"...indeed, we need to keep watching; this young player still needs to prove himself, but I must admit I was blown away."
The next day, when Blackley was a guest on an ESPN football show, he couldn't wait to share what he had witnessed the day before.
The NFL was in its offseason, but the Professional League was still busy. They had just finished the draft, and immediately it was time for the free agency market during the offseason.
This is why professionals temporarily shifted their focus from college players to the league teams' re-signings, releases, and signings.
However, Blackley couldn't contain his joy; moments later, he realized he wasn't the only one—
Even though it was just an NCAA warm-up game, ESPN's live broadcast ratings exploded, easily attracting over twenty-five million viewers, thoroughly outperforming the first round NBA playoff game between the Atlanta Hawks and the Brooklyn Nets, once again demonstrating the power of football.
Blackley mentioned one scene, and a chattering excitement instantly flooded the studio.
"Right, number twenty-three, right? He was phenomenal, really remarkable."
"I must say, typical Crimson Tide Storm, Saban has coached another excellent running back."
"That ground attack fifty-five seconds before the game ended was so slick— the sharp stops and turns, the continuous change in direction, the head-on collision, he showed his skill, his talent, his cleverness; it was truly impressive."
Praise followed, one after another—
Who would have thought that a college student could dominate the discussion in the professional transfer market for a whole sixty seconds? And still, it wasn't enough?
Sure enough, offseason college football always manages to capture countless eyes.
Inspired, Blackley continued to throw out his exclusive news.
"This young player is of Chinese descent, eighteen years old, and only started playing football three weeks ago. As of now, he still has some rough edges..."
He couldn't finish his sentence, not even starting the "but" when he was interrupted, and the clamor exploded like a volcanic eruption.
"Wait, wait, of Chinese descent?"
"Whoa, whoa, hold your horses, what did you just say?"
"Three weeks ago? What do you mean he just started playing football three weeks ago?"
"Are you saying, he had never been exposed to football before? Never played, but at least seen it, right?"
"Never touched it means never played, never watched, probably doesn't even know the rules."
"Jesus Christ, what is he, an alien?"
"If he's of Chinese descent, then that makes sense. The Asian market still prefers basketball and soccer, probably watching the Atlanta Hawks and Brooklyn Nets' match, utterly unaware of such a player making his NCAA debut."
"What! Of Chinese descent?"
"For a moment, I didn't know which news was more shocking, that the player was of Chinese descent or that he had started playing football just three weeks ago. My God, it's unbelievable."
"If you pair that with his performance yesterday, it's even more astounding. My God, how did he do it? Did Nick Saban make a wish to Aladdin's Lamp?"
In 2019, Chi Youjun, a Chinese safety, was selected by the Los Angeles Rams in the second round, sixty-first overall, becoming the highest-drafted player of Chinese descent in NFL history, sparking many discussions. It was from that time that football seemed to finally breach the gap with the Asian market.
However, in fact, before Chi Youjun, Asian players had already been continuously stepping onto the professional field.
In 2010, Wang Kai, a player of Chinese descent, was picked by the Buffalo Bills in the fifth round, one hundred forty-first overall. He was also the first NFL player whose parents were both Chinese, but unfortunately, he only appeared six times as a substitute on the offensive line during his rookie season before being released by the team.
The most famous and perhaps greatest player of Chinese descent is Patrick Chung, a legendary safety for the New England Patriots. He is a third-generation Chinese immigrant from Jamaica, where his grandfather was Chinese and his grandmother Jamaican, more widely known by the title, the Chung Family.
Chung entered the league in 2009, subsequently won three Super Bowl rings and was named to the All-America First Team of the 2010s, establishing himself as a dominant safety.
Additionally, in the 1998 draft, Hines Ward, a wide receiver picked by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the third round, was hailed as one of the greatest offensive players in Steelers history. He was the MVP of Super Bowl XL and left behind countless illustrious achievements in his career. His father was African American, while his mother was Korean.
In the 1962 draft, Roman Gabriel was selected second overall by the Los Angeles Rams. His mother was Irish, and his father was Filipino; he was the first Asian player to be chosen in the first round of the NFL, named the regular season MVP in 1969 and was one of the best quarterbacks during the 1960s and 1970s.
Of course, these are not all.
As of 2016, there have been eleven Asian players in the history of the NFL, each with their own story. Although there are not a small number of Asian players on the football field, they also aren't numerous. Overall, the sport of football is still alien to Asians, and participation is low.
It was against this backdrop that Li Wei made his debut, emerging in a spectacularly attention-grabbing manner.
Originally, Blackley had wanted to "be modest" and not put too much pressure on the young man, considering it was only a preseason game so far, perhaps adding one practice match. Praising him too early might backfire and inadvertently put him under pressure; but he had not anticipated—
Three weeks into football.
This keyword alone was enough, no need to be understated or critical, everyone could feel the impact behind this word.
Even Blackley's chest puffed up slightly, "Compared to Crimson Tide Storm's Derrick Henry who crafted legends last season, this young player has a completely different style. I personally think his model should be Patrick Peterson..."
"Yes, exactly," before Blackley could finish, someone immediately chimed in.
"We don't need to talk about acceleration or agility. Personally, I think his observation and interpretation of defensive formations, compared to Peterson, are not just very similar but identical."
"More than his abilities, what impressed me more was his calmness under pressure in crucial moments. Considering he had only been in contact with football for three weeks, and to perform like that in his debut at Bryant Denny Stadium in front of a hundred thousand people, it's simply incredible," they all knew how intense a stadium of that size could get.
Their words one after another, ESPN's praise was no less impressive than the "Crimson Tide White Wave," which left Blackley somewhat sidelined—
Thankfully, the focus eventually returned to Blackley, "What's this young man's name again?"
Blackley put on a proud smile, "Li Wei, his name is Li Wei. Scouts, team managers, head coaches, you all better take out your notebooks and remember this name. This upcoming season, you wouldn't want to miss it."