Almighty Coach

The hotel that Dai Li lived in was not luxurious, but the security around it was good enough to allow the guests to hang out in the evening, without worrying about being robbed. However, the place that Allen Hampton brought Dai Li to was totally different. It was the ghetto, and could be quite unsafe. There were armed robberies even in the daytime. Drugs, guns, and crimes were nothing new here.

The houses here were shabby, and seemed to have been in disrepair for a long time. Window glasses of some of the houses were broken and covered with plastic paper. Various graffiti on the dim gray walls showed the African American culture. By the roadside, there was a very old car. Dai Li even thought that it might be older than him. The glass on one of its window was broken. Several black children were playing near it.

Dai Li looked around with a little fear, and also some curiosity. Allen Hampton, walking by him, said, "To be honest, public security in Los Angeles isn’t too bad. This block is better than those blocks in the central east. If you are in Detroit, you dare not drive into some of the blocks filled by the poor, because you may have a gun pointing at you at any time."

A group of young men with tattoos on their bodies gathered on the roadside. One of them, a big guy of around 300 jin (or, 150 kg/330 pounds) showed a fierce expression on his face after he saw Dai Li.

A thought to escape came to Dai Li at that moment. But Allen shouted to the big guy, "Martin, put away your scary look. He’s my brother, don’t bother him!"

The big man followed Allen’s words with a grin. He stopped frightening Dai Li. Others heard Allen’s words, and did not pay attention to Dai Li any more.

"You see? I get along with them well here!" Allen said proudly.

"Do you live nearby?" asked Li.

"No, my family was in Virginia, and I grew up there. I came to Los Angeles to join the Adidas Basketball Training Camp, and to find a college that could offer me a scholarship," Allen said this with an unnatural facial expression.

"Then why didn’t you attend the Adidas Basketball Training Camp?" Dai Li asked.

"I missed the confirmation," Allen said, then added, "The Adidas Basketball Training Camp sent me an invitation, but I didn’t confirm within the time limit. So, they cancelled the invitation."

"Why?" Dai Li continued asking.

Allen hesitated and then answered, "Because I was in prison at that time."

Dai Li did not ask for more details, but Allen went on to explain, "In the high school football team, I am a quarterback. I am the best quarterback across all Virginia high schools, and I also won the state championship for my school. On the day of our celebration for the championship, we went bowling. A quarrel was started between us and a group of white people. They called us ’niggers’. That’s racism. So, we had a quarrel and finally started a fight!"

"Those whites could not defeat us. So, they called up more people to join that fight, and we did the same. Finally, it became a mass brawl of more than fifty people. We, of course, were the final winners. More than ten people from their side were taken to the hospital. We also had a couple of guys injured. Then, my four companions were sentenced to 15 years in prison, and I was sentenced to five years in prison!"

"But the leading white men who fought with us were only sentenced to community corrections. And we blacks were not even given the chance of parole. We chose to appeal. Some black groups helped us, and black lawyers defended our case for free. Finally, we won the lawsuit. However, I still spent four months in jail because of this case."

"I see!" Dai Li nodded.

Although there are advocates fighting for equality everyday, serious racial discrimination still exists in America. Colored races suffer discriminations in enrollment, job applications, and almost every aspect of daily life. When faced with racial discrimination, Chinese people tend to endure, while black people prefer to use their fists to speak for them.

Allen added, "Four months in jail, I lost a lot of opportunities. Before that, there had been some football coaches from several universities who wanted me to join their teams. Actually, I prefer football. I like the feeling of bringing the ball out of the crowds. Basketball is soft compared with football."

"I think most Americans prefer football," Dai Li agreed. The "football" they were talking about was, of course, the American football.

American football is the most popular sport in America, as compared with other sports. It’s the real "sport for all" in America. All Americans love it.

"Because of this fight, I couldn’t get a football scholarship from any university. No university would want a guy who went to jail because of a brawl." Allen sighed.

Having been in prison was indeed a big problem. A former convict would be faced with discriminations in enrollment and job applications. Even in the United States, no university would accept a guy who was just released from prison.

Also, American football is very intense. The players collide with each other, and the game is very fierce. Fights often break out on the football field, and fighting during a game is inevitable, even in the top NFL professional league.

Such a violent sport obviously would not welcome Allen, who was formerly convicted, due to a mass brawl. The coach would consider Allen as an unstable element in the team. Although he was the best of the quarterbacks, the core on the field, across all high schools in Virginia, no coach from any university would accept him.

Allen said in a low mood, "My football career has come to an end early. So now, I can only hope that basketball can help me get a basketball scholarship from a university. Let me play basketball for one or two years in the university, then I would like to take part in the NBA draft!"

Allen’s eyes were sparkling as he was speaking of the NBA Draft.

"I’m sure you’ll be admitted by the NBA," said Dai Li.

After all, Allen was a player with S Level talents, and players like him were rare even in the NBA. Dai Li thought that, as long as the managers of NBA teams were not blind, Allen could easily get into that lottery.

"But first of all, I must find a university which would enroll me. In the east I have a bad reputation, so I can only come to the west to have a try. I cannot go to any university if I have no scholarship." Allen shrugged and then said, "To get a scholarship, and then go to university, is my only chance."