Chapter 828: Rival Sparks
"Sherman, do you think Lu Ke didn't throw the ball in your direction enough?"
"What grade would you give your passing defense in this game?"
"Do you think your pass defense against Lu Ke was successful?"
"You previously said Lu Ke wouldn't dare to throw in your direction. What about now?"
"Are you sure you have the ability to go up against Lu Ke?"
"Are you satisfied with the performance of the league's best cornerback in this game?"
...
One question after another came crashing down. The reporters had no intention of being gentle with Sherman. They were like vultures that had found a corpse, all rushing forward at once, tearing at him without a care, and Sherman, the "prey," was instantly shredded.
The anger he hadn't suppressed earlier now erupted like a volcano. Sherman immediately flipped off the reporters and roared like a wounded wolf. His eyes were bloodshot, as if just a little more pressure would make him go completely mad. "Get out of here! All of you get out!"
"Are you saying Lu Ke should get out, too?"
"Can't you understand English? Did you just come from Africa? I said all of you get out! To hell with Bambi! To hell with this interview!"
"The league's rules..."
"To hell with the league! You're all shameless w*****s, just licking that guy's..."
The rest of his words were a string of foul language. Sherman had finally exploded. After holding back and suppressing his emotions for the entire game, he finally broke free of his restraints and unleashed everything. His spittle flew as his reason completely collapsed. He said whatever came to his mind, without any filter.
He hated Lu Ke!
After this game, Sherman was 100% sure that he and Lu Ke were sworn enemies. This feud was far from over!
"I'm going to crush him! Just like a bug! He'd better not come to Seattle, or else, that will be his grave!"
Sherman may have felt relieved, but the Seattle Seahawks were in deep trouble.
The media didn't hold back. They harshly criticized Sherman for his foul language, his arrogance, and his failure to follow league rules by leaving the interview area before the scheduled time was up. Of course, the most important reason was his excessive comments, which reignited the feud between the Seattle Seahawks and the San Francisco 49ers.
Between division rivals, trash talk was the norm, and there was no need to care about manners or politeness. Sherman's all-out attack completely infuriated the San Francisco 49ers' fans and other neutral fans. His image as a "sore loser" successfully drew a lot of criticism and ridicule.
Before the game, the 12s had been starting fires everywhere. Now that they had lost, it was a "kick-them-when-they're-down" situation. The Seattle Seahawks were becoming the public enemy. Shouldn't the undefeated San Francisco 49ers be the target of everyone's scorn?
In the end, Sherman's actions once again violated the league's strict rules regarding post-game interviews. For the second time in a week, Sherman was fined and warned.
Originally, Marshawn Lynch was the most difficult person to deal with at the press conferences for the Seattle Seahawks, but now the hot-headed Sherman had stolen all the spotlight, starting fires all over North America. Marshawn was no slouch either, and the two were "momentary geniuses"—in a negative sense. Head coach Pete Carroll was also getting a headache.
It wasn't just Sherman; Russell also became another target of the media.
Originally, Russell's personality was not as sharp or impulsive, and he was also a bit older. In college, limited by his physical talent, he once transferred schools to pursue a better professional career, which delayed his graduation. So, even though he had just entered the league this year, he was actually a year older than Lu Ke.
Facing the onslaught of reporters, Russell managed to remain calm and handle the questions with grace. But in the end, he was just a rookie who had just entered the league. Under the continuous pressure and instigation from the reporters, he inevitably became a bit impatient, especially when a reporter brought up a sore point: "What do you think about losing all three of your games against division opponents this season?"
This also stung Russell.
"We will win," Russell's words became sharp. "Yes, we will definitely win. Next time we face them, we will be the ones who have the last laugh. We will let the San Francisco 49ers taste the bitterness of defeat. We will do whatever it takes to win the game."
"Are you saying you'll take advantage of your home field?"
Russell's volcano of anger erupted. "I don't think there's any difference between home and away. We're doing our best to win the game. It was the same today. The San Francisco 49ers just had a little more luck than us. The cheers at Candlestick Park are far from what we have at CenturyLink Field. Next time we go back to Seattle, we'll show them what a real home field is."
"Lu Ke? I don't think we are the same style of quarterback, and I don't think there's a need to compare us, but I'm always sure that I will become an excellent quarterback. That's my constant goal. My task is to defeat every quarterback and every team on the other side of the field. Of course, that includes Lu Ke." Russell confidently proclaimed.
But the media reports after that showed a completely different picture:
"Russell Wilson Doesn't Think Highly of Lu Ke: 'I Don't Think There's a Need to Compare Us.'"
From Sherman to Russell, and then to the 12s, the San Francisco 49ers' fans completely exploded. They couldn't believe that the losing Seattle Seahawks were so arrogant and disrespectful. So, everyone united and started a massive wave of angry condemnation on social media.
Although the Seattle Seahawks lost the game, the 12s didn't show any weakness in their morale. They retaliated fiercely on Twitter and Facebook, even more arrogantly and sharply than the 49ers' fans. A variety of insults were rampant, and more and more fuel was added to the fire, turning the seventh week of the regular season into a fierce off-field battle.
The 49ers' fans, however, retaliated fiercely. All the fans came together and started a campaign to flood social media with the same message. A single post spread everywhere:
"35:17, 23:48, 35:3. Minimum Score: 35."
These three sets of numbers were the final scores of three games: the Week 1 matchup in the 2011 regular season when the San Francisco 49ers hosted the Seattle Seahawks; the Week 16 matchup in the 2011 regular season when the San Francisco 49ers visited the Seattle Seahawks; and the Week 7 matchup in the 2012 regular season when the San Francisco 49ers hosted the Seattle Seahawks.
No more words were needed. Just listing the three sets of numbers and adding the keyword "Minimum Score" was enough. It implied that for the San Francisco 49ers, every time they played the Seattle Seahawks, 35 points was the minimum score.
This was enough.
It was a loud and humiliating slap in the face to the 12s and all the players on the Seattle Seahawks. This time, the hornets' nest was completely destroyed, and the two teams truly became sworn enemies.
This tweet started on Twitter and, with the deliberate push and spread of the 49ers' fans, it spread to different social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram. Later, it even reached YouTube.
Someone edited a video of the three matchups between the two teams and ended it with "Minimum Score: 35." It spread like a viral video on YouTube, and other fated rivals also started to follow suit, mocking their opponents in the same way.
At this point, things got out of hand.
Even the classic NBC talk show "Saturday Night Live" made a joke about the Seattle Seahawks. The keyword "Minimum Score: 35" topped the Twitter and Google keyword rankings for an entire week, and no other trending topic could compare.
It was ironic that the Thursday night game itself wasn't that exciting. The San Francisco 49ers basically took over the game, defeating the Seattle Seahawks with an absolute dominance. But the gossip outside the game was incredibly lively, spreading all over North America. Even people who had no interest in the NFL heard about the "Minimum Score."
The funniest part was that later in the Hollywood movie "The Hangover Part III," the male protagonist also made a joke about the "Minimum Score."
In this showdown, the San Francisco 49ers' fans once again won completely, humiliating the Seattle Seahawks' fans, the 12s, and leaving a lasting mark in the history of the rivalry between the two teams.
From this point on, the division matchups in the NFC West were getting more and more heated. The clashes between the teams and their fans were becoming irrational.
Division rivals were never rational. There were no conditions, no reasons, and no excuses. It was a life-or-death battle between the two sides, with no room for compromise, no objective judgment, and no shaking of hands. Everything was a bloody war.
When "Minimum Score" became a popular phrase, it was clear that the San Francisco 49ers and the Seattle Seahawks now hated each other so much that they wanted to chew on each other's flesh and drink each other's blood.
In the following week, the San Francisco 49ers would also face another fated rival, the Arizona Cardinals. After last year's racialincident, their matchup would definitely not be without sparks.
No one could underestimate the Arizona Cardinals.
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