Chap­ter 27: The Speech presents a com­pelling sto­ry of resilience and team spir­it as the Cubs foot­ball team nav­i­gates through a crit­i­cal moment in their sea­son. After Felix’s injury, the team faces a daunt­ing chal­lenge, but they find unex­pect­ed moti­va­tion in their top rank­ing as the best team among California’s eight-man teams, accord­ing to Cal­Preps. This sig­nif­i­cant achieve­ment ensures their place in the play­offs and instills a sense of pride and deter­mi­na­tion with­in the team. With the impend­ing game against Unit­ed Chris­t­ian Acad­e­my, the team is focused and pre­pared, buoyed by the recog­ni­tion of their suc­cess so far. As their next game approach­es, the NFL reach­es out to Coach Adams, express­ing dis­sat­is­fac­tion with a pri­or pregame speech and request­ing a fresh record­ing. This oppor­tu­ni­ty for a new speech excites the team, and the coach­es work togeth­er to craft a mes­sage that will inspire and uplift the play­ers in the wake of Felix’s injury.

The first ver­sion of Coach Adams’ speech had already been cen­tered around inspir­ing pride and uni­ty with­in the team, but the revised speech, made by the NFL, takes a more dra­mat­ic approach. Empha­siz­ing the Cubs’ heart, resilience, and undy­ing com­pet­i­tive spir­it, the new speech res­onates deeply with the play­ers, espe­cial­ly the younger mem­bers of the team who have always looked up to Felix as a role mod­el. The revised speech not only high­lights their strength as ath­letes but also under­scores their uni­ty, moti­vat­ing them to push for­ward in their quest for vic­to­ry despite the adver­si­ty they face. When Coach Adams deliv­ers this speech through an inter­preter in the lock­er room, the ener­gy in the room surges, as the Cubs feel a renewed sense of pur­pose and deter­mi­na­tion to win, know­ing the weight of their shared respon­si­bil­i­ty. The atmos­phere is charged with excite­ment, and the Cubs head out to the field, ready to take on their next chal­lenge with renewed vig­or.

As the game begins, Gio and Luca Vis­co are tasked with step­ping up in Felix’s absence, tak­ing on piv­otal roles in the team. Gio, a tal­ent­ed but pre­vi­ous­ly over­looked play­er, sees this as his chance to prove his worth on the field. Luca, one of the few African Amer­i­can play­ers on the team, is moti­vat­ed by the respon­si­bil­i­ty of lead­ing his team for­ward. Both play­ers rise to the occa­sion, mak­ing remark­able con­tri­bu­tions that change the course of the game. Gio’s incred­i­ble kick­off return for a touch­down show­cas­es his ath­leti­cism and deter­mi­na­tion to make an impact, while Luca’s stel­lar defen­sive per­for­mance, includ­ing cru­cial inter­cep­tions, helps anchor the Cubs’ defense. Their per­for­mances high­light the team’s depth and show­case the col­lec­tive strength that has been built through their uni­ty, cre­at­ing a pow­er­ful mes­sage of per­se­ver­ance and the will to suc­ceed despite the chal­lenges faced.

By half­time, the Cubs hold a com­mand­ing lead over Unit­ed Chris­t­ian Acad­e­my. Coach Adams, mind­ful of Felix’s injury and the impor­tance of avoid­ing fur­ther set­backs, decides to rest some of the starters in the sec­ond half. Despite the game being well under con­trol, the NFL requests anoth­er take of the moti­va­tion­al speech, adding a sur­re­al and enter­tain­ing twist to the already charged atmos­phere. As the sec­ond half begins, the bench play­ers are giv­en their oppor­tu­ni­ty to shine, and sev­er­al key moments arise, fur­ther show­cas­ing the tal­ent and deter­mi­na­tion with­in the team. These con­tri­bu­tions from the bench play­ers solid­i­fy the Cubs’ dom­i­nance, and the game serves as a tes­ta­ment to their resilience, team­work, and unwa­ver­ing com­mit­ment to each oth­er. As the final whis­tle blows, the Cubs’ vic­to­ry is not just about the score, but about the strength of char­ac­ter they’ve dis­played through­out the game. This chap­ter encap­su­lates the essence of their jour­ney: per­se­ver­ance, team­work, and the indomitable spir­it that pro­pels them for­ward toward their ulti­mate goal.