American TV series: Starting with exploiting young Sheldon

After all, everyone could see how much Mike helped the team last year.

In order to restore the team's strength, Captain Aaron is determined to give it his all this time.

“Don’t be impulsive, Aaron. My matter isn’t urgent, we can discuss it slowly…” Mike advised.

Aaron will graduate high school in six months, and his roles as the team's quarterback and captain will give him some advantages when choosing a college.

Therefore, resigning from the position of team leader now is not a wise move.

“No, this isn’t just your problem. Coach Wayne’s current state is affecting the team’s normal operation. If he can’t change his attitude, there’s no point in me being the captain…”

It's clear that Aaron really loves rugby, and that's why he has a lot of complaints about the inactive Coach Wayne.

"The captain is right, this isn't just your problem, the team needs to change," George, who had been watching the situation, chimed in.

Because his father is a football coach, young George has a special affection for the sport.

At the same time, many veteran players who had been quietly watching the situation came to stand behind Captain Aaron.

He demonstrated his attitude through his actions.

For a moment, the team, led by Captain Aaron, seemed to be considering going to Coach Wayne to force him out.

To be honest, Coach Wayne's performance lately has been very unpopular.

“Mike, although I don’t know what’s wrong with the football team, I think their courage deserves encouragement,” Peggy, who was standing next to Mike, said quietly.

The little girl could also see the struggles the Melford players had during today's game.

Despite being stronger and having a chance to win the match, they lost for various reasons.

It is not wrong to be unwilling to accept this situation and to seek change; such an attitude is admirable.

“Okay, I got it.” Mike looked at Aaron and the others and said, “When you go to see Coach Wayne on Monday, remember to call me along.”

"OK, it's settled then." Captain Aaron smiled and finalized the matter.

After that, everyone divided the work and began cleaning the playground.

The scoreboards and sideline protective equipment used in the game need to be put away again, and the garbage left by the spectators on the field also needs to be cleaned up.

Mike, along with Peggy, was collecting the support banners thrown down by the spectators on the sidelines.

"Mike, did you know that Coach Wayne is currently going through a divorce with his wife..." Meanwhile, George, who was picking up trash on the playground, took a moment to come up to Mike and started gossiping about the coach.

"Is that so? No wonder he looked so bad." Mike said, somewhat surprised.

As far as he knew, Coach Wayne loved his wife very much.

Moreover, based on information previously revealed by the other party, the couple has always had a very good relationship.

Unexpectedly, things have escalated to the point of divorce.

In that case, Coach Wayne's recent poor performance is not without reason, and even somewhat pitiful.

No secrets stay hidden forever, and Coach Wayne's troubles at home were widely circulated within the team.

As someone in the know, George continued gossiping, "I heard that Coach Wayne's reason for getting a divorce is because he accidentally caught his wife cheating... How pitiful..."

George, who was originally planning to gossip about it, skipped the whole thing after seeing Peggy next to him.

“Coach Wayne is really unlucky to have something like this happen,” Mike nodded in agreement.

This also explains why Aaron and others were so tolerant of Coach Wayne's inaction before.

If it weren't for this defeat, they probably would have endured it for even longer.

Coach Wayne's situation is truly terrible; no man could accept it.

"Sigh, I wonder how long it will take Coach Wayne to recover." Aside from the coach's negligence, young George showed sympathy for Coach Wayne.

"Forget it, let's not talk about this anymore." Mike cut off the topic, after all, it was very impolite to talk about such things behind someone's back, especially with a little girl next to them.

"Okay." Having satisfied his urge to confide in others, little George didn't continue the topic.

Then, the two on the playground picked a light topic and started chatting again.

Just then, a group of student council members came out of the teaching building and walked towards the playground.

Chapter 231 Conditions

The student council president, who was in charge, was an efficient person. He first arranged for the student council members behind him to help the football team clean the field, and then came to Mike alone.

"Mike, the principal wants you to come to his office. He says he has something to discuss with you," the student council president relayed the message.

“Roger that,” Mike nodded.

At the same time, he already had a guess in his mind that Principal Tom was looking for him, probably because of today's terrible invitational tournament.

"Peggy, stay here for a while. I'll come back to you when I'm done..."

Mike gave the little girl some instructions, said goodbye to little George, and then headed towards the school building.

Because it was the weekend, the teaching building was almost empty. Mike quickly made his way to the principal's office upstairs.

"Principal, what do you want to see me about?" Although he already had a guess, Mike still asked.

"You watched today's game, right? Aaron and the others' performance wasn't very satisfactory..." Principal Tom continued bluntly, "So, I hope you can come back to the team."

Like the students who came to the school today to cheer for the team, Principal Tom was also disappointed with the results of the rugby team's previous game.

As a principal nearing retirement, he cared more about the school's reputation than anyone else.

This mindset is probably driven by a sense of responsibility to do one's best in one's final shift.

"If you're willing to rejoin the team, the school will consider giving you another sports scholarship." Principal Tom, behind his desk, didn't give Mike much time to react before stating his offer.

Mike, who already had a spot as an honors student at the school, was entitled to a scholarship this year.

According to the principal, as long as he is willing to return to the team, he can easily get another sports scholarship.

Together, that makes two rewards.

Clearly, the school wasn't planning to take advantage of Mike's hard work this time. Once the agreement was reached, it would be a win-win situation.

Mike isn't short of pocket money right now because of the stock market, but who would complain about having too much money?

Moreover, he had already planned to return to the competition, so he readily agreed, "No problem, I'm willing to do my part for the school. However, I have a small request."

Upon receiving Mike's reply, Principal Tom smiled and said, "As long as you're willing to return to the team, I'll talk to Coach Wayne and get you back as soon as possible. Now, tell me your request."

“I want George to continue as the head coach of the football team,” Mike revealed his true intentions.

Having frequently visited Cooper's house for meals, he could fully appreciate George's passion for football.

If conditions permit, he doesn't mind lending a hand, as a way of repaying the Cooper family for taking care of him during this time.

“George?” Principal Tom fell into deep thought.

The school expelled George last year because of a sponsor issue, even though he had led the team to great success. They already felt somewhat sorry for the sponsor.

Moreover, Principal Tom had promised last year that he would bring the other party back once things calmed down.

Perhaps it was because of his age, or perhaps because the rugby team had been doing so well, that Principal Tom forgot his previous promise.

Deford is a small town, and as a small place, it values ​​interpersonal relationships.

Since Mike brought up George's matter, Principal Tom didn't think for long before saying, "Your request is reasonable. The school can rehire George as a coach. However, I need to think about the head coach position again."

George has been away from the school for half a year, and in such a long time, no one knows whether his teaching level has declined.

So, just to be on the safe side, Principal Tom also planned to investigate the other party first.

In the best-case scenario, if Coach George's level doesn't decline, then he only needs to adapt to the assistant coach position for a while before being promoted to head coach.

There's a buffer zone in these situations, which is generally beneficial for both George and the school.

Mike knew, however, that George had never stopped following football during those six months. Having frequently analyzed football tactics on television, his skill level couldn't have dropped too much.

And to put it bluntly, even if Coach George's coaching level has declined, he is definitely a better fit for the team than the current Coach Wayne.

The two are not on the same level in terms of professional ethics.

“I can assure you that George is definitely a better fit to be the head coach of Melford.” After considering all the circumstances, Mike became George’s guarantor.

Seeing Mike's confident expression, Principal Tom fell into deep thought once again.

The teachers at the school knew a little about Coach Wayne's family life.

As I said before, people in smaller places pay more attention to interpersonal relationships and social niceties.

It is precisely for this reason that Coach Wayne has received a lot of leniency. However, his recent behavior has been so outrageous that the school's tolerance for him seems to be coming to an end.

"How can you prove that what you're saying is true?" Principal Tom asked.

Given Coach Wayne's situation, Principal Tom also felt that George was a better fit. However, he now wanted a more concrete reason to convince himself, and of course, to convince the others in the school as well.

"How about the next invitational tournament?" Mike said calmly. "I'll invite Coach George to come and watch the games at the invitational tournament next weekend. I believe he will prove with his actions that he has the ability to take over as the team's head coach."

Principal Tom's current attitude clearly indicates that he acknowledges George's role as a coach.

However, if George wants to reclaim the head coach position, he still needs an opportunity to prove himself.

“Very good, I’ll leave this to you. I’ll be waiting for your surprise…” Principal Tom said with a smile.

“No problem.” Mike accepted the task without any pressure.

Actually, this matter is not difficult to handle.

George has poured so much of his heart and soul into the Melford rugby team, and if he sees the team in its current dire state, he'll definitely be tempted to step in and help.

Therefore, Mike only needs to bring the other party to the school next weekend to easily complete the task.

……

After finalizing the details of the plan, Mike left the principal's office.

When he returned to the playground, it had already been cleaned up.

The football players and student council members who came to help had all left, leaving only Captain Aaron, George Jr., and Peggy at the scene.

"Mike, what did the principal want to see you about?" Captain Aaron obviously knew why Mike had left, and was only staying because of his friend's concern.

"The principal invited me to rejoin the team, and I've already accepted. So, we don't need to go see Coach Wayne next Monday," Mike replied with a smile.

"Great!" Aaron clenched his fist and a smile immediately spread across his face.

Aaron, who has only half a semester left before graduation, is eager to see the team improve. This way, he can confidently bring his high school football career to a satisfying close.

Mike's involvement made all of this possible.

"Is that all? No other good news?" Captain Aaron, relieved of his burden, also noticed the mysterious expression on Mike's face.

This kind of expression usually indicates that there are other things on your mind.

"There is indeed another piece of good news. You'll find out at the next invitational tournament..." Mike deliberately kept everyone in suspense.

It turns out that everyone hates riddlers, yet everyone loves to be a riddler.

It's quite amusing to see others scratching their heads in frustration.

"Okay, I'll take this as a surprise you prepared for me."

Seeing how much Mike enjoyed being the riddle teller, Aaron didn't dwell on it too much. Then, he asked the question that mattered most: "So, will you be participating in next week's invitational tournament?"

"No~" Mike shook his head before continuing, "I will officially join the team as a player after the next invitational tournament ends."

This was something he had specifically discussed with the principal beforehand.

Mike also had his own little scheme in mind.

After all, with his current ability, he would definitely lead Melford to victory as long as he steps onto the field.

However, this would naturally fail to showcase Coach George's abilities.

Principal Tom probably took this into account, which is why he agreed to Mike's proposal in the previous negotiations.

"Looks like we'll have to work harder next week to welcome your return~" Captain Aaron, with his easygoing personality, didn't think much of it.

Afterwards, as noon approached, the group on the playground went their separate ways home.

Chapter 232 George Returns

On weekends, the task of looking after the children at the Cooper family's house falls to George.