Chapter 815: The Manning Family

Lucas Oil Stadium was a multi-purpose arena equipped with an automated retractable roof. Situated in downtown Indianapolis, the capital of Indiana, the stadium's precast concrete exterior perfectly echoed the historic brick buildings of the city's downtown garment district. The clever pairing of precast concrete sandwich insulation panels and wall bricks formed an elegant facade.

The forty-sixth Super Bowl was being held in this very stadium.

Although his Los Angeles Raiders had reached the Super Bowl for the second consecutive year, Duke had no intention of visiting the locker room. He headed straight for the stadium's VIP box alongside Scarlett Johansson and Leonardo DiCaprio.

Lucas Oil Stadium was packed to capacity today, its electric atmosphere dwarfing any other sporting event. Looking out from the box, Duke took in the spectacular sight of the endless sea of people.

In North America, the Super Bowl was truly unparalleled.

"It's been a long time since I've watched a Super Bowl live," Scarlett Johansson said.

Taking in the stadium, she remembered how she used to pester Duke to take her to the game when she was younger. Back then, she hadn't cared about football; she only wanted to see the Victoria's Secret angels at the halftime show. So many years had flown by in the blink of an eye.

The memory prompted her to reach out and squeeze Duke's hand. When he turned to look at her, she offered a sweet smile and asked, "Can we win the Vince Lombardi Trophy?"

"We'll definitely win it," Duke replied without a second thought.

Beside them, Leonardo DiCaprio seemed rather worried compared to Duke's brimming confidence. He turned to the pair and said, "The Raiders are up against the New York Giants!"

As the NFC's number one seed, the New York Giants had set a record for the longest winning streak in the NFL this season with twenty-one consecutive victories, and had reached the Super Bowl six times in total. They had taken home the Vince Lombardi Trophy in 1987, 1991, and 2008.

"We have Tom Brady, sure," Leonardo pointed out as a reminder, "but the New York Giants have Eli Manning."

Duke nodded. Compared to their opponent in last year's Super Bowl, these New York Giants were undeniably stronger.

Anyone in America with even a passing interest in sports knew the Manning name. They were absolutely the number one football family in the country. The sport was practically woven into the Manning Family's DNA, passed down from one generation to the next.

Eli Manning's father, Archie Manning, had played quarterback at the University of Mississippi and earned two Pro Bowl selections during his fourteen-year professional career. Eli's eldest brother, Cooper Manning, had also taken the field as a wide receiver before a severe spinal injury forced his early retirement. Nurtured by their father from a young age, the middle brother, Peyton Manning, and Eli himself both demonstrated extraordinary football talent.

However, Eli Manning's career had not been entirely smooth sailing. Drafted first overall by the New York Giants in 2004, his green early performances drew harsh criticism from the local media. Yet he never lost faith in himself; as he gradually settled into the rhythm of the game, he steadily won the adoration of both the franchise and its fans.

Both Peyton and Eli Manning now stood as elite quarterbacks in the league, rivaling Tom Brady. Peyton had been the first to make a name for himself on the gridiron, earning a reputation as one of the greatest quarterbacks in NFL history. As of this season, he held the historic record of four NFL regular-season MVP awards and had led his team to four AFC Championship games. His crowning achievement came in 2007, when he captained the Indiana Colts to a "Vince Lombardi" Trophy and indisputably claimed the Super Bowl MVP honors.

In 2008, Eli followed in Peyton's footsteps. Also playing quarterback, he steered the New York Giants to a Super Bowl victory and secured the game's MVP award.

Together, the two brothers single-handedly forged the Manning Family's legendary status in professional football.

An outstanding quarterback could fundamentally transform a team's offense—just as Tom Brady had done for the current Los Angeles Raiders. During the previous year's AFC Championship, Brady's passing had directly flipped the outcome of the game, sending the Raiders straight into the Super Bowl.

Eli Manning possessed a similar masterpiece. During Super Bowl 42 in 2008, squaring off against the New England Patriots, the New York Giants found themselves backed into a corner. With a mere thirty-five seconds left on the clock, Eli connected with Plaxico Burress for a touchdown pass. They completed a staggering 17-to-14 comeback, shattering the Patriots' flawless eighteen-win season record while relying on that clutch play to crown the Giants as NFL champions for the first time in eighteen years.

It was no exaggeration to say that the New York Giants were a much tougher opponent than the Green Bay Packers had been the year prior.

Having been an amateur quarterback, Duke understood the game fairly well, yet he never interfered with his team's operations. He knew perfectly well that compared to the professionals, his meager skills were barely worth mentioning.

Could the Los Angeles Raiders win?

In Duke's view, the Raiders' offense wouldn't be an issue. The main question was whether the defense could generate enough pressure on Eli Manning to contain the star quarterback.

However, right after kickoff, the Raiders' starting offense was immediately dealt a heavy blow. The Giants' defensive unit gave Tom Brady a brutal welcome.

During their opening drive in the first quarter, on first-and-ten, Tom Brady was sacked by Giants defensive lineman Anderson. The Raiders' offense subsequently stalled out, forcing them to punt on fourth down and surrender possession.

However, the Raiders' defensive unit performed brilliantly in turn. They mounted immense pressure on the Giants' offensive line, directly causing Eli Manning to throw the ball away into an empty zone for an intentional grounding penalty. This resulted in a safety, giving the Raiders a 2-0 lead with eight minutes and fifty-two seconds left on the clock.

Throughout the opening stretch of the game, both defenses played exceptionally well.

During the subsequent drive, facing a second-and-three, Tom Brady's pass to the right side was intercepted by a Giants cornerback. Fortunately for the Raiders, the Giants had botched a substitution and drew a penalty for having twelve men on the field.

The two teams subsequently remained locked in a dogfight until the clock hit 3:24 in the first quarter, producing the second score of the game. Tom Brady orchestrated the offense, and the offensive line bulldozed a narrow gap through the Giants' defensive line. Ball-carrier Marshawn Lynch bolted out from the opening, shook off the defense, and sprinted for a twenty-yard rushing touchdown. The Raiders' kicker nailed the extra point, widening their lead to 9-0.

The Los Angeles Raiders had established a nine-point lead in the first quarter.

"Looks like we're going to win," Scarlett Johansson said.

Although she wasn't a hardcore football fan, as a native-born American, Scarlett Johansson had no trouble following the game. "The Giants don't seem to be in very good shape today."

She was right. The Giants' offensive unit, particularly Eli Manning, seemed entirely out of sorts.

Leonardo DiCaprio, who had been shouting and cheering all along, turned to Duke in excitement. "Duke, deciding to buy the Raiders with you was the smartest thing I've ever done."

"You really should thank me, Leo," Duke said with a shrug, deliberately teasing him. "Your shares in the Raiders have far more room to appreciate than those famous paintings you collect, and you won't ever have to worry about finding a buyer."

Hearing this, Leonardo flashed a helpless smile. In his younger years, he had spent a fortune collecting artwork. These so-called antiques and famous paintings could easily fetch astronomical prices of millions or even tens of millions of dollars at auction houses like Sotheby's. But once a private buyer acquired them, liquidating them for cash was a different story entirely.

The phrase "all price and no market" fit perfectly. Propped up by speculators and auction houses, the art seemed incredibly valuable the moment a private collector bought it, yet finding the next buyer to take it off their hands was agonizingly difficult.

This was a widespread phenomenon across the entire art and antique world. Outsiders always saw items auctioned off for astronomical sums and assumed the industry was a literal gold mine, but only someone like Leonardo, who had actually taken a heavy loss, understood the reality: most items in this market were artificially inflated.

The most quintessential examples were the blue-and-white porcelain and certain bronze animal heads from across the Pacific Ocean. Much like the Western masterpieces Leonardo had purchased at premium prices, only the speculators and auction houses truly knew how many shady machinations were hiding behind the curtain.

For the past few years, Leonardo had been trying to offload his so-called masterpieces, but a willing buyer was nowhere to be found. He had gradually lost his appetite for lavish art splurges and, just like Duke, had started investing in more tangible industries.

Without a doubt, an NFL team held tremendous value. This wasn't merely reflected in its market cap; the franchise itself boasted staggering profitability. Thanks to their Super Bowl victory the previous season, the Los Angeles Raiders had raked in a total profit approaching 150 million dollars.

If Leonardo ever wanted to liquidate his ten percent stake in the Raiders, he certainly wouldn't struggle to find a buyer as he did with his paintings. The line of eager investors to take over could fill at least half the seats in Lucas Oil Stadium.

His pivot wasn't limited to the Los Angeles Raiders. The previous year, Leonardo had sunk four million dollars to become an investor in Mobli, a social media platform originating from Israel. Founded in 2010 and focused mainly on photo and video sharing, the platform already boasted thirteen million registered users and a valuation approaching one billion dollars.

The trio exchanged a few more words before the game resumed.

The previously sluggish New York Giants suddenly exploded to life in the second quarter. Eli Manning, in particular, shook off his abysmal first-quarter performance and put on a spectacular clinic. With only eight seconds left in the half, he threw a touchdown pass. The Giants kicked the extra point, allowing them to march into the halftime break with a 10-9 lead instead.

The highly anticipated Super Bowl halftime break had finally arrived.