"Apocalypse", a clipper documentary, grossed US$100 million at the global box office in just one week, including US$43 million in North America.
Judging from the total box office, it is not a big problem to break the previous US$180 million box office of "The Wave". It has a chance to break the US$230 million global box office record of "Space Jam".
The popularity of the Clippers has reached a new level with the popularity of the movie.
On October 16, the Clippers and Warriors traveled to China to play the 2013-2014 preseason China game at the BJ Mastercard Center.
The entire Clippers team has shown great popularity in China. It is hard to get a ticket for the game. The Mastercard Center has become the home court of the Clippers, and the scene is full of red and blue jerseys.
After the Clippers won the championship, Kanye West designed and produced a new jersey style for the Clippers for the new season - the new red and blue Joker, which uses both red and blue on the ball.
The jersey adopts a novel short-sleeved design instead of a sleeveless design. The right side is red with blue cuffs, and the left side is blue with red cuffs. The shorts are all blue in a rational way to avoid making the players look real after wearing them. Like a clown.
In terms of the brightness of the color, Kanye West also made adjustments to darken the overall brightness and reduce the contrast, so that the red and blue blocks are together, and the whole is more harmonious and not too abrupt.
After this design was launched, it was immediately welcomed by many Clippers fans. Jersey sales quickly jumped to the top of the list in the United States, surpassing Lakers jerseys, including in the Los Angeles market.
Of course, some people also complained - what is the difference between your jersey and Barcelona's jersey? Wear it to Camp Nou without feeling out of place.
A movie and a new jersey made the Clippers make a lot of money this summer, and Shelly Sterling was smiling from ear to ear.
The little money that Min Congda spent during the last season was nothing at all.
You know, the Lakers, with a market value of 1 billion, had an operating profit of US$43 million last season.
The Clippers can make all this money back with "Apocalypse," because the movie is cheap to shoot.
It's all daily material, plus post-editing, and you don't even need to pay the actors. When the time comes, you can just share a portion of the copyright fees with the players.
With the Clippers, she has successfully surpassed Jeanie Buss and become the most successful sports businesswoman in Los Angeles.
And all of these are the seeds that Min Congda planted in his early years. Now they are slowly sprouting, growing into a big tree, and starting to bear fruit.
In this China game, Min Congda did not go to BJ with the team, but went to Shanghai to visit the Asian Youth Basketball Development Foundation he established.
Thanks to the Clippers' continuous blood transfusion, the foundation's development in China has turned out to be impressive.
Because there is no cooperation with the local basketball association or sports department, the foundation's various activities are carried out very smoothly.
Of course, during this process, it is inevitable that the relevant departments will make things difficult for them, such as non-compliance here, unreasonableness there, unqualified fire protection, incomplete certificates, etc.
However, as a manager, Fan Chen, with his sophisticated mind and shrewd handling ability, has created a very effective talent discovery and training system.
First of all, the base camp of the foundation's activities is located in Shanghai. As an international metropolis, Shanghai is generally fair, just, and transparent, and it is not easy to be criticized or strangled.
With the help of Fan Chen's father, the foundation first took root in East China.
Secondly, the foundation carries out activities in various places, with Shanghai as the center, first radiating to the surrounding East China region, and then gradually moving to large cities in North China, South China, and Central China, rather than spreading across the country.
Last but not least, the foundation does not have branches or subsidiaries in various places. Instead, it cooperates with local sports, entertainment and culture-related enterprises to jointly organize events in a short period of time, usually within three weeks. A training camp, small league, campus tryout, etc.
This greatly reduces operating costs, and also plays a role in enlightening and discovering young basketball talents.
As for how to deal with the local education and sports departments, it is very simple. Donate gymnasiums, sports equipment and other means to the local area.
Anyway, it’s just a short-term activity. After this time, I’ll come back next time. There’s no need to make things difficult.
If the company I have cooperated with before goes bankrupt due to various reasons, I will choose another company to cooperate with next year.
Anyway, it is not a high-tech project. The core basketball training and talent selection are all made by the Clippers, so the quality can be guaranteed.
"After more than three years of operation, the Asian Youth Basketball Foundation has organized more than 100 local youth basketball leagues and set up more than 200 youth basketball training camps across the country. We insist on using advanced basketball equipment from the United States. Concept coaches and scouts, focusing on cultivating and discovering outstanding Chinese youth basketball talents. Mr. Min, this summer we have formed a Chinese youth elite basketball team under the age of 17. This is a group of people with the potential to go to the United States to play professionally. Children of basketball. This is an important step for both the development of Chinese basketball and the Clippers' development of the Chinese basketball market."
At the briefing meeting, Fan Chen, in a neat suit, personally gave a three-year results report to Min Congda.
At the end of the PPT, Fan Chen played the game video of this group of young elite basketball teams. There are 12 people in total, the oldest is 17 years old and the youngest is 14 years old.
The video includes the content of their team's internal competition, as well as the video of the competition with Japanese, Korean, and European youth teams.
These kids still look very thin, and they are all selected from various local leagues and training camps.
Min Congda immediately saw a familiar face. It was Lu Yuan, a young boy who had visited and played in the United States before!
Looking at these players, Min Congda quietly asked Olshey next to him, "How many of these players have a chance to play in the NBA?"
Olshey said: "There should be only about three players who really have the opportunity to play in the professional league. The only one who has the potential to play in the NBA is Lu Yuan."
Min Congda thought to himself, this figure seems a bit low, I need to invest more!
In fact, he doesn't know that many teams in China invest tens of millions a year in youth training, and there may be no one who can play in the professional league after one round.
And with Olshey's professional vision, it is already extraordinary that three of these children can play professionally and one can play in the NBA.
Of course, the Asian Youth Foundation's annual investment is more than 5 million US dollars and more than 40 million yuan, and it has unique coaching and scouting resources that many domestic teams cannot compare with.
Five million US dollars is indeed a lot, but within the salary system of an NBA team, it is still affordable for a middle-class person.
After the report, Fan Chen met with Min Congda in private. Fan Chen held Min Congda's hand, which was quite exciting.
"Mr. Min, you are really my idol, my idol." Fan Chen burst into tears.
"Hey, don't cry, don't cry. It's like, I'm not dead. Aren't you doing a good job? I thought you wouldn't last a year, but I didn't expect it~ Increase your investment and intensity!"
Min Congda thought to himself, since he decided to let the Clippers win the championship, he should make some contribution to his country's basketball career, right?
Fan Chen admired Min Congda's foresight and broad mind from the bottom of his heart.
However, when the two were chatting about the Clippers' situation and prospects for next season, Fan Chen changed the subject and said, "Mr. Min, there is something I don't know whether to say or not. It's related to the Clippers."
"Tell me, let me hear if ivory comes out of your dog's mouth."
Fan Chen is extremely smart and has a very unique understanding of basketball, but in front of Min Congda, he is really dumb and his vision is still different.
Fan Chen said: "Mr. Min, in the 13-14 season, the Clippers will definitely strive for three consecutive championships, but these three consecutive championships will probably not be easy. It has always been the most difficult."
Min Congda's eyes lit up, he patted Fan Chen on the shoulder and said: "You have spit out some ivory. This is exactly what I have been worried about recently. The third championship in three consecutive championships is indeed the most difficult. . But the whole team is singing and dancing, and it’s a scene of civility and martial arts. As the general manager, I’m worried!”
Well, Min Congda, who was previously thinking about the Clippers losing, is starting to worry about whether he can win three consecutive championships again.
(End of chapter)
