North America’s Four Major Sports Leagues” gradually has a face, personality, color, edge, eventually forming a clear and distinct image——
Li Wei.
Naturally, the spotlight focused on the NFL also grew more intense.
After a season, the traffic, ratings, and peripheral sales for the League all climbed a whole level, Goodell’s years of groundwork began to comprehensively welcome explosive growth, one of the most direct and evident changes was:
The “Huaxia Bowl” proposal launched in 2008 but shelved for years is now very, very close to completing negotiations; the NFL hopes to add a fourth overseas city in addition to London, Mexico City, and Munich, and it’s also Asia’s first.
At this moment, it’s exactly so.
A conference finals schedule alone, and the whole social network is in an uproar.
The news media also set out early.
Although the game wouldn’t appear until Sunday, media outlets were already arriving in the city on Monday and Tuesday.
A small portion of the media have been stationed in Kansas City since the wild card game, and they stated they’ve stayed here for three weeks without needing to move.
“In the whole League, is there a fortress more solid than Arrowhead Stadium?”
Bustling, coming and going.
Since its establishment, Kansas City has never been a tourist destination; yet now, it’s welcoming more and more tourists.
Unlike those tourist spots that welcome peak tourism season during blazing summer, Kansas City comes to its highest visitor count in the frigid January:
Fans and spectators flooding into Kansas City to watch the conference finals, the whole city bursts with vibrant vitality.
Old Oak Tavern.
Just past two in the afternoon, the place is already overcrowded, barely waiting for the “happy hour drink discounts” starting at three, if you’re slightly slower, you might miss a seat.
Nonetheless, fans coming to take pictures or order a beer to chat at the tavern entrance remain incessant, the tavern stays busy without a pause.
“Charles, Charles, come help out.”
Standing at the tavern counter, Carter looks at West as if seeing his savior, “These four beers, for table number one at the door, quickly deliver them.”
West doesn’t ask, easily takes the beer from Carter’s hand, and shouts, “Beers coming, beers!”
In a turn, the crowd automatically clears a path, allowing West to pass through, among the crowd, a surge of joyful sounds.
West has already left the Old Oak Tavern, he now runs a bed and breakfast in Kansas City and started a private tour line for Kansas City trips, leading tourists to visit key landmarks of the Kansas City Chiefs in the city during a brief one-day tour——
Which naturally includes the Kansas City Chiefs fan base Old Oak Tavern.
Every January, is precisely when West is busiest, not only are all five of his bed and breakfasts fully booked, reservations even extending until after the Super Bowl; moreover, the private tour groups are also fully booked, schedules lined up until post-Super Bowl.
On one hand, people indeed believe the Kansas City Chiefs can top the championship for the third consecutive time, preparing early to attend the largest championship parade across the North American continent.
On the other hand, various rumors say even if they lose, Kansas City will celebrate just the same, offering the team one hundred percent support, so much so that a small group of mischief-makers hope the Kansas City Chiefs lose, to see if the rumors are true, and how Kansas City will face defeat.
Clamor, fervor.
Who can imagine, just three years ago, this city was bleak and lifeless, shrouded in the shadow of unemployment, life’s pressures heavily looming above, everything long and silent, no end in sight, no hope to be seen, life was slowly sliding to the brink of collapse in void and despair.
But now, the whole city is refreshed with new vitality.
Because the Kansas City Chiefs continue climbing peaks, attracting many eyes to the city; more because the Kansas City Chiefs refused to give up the fighting spirit permeating many facets of people’s lives, people finally possess faith, creating vitality with their own hands.
Change does not happen overnight, just as Rome was not built in a day.
But undoubtedly, ever since Li Wei came to this city, everything has been different.
Until now, they firmly believe Veach used the third overall pick in the draft to select Li Wei, this was a turning point of fate.
Not only West, but Provos also found stable work, helping out at the Old Oak Tavern is still a fixed part of his schedule, never absent.
After West left, Carter finally ended his post-graduation exploration period, taking over West’s place left at the Old Oak Tavern, busying himself here daily.
West after escorting the beer, turns to look at his private tour group, a total of twelve people, he greets them toward the bar.
“Everyone gets a free beer, on my tab.”
“David, why don’t you tell everyone about what happened the first time Li Wei came to the Old Oak Tavern, let me temporarily help you run the tavern for a bit.”
Ho ho ho, everyone starts to clamor, “David! David! David!”
Anderson looks helplessly at Prost leading the clamor, raises his hand and throws a rag, “Help unload, now.”
Prost no longer has the dejected attitude he once had, grins widely, “Unload, no problem. After all, Li Wei also helped here before.”
In an instant, all eyes turn to Anderson.
Anderson appeared slightly helpless, “Help, just casually helping.”
Wow!
The crowd exclaims, “But, he’s Li Wei! I mean, Li Wei!”
Anderson shows a smile, “In Kansas City, we like to call him Rookie, our Rookie.”
“Indeed, he’s a football player but he insists, he’s merely a football player, the same as the countless ordinary residents living in this city, it wouldn’t change anything just because he runs wildly at Arrowhead Stadium every Sunday night.”
“From the first day he arrived in this city until now, nothing has changed.”