Chapter 349 346: Upward Curve

When he left the restaurant, Lin Shuyuan stood on the street. A fierce wind raged, seeping into his collar and raising goosebumps on his skin. Only one thought occupied his mind: get back to the newsroom, get inside, and enjoy a nice cup of coffee. But when he looked back at the lively and excited tea restaurant, he saw his departure had made little difference.

After hesitating for a moment, Lin Shuyuan started walking. Instead of heading to the newsroom, he went two blocks out of his way, making for a sporting goods store. He was going to buy a Lu Ke home jersey to show his support.

In North America, besides the teams' own official stores, team merchandise can also be purchased at general sporting goods stores. Before stocking these items, stores need to become licensed dealers and get authorization from the thirty-two teams. With the exception of the Dallas Cowboys, who operate independently, the other thirty-one teams are licensed as a group, allowing the store to sell all of their merchandise.

Besides football, merchandise for other sports like basketball, baseball, and ice hockey could also be found.

The official San Francisco 49ers merchandise stores were located at Candlestick Park and in the city center. If Lin Shuyuan wanted to buy a jersey now, the general sporting goods store two blocks away was his best choice.

It was only two blocks away. Lin Shuyuan quickly reached his destination and pushed open the door. He was greeted by a dazzling array of jerseys, a dizzying collection of posters, various replica trophies, and countless signed player cards. It was a complete kingdom of sports memorabilia, with an overwhelming selection of everything imaginable.

Lin Shuyuan didn't linger. He walked straight to the counter, found the shop owner who was busy writing something, and asked, "Excuse me, I'd like to buy a San Francisco 49ers home jersey, number fourteen. Where can I find it?"

"What number?" The shop owner temporarily put down his pen and looked up.

"Fourteen."

"Haha, Lu Ke, right? The Chinese-American quarterback?" The shop owner laughed cheerfully, accurately saying Lu Ke's name, which was a genuine surprise. Seemingly noticing Lin Shuyuan's astonishment, the owner explained, "Don't be surprised. In the last forty-eight hours, all of his jerseys sold out. Even though I have no interest in football, I know his name now."

"What do you mean, sold out?" Lin Shuyuan felt like he couldn't quite keep up.

"Exactly what it sounds like." The shop owner was in a fantastic mood, his tone light and his face wreathed in a smile. "This isn't the first time. Last Thursday, the first batch of number fourteen jerseys I stocked sold out. I didn't have many back then, just a hundred or two, because I didn't know who he was and was worried they wouldn't sell. I didn't dare order too many. Later, I saw the jersey was selling well, so I ordered another batch—two thousand of them. They arrived on Saturday, and they were all gone by this morning."

The owner tapped a small notebook on his desk that looked like a ledger. "I just got off the phone. I've already pre-ordered the next shipment of jerseys."

'Two thousand jerseys, all sold out in less than forty-eight hours?'

If this were the official website's sales channel or the flagship store at Candlestick Park, that might not be a big deal. But this particular sporting goods store wasn't in a bustling area; it was located in Chinatown—a place that could almost be called a football desert. That made it incredible.

And that wasn't all.

"I hear the number fourteen jerseys are selling exceptionally well right now. The San Francisco 49ers won again this week, didn't they? And it was a rare blowout victory, too? Yesterday afternoon alone, two-thirds of my stock was gone. I was so busy I couldn't stop. It's been a long time since I've seen anything like this, not since Yao Ming." The shop owner was a talkative man and voluntarily shared more information.

Then, the owner offered some friendly advice. "If you're in a hurry, you should try buying from the official website. If not, I expect my next shipment will arrive the day after tomorrow, so you can come back then. Oh, and the sizes on the website are going fast, too. I guess their warehouse needs to restock. I just checked, and it said the size L jerseys are already sold out."

"Wait, what did you say?" Lin Shuyuan had a feeling he'd just stumbled upon an important news angle. "The jerseys on the official website are selling out fast, too?"

"I can't see the official site's sales numbers, but anyway, size L is gone. It takes them some time to restock, but they're fast. They can probably replenish their inventory within twenty-four hours." The owner said this casually, but Lin Shuyuan was dumbfounded, his mind racing—

'What was happening? Had the world completely changed after just one week's game?'

In fact, it had!

Just as Lin Shuyuan had seen and heard, after the fifth week of the regular season, Lu Ke's number fourteen jersey experienced an unprecedented sales frenzy, with both home and away jerseys flying off the shelves!

According to official NFL statistics, the number fourteen jersey set a new single-week sales record for the season, second only to the single-week record set by Cam Newton after the draft. This figure not only made it the top-selling jersey for the San Francisco 49ers this week but also made it the single-week sales champion for the entire Alliance.

Even more incredibly, the single-week sales of the number fourteen jersey surpassed the combined weekly sales of all other players on the San Francisco 49ers team. Thanks to this week's sales craze, Lu Ke now ranked third in individual jersey sales for the team in the 2011 season, behind only Colin Kaepernick and Patrick Willis.

All of this happened within a single week, truly showing people the meaning of an "overnight sensation"!

It wasn't just the San Francisco 49ers or the NFL Alliance; this rapid upward trajectory even caught the attention of major entertainment media outlets. They all reported on Lu Ke's outstanding performance on the professional football field and how he was continuing to advance, step by step, becoming one of the most unique phenomena on the NFL stage this year.

Sometimes, being of 'Chinese Descent' could be a factor for criticism, but at other times, it could be synonymous with creating miracles. It was just like being one of the 'Undrafted Players.' Sometimes, you had to move forward under the weight of doubt and provocation, but after breaking through the shackles, the result was a hundred times more shocking and amazing.

Years ago, Kurt Warner had burst onto the scene just like this, becoming the incredible "Cinderella" story in the Alliance's history. Likewise, Tom Brady's glorious career also began as the 199th pick in the sixth round—a tidbit that gets brought up and rehashed with every new success.

Now, it was Lu Ke's turn. After reversing the impossible, Lu Ke was writing his own miracle.

Furthermore, official NFL statistics showed that sales of the number fourteen jersey were primarily concentrated in the San Francisco area, accounting for over eighty percent of the total. Of the remaining sales, seventeen percent came from other parts of California outside of San Francisco. Less than three percent of sales were from outside California.

These numbers led to an indirect conclusion: the entire wave of influence was still centered on San Francisco. In other parts of North America, his impact remained negligible. The buzz online was, for the most part, just people watching the spectacle from the sidelines.

In truth, this wasn't surprising; it was even expected. This was the typical sales curve for a rookie player's jersey.

Rookie players lack a proven track record and market appeal. After the draft, they join their respective teams, and fans show their support and expectations by buying their jerseys. But outside of their own team's fanbase, other fans remain observers. They wait to see how rookies perform on the field before finding players that interest them and then buying their jerseys.

This was true for every rookie player, including Cam Newton, and Lu Ke was naturally no exception.

The sales frenzy for the number fourteen jersey proved one thing perfectly: the San Francisco 49ers' market was finally waking up, and Lu Ke had finally won the support and trust of the fans.

From a positive perspective, this was motivation. From a negative one, it was pressure.

After five consecutive games with stellar performances, fan expectations were rising steadily. They would now expect even more. Setting aside the Super Bowl and the playoffs, they at least expected victory after victory, hoping Lu Ke would lead the San Francisco 49ers back to the postseason for the first time in eight years.

The more attention, the more pressure. The higher the expectations, the greater the potential disappointment. It had always been a double-edged sword. But, it was undeniable that Lu Ke now had the love and adoration of the city. As an undrafted rookie and as a Chinese-American quarterback, Lu Ke had achieved this in just five games. It was an incredible start to a professional career.

So, could Lu Ke become the next Kurt Warner? People were waiting with bated breath.

Fans were fervent in their support. Commentators were full of praise. The news media's attention was fixed on him. Online discussions were red-hot. After the fifth week of the regular season, Lu Ke was truly enjoying the first-class treatment that came with both fame and fortune.

But for Lu Ke, it was a disaster. His daily training was hounded by the paparazzi, and he eventually had to go to the training facility at Candlestick Park to finish his workouts. Worse, more than a dozen reporters had gathered outside his home, waiting around the clock, trying to dig up more secrets about Lu Ke's private life—

Just what was the deal with this quarterback who had seemingly appeared out of nowhere?

Lu Ke became keenly aware that moving was imperative. Otherwise, the daily lives of Lu Zhengze and Jiang Youning would be affected.

The more lively, the more frantic, the more clamorous it all became, the more Lu Ke realized that focusing was no easy task. Fortunately, Lech Steinberg stepped in, allowing Lu Ke to use his private apartment to escape the paparazzi and concentrate on preparing for the next week's regular-season game, methodically getting back to his daily training routine.