"Uh, sir, are you sure we are measuring the size of rugby shoes? Not ballet shoes or high heels?" Looking at the staff member who was measuring the size of his feet, Lu Ke had questions all over his head and couldn't understand. , so he joked about it in a joking way.
In the hotel room today, in addition to Lu Ke and Laihe, Under Armor sent a total of three representatives. One is Sean, the general manager of the West Coast Marketing Department, and the other two are assistants.
The woman with a graceful figure was Sean's personal secretary, responsible for recording the meeting content and contract details; there was also a staff member in the design department who was wearing simple formal clothes and was responsible for measuring the detailed data of Lu Ke's body.
The so-called detailed data here completely opens a new door, just like a customized suit. The data of one arm alone measures the size of four different parts; there are also the sizes of palms, shoulders, thighs and other details.
The most interesting thing is the measurement of the soles of the feet. Not only the soles, insteps, and arches of the feet, but also the ankles and calves were measured. Moreover, the assistant also asked Lu Ke to walk on a tester, using Come test his walking and running habits and see where the force is applied on the soles of his feet.
Although Lu Ke didn't quite understand how these details were applied to the equipment, he really felt the specialness of "tailor-made".
The conversation part of the meeting lasted for about thirty-five minutes. Lu Ke and Sean talked about all aspects, not only everything that happened in the past three weeks of competition, but Sean also took a closer look at Lu Ke's life before immigrating, such as his His hometown, such as his memory of China and proficiency in Chinese, and his current connection with his hometown. And so on and so forth.
Lech always sat nearby and listened, occasionally joining in the conversation, but more often than not he remained an attentive listener.
As an agent, his understanding of Lu Ke is very limited, but Lech is very special. Not surprisingly, in the next five to ten years, Lu Ke and Ben Roethlisberger will be his only two He is a player, so he can slowly, intensively and deeply understand Lu Ke, which is important for the development of his work.
After the conversation, Lu Ke entered the next room and started relevant measurements. The entire measurement work lasted about forty-five minutes; but it was still not over. They were now back in the hall to complete the measurement of the soles of the feet.
The reason why Lu Ke was joking like this was because the other party measured his ankle - rugby shoes are divided into different positions. Strikers need to fight hard, and their shoes are high-top; while quarterbacks and receivers need to be flexible on their feet. , mid-top and low-top are better choices.
"If you want high heels, I have personal relationships with some top designers and I can help you contact them." Sean also joked along with the words.
Lu Ke said solemnly, "I think I can't find an occasion to wear it, so I'd better forget it." Such an answer coupled with his serious and indifferent face made him even more happy, "Are you going to design a pair of shoes for me alone? ?Measuring so carefully, I feel like something’s not right.”
"Design? No, no, no, it's just customized." Sean smiled and said briskly, "Maybe one day in the future, we will specially design a series called Bambi, but not now."
Lu Ke couldn't help but laugh, "It seems that I have to work harder."
After all the data were measured, the staff member nodded to Sean to confirm, and then Sean stood up and said, "Perfect! Today's tasks have been completed, so let's stop for now. Next, we will Arrange follow-up matters as soon as possible. After the contract is signed, your equipment will be delivered to your door in person."
"Happy cooperation!" Sean shook Lu Ke's right hand politely again, "By the way, if the signing is completed before Friday, then I hope that you can wear Under Armor equipment in this weekend's game. , I look forward to your victory." Then, Sean shook Lech's right hand again, led his two assistants, and turned to leave.
Laihe escorted Sean out of the hotel room, while Lu Ke sat on the sofa and slowly began to recover.
Walking back into the lobby of the hotel room, Laihe saw Lu Ke raise his head, with a bright smile on his face, his eyes widened, and he said excitedly, "Really? Is all this real? Ander Did Ma really choose to sponsor me? Now I am also a player with a sponsor?"
For professional players, there are countless sponsors, but among them, cars, sports equipment, clothing and beverages are known as the "Four Kings", with the highest endorsement profits, the widest audience market, and the most appropriate image. They are undoubtedly the most popular ones for every player. Endorsements and sponsorships a player could only dream of.
Now, Lu Ke's first career endorsement comes from sports equipment. The first step is extremely solid and powerful.
This kind of Lu Ke showed the youthful vitality that a 22-year-old should have, and the excitement that a rookie player should have. Lech showed a bright smile and nodded in affirmation, "Have you read the numbers on the contract?"
"Yes, I forgot about it." Lu Ke came to his senses and opened the contract sample on the table. However, this sample was really too thick. It stipulated countless details. It seemed that at least one There were more than a hundred pages, and for a while, Lu Ke couldn't find the contract number, so he chose the most convenient way, "Remind me, what is the specific number?"
"Two hundred and fifty thousand dollars per year for two years." Lech said the answer readily without any hesitation.
Lu Ke took a long breath and calmed down his racing heart little by little, "You mean, now Under Armor sponsors all my training equipment, and then they also pay me $250,000 a year, which is more than I do." The team’s salary is more than half?”
Lu Ke's undrafted rookie contract is US$465,000 per year; Under Armor's current sponsorship contract is US$250,000 per year, requiring all of Lu Ke's training equipment to come from Under Armor.
The official sponsor of the NFL is Nike. The jerseys and equipment of each team are Nike, but Nike does not fully cover buyouts, players’ gloves, sneakers, quick-drying clothes inside the jerseys, etc., as well as outside the game. Personal training clothes, these are categories where you can choose your sponsor freely.
As another official sponsor of the league, Under Armor has almost a monopoly on personal training clothing, including quick-drying clothing. Players without sponsors will almost always choose Under Armor for a simple reason: professional enough and good enough.
Now, Under Armor has bought out the sponsorship of Lu Ke's other equipment in addition to his jersey and equipment. From an ordinary person's perspective, there will be no shortage of sports equipment in the next two years.
Compared with Lu Ke's satisfaction, Leihe seemed very calm, "Two hundred and fifty thousand per year, this is not a big contract. If compared with the NBA, it is almost a drop in the bucket. Don't you feel regretful?"
"Haha, people shouldn't be too greedy." Lu Ke waved his hand nonchalantly and said calmly, "I am an undrafted rookie, and I have only played three games. Being able to gain sponsors is already a rare improvement. . For me now, it is more important to stay down to earth, aim for the next game, and move forward one game at a time. When the wins accumulate to a certain level, a big contract will become a matter of course."
Lu Ke is full of desire for victory and will never let go easily; but for gains off the court, Lu Ke remains humble, knows how to be content, and knows how to measure. He believes that today's contract is not the end, but the starting point. Confidence does not mean arrogance.
Sponsorship from Under Armor, this was the first pot of gold in his career. Different from the previously signed contract for undrafted rookies, which was a salary, and all the money would not be paid until the season was completed; this was an off-field award, just like a bonus, which truly opened up the broad world of professional players.
Regarding this, Lu Ke felt some joy, some surprise, some excitement, some happiness in his heart, as if he was standing under the spotlight, bathed in the warm light. In the past two days, Including the small changes in today's community, everything put Lu Ke in a wonderful picture.
The only thing I don't have is dissatisfaction.
"As for the NBA..." Lu Ke shrugged, "I think I chose the wrong project from the beginning."
Such a joke successfully made Laihe chuckle, and he nodded, "It's great that you can maintain such a mentality." The more they get along with each other, the more satisfied Laihe becomes. Lu Ke is indeed a good person. A rare quarterback, he really didn't make a mistake.
After entering the professional league, standing under the spotlight and under the microscope, everything began to accelerate and amplify.
A victory may bring countless praises and glory; similarly, a failure may completely fall to the bottom. The pressure from fans and media has magnified and accelerated everything several times; the ups and downs of the development curve is undoubtedly a severe test for rookie players, and it is even easier to focus and pay attention off the court. Let rookie players lose their way.
Fortunately, Lu Ke didn't.
The ecstasy of three consecutive victories has not dampened his sanity for the time being; especially the huge firepower attracted by the identity of a Chinese player has not affected his judgment and concentration for the time being. This is important.
It is true that a contract of US$250,000 per year is not worth mentioning, and the highlights are really limited.
In the NBA, LeBron James's lifetime contract with Nike is as high as one billion U.S. dollars; and there are many players with nine-figure sneaker sponsorship and endorsement contracts. Even for rookie players, the contract value is far higher. More than two hundred and fifty thousand.
In fact, the NFL is the number one sport in North America, far ahead in terms of audience size, market value and attention. According to incomplete statistics, the NFL’s audience ratio is more than three times that of the NBA. However, the sponsorship contracts of top NFL players are higher than those of the NBA. Among them, they are only equivalent to ordinary players.
Such an abnormal phenomenon, why?
