On the training ground, the players are running with their heads down, and it looks like a normal daily training session; But if you look closely, you can detect anomalies.

The players who were running were divided into two parts, two distinct parts.

The players, who had been on the sidelines for the previous two weeks, gradually integrated into the team according to their own choices, and as a result, two very different groups of people were running on the pitch, half a pitch apart, and the distance between the two groups was clearly separated.

After an incredible win in the second week of the regular season, the team seems to be finally starting to come together; But after only two days, when we met again, the contradiction became acute again, even more aggravated than before, becoming more and more distinct, and more and more intractable, and there was no sign of resolution in sight.

This is because after the offseason purge and the team is still in the integration phase; Or is it because the contradictions between senior players and new players are irreconcilable; Or maybe it's because ...... Chinese quarterback?

But these are just speculations, and it is unknown what role Lu Ke's Chinese identity played in the conflict in the dressing room of the 49ers in San Francisco.

After all, there is only one Chinese-American quarterback in the entire league, no one knows how things will play out, no one knows how things should be resolved, and no one knows how the other players will react.

For reference, when the first black man entered the football league and the first black man entered the baseball league, the situation was very similar: all the players, all the coaches, all the owners of the whole league were collectively opposed, even all the spectators were constantly protesting and ostracizing, and black players even had to face a pervasive threat to their lives; And teams that choose to hire black players also face monstrous pressure from public opinion and their own fans.

Of course, in the locker room, the black players didn't have any friends and were alone.

Of course, competitive sports are different after all, and in the end, they still rely on their own strength and their performance to win one victory after another, prove their ability, win recognition, and change history.

Now in the twenty-first century, the situation has changed, and apartheid is a thing of the past. However, the situation of Chinese players can still be used for reference.

In addition to the two wins, the San Francisco 49ers in the third week of the regular season welcomed the return of Alex Smith. In the position of the team's quarterback, Lu Ke is no longer the only choice; In the eyes of many, it is not the best option either.

Whether to play under a Chinese quarterback who fell off the draft or under a veteran who won the draft, it was clear that the players had made their choice before the coach made his starting selection.

It's official media day, and all the reporters are going to ask Alex questions, and they're all going to ask Jim about his options, and about the starting quarterback, that's a topic of concern for everyone; Even if the decision is not made today, the team will need to make a choice by Friday at the latest, otherwise they will not be able to make the tactical rehearsal for last Sunday's game.

As a result, today's locker room has become a powder keg.

During the run, Parres's emotions not only did not calm down, but became more and more turbulent, and he glanced at Alex a few times with resentment, but finally he still couldn't hold back, "What the hell was going on just now?" Is your brain watering? That guy is really too arrogant, if you don't suppress his arrogance well, there will be no place for you in the team after that! ”

As he spoke, Parres simply stopped, gasped for air, and shouted angrily, "Don't tell me, you're going to give up and surrender like this?" It's your team! I don't want to play under that stinking Chinese kid! ”

Parres' voice echoed over the empty court, but it didn't stop Alex, who continued to run as he didn't seem to be affected at all.

Pares was angry and helpless, gritted his gums, and finally ran again and chased after him.

"This is my team." Alex's voice sounded in an orderly manner, and the conversation during the run required adjusting his breathing and controlling the rhythm, so Alex always remained calm and said flatly.

Pares thought he had misheard, and turned his head to look at him, showing a look of confusion, and then Alex confirmed again, "This is my team. Parres's expression suddenly brightened, and his excitement could not be suppressed, and he waved his fists and almost jumped.

"But, I'll choose my way." Alex then added, Pares couldn't help but be stunned, this time, Alex turned his head and looked at Parres, "This is the football arena, those boring and stupid means are meaningless, only on the field, really beat him, win back my starting position, I can take over this team again." ”

"But......," Parres tried to say more.

But Alex rudely interrupted Parres and asked rhetorically, "Why, you don't have faith in me?" Don't you think I can defeat him on my strength? ”

Parres was speechless. There was a moment of hesitation in his mind, but in a flash, Pares immediately reacted, "I have faith. Alex, of course I'm confident. But, you've been out of action for six weeks and only started training last week, how are you feeling now......"

"Restoring." Alex will tell you the truth, it is always difficult to get back to training after injuries and a long absence, and it takes double or triple the effort to get back in touch and form. "Yesterday, I officially started passing practice; Today, I'm ready to join the physical confrontation training. As for the effect...... We'll see, I'm a little impatient now. ”

Parres nodded in agreement, "I can't wait." You've got to give that rookie a good look and teach him a good lesson and let him know what a real starting quarterback should look like! ”

The competition has officially begun!

"Jim, you should know that there's no way to solve the problem." Attacking coach Craig Roman frowned and looked worried, "The contradictions in the locker room only rely on suppression and punishment, and those contradictions and conflicts will only become more and more intensified, and will not be resolved at all." ”

"yes, I think too." Defensive coach Vic Fangio also nodded in agreement, "Instead of suppressing like this, it's better to let them burst out just now." Fight hard, fist to fist, duel high and low, vent all negative emotions, but it is more simple and rude. These athletes, one by one, have too much energy, they have to vent it, and then it's okay. ”

"So, you mean, just let those players poop/on top of my head?" Jim's anger still didn't subside, and he kicked the chair next to him hard, the flush on his cheeks still didn't subside, and it looked like it was cooked, "Since they have too much energy, let's train well." Thirty laps is not enough, but fifty laps can be made; If it still doesn't work, the gym will double down on strength training, and Mark and Kevin will definitely be happy to see it. ”

Jim put his hands on his waist and paced back and forth in the open space of the locker room in frustration, seemingly unable to calm down at all.

Kip Kleist also scratched his head, looked at Craig and Vic, only to find that both of them had a "I did my best" expression, Kip could only let out a long breath and said hard, "Jim, this is your solution?" The locker room problem should definitely not be underestimated, don't you have a better idea? ”

For any team that needs to work as a team, the dressing room issue is something that cannot be ignored. There are countless cases in history where a pinnacle team has fallen apart because of dressing room conflicts, leading to the end of an entire dynasty.

The San Francisco 49ers aren't the best team, but they're a team that can't be rebuilt. After an offseason overturn, the team is now on the rise, not only with the fresh energy injected by the quarterbacks, but also with the defensive and offensive fronts. If the dressing room issues are not properly addressed, the light of a two-game winning streak will soon fade.

In response to Kip's kind inquiry, Jim waved his hand irritably, as if to chase away flies, "Are you expecting me to come up with a solution, a group of hormone-overloaded football players, do you want us to sit around the campfire like high school girls, and talk and share our hearts?" Dog/! ”

Jim breathed heavily several times, his chest heaving violently, "I'm a coach, we're all coaches. Our task is not to act as their babysitter, but to develop tactics and prepare for the game! Speaking of which, Jim nodded vigorously, as if to affirm his thoughts, "Yes, we need to discuss it now, this week's starting quarterback, it's official media day, and we need to unify our rhetoric." ”

The members of the coaching staff exchanged glances with each other, and finally looked at Craig and Vic - the two men who were the head coaches of the offensive and defensive teams, second only to Jim - and their eyes all raised similar questions:

Locker room problem, is that how it is solved? Or is it more precise, just let it go? Punish thirty laps and then just ignore it? Is that really okay? Those irreconcilable contradictions, is it okay? Isn't there a need to think about other solutions?

However, Craig and Vic both spread their hands, shrugged their shoulders, and did not speak, looking helpless. So, everyone else kept their mouths shut.

"Victory, the best way to solve all problems is victory!" Jim clenched his fists and said impassionedly, "Well, we must focus on victory now." Week 3, starting quarterbacks, what's your opinion? Alex, or Lu Ke? ”

In a way, Jim was right. The locker room problem is actually the quarterback problem: Alex Smith, or Lu Ke?