"David Beckham." After savoring it carefully, Lech nodded in agreement, "This is a very vivid analogy."
"...I was just joking casually." Lu Ke realized Laihe's seriousness, shook his head helplessly, wiped the sweat from his forehead, and said sincerely, "To be honest, I don't think I and I There's no similarity between Beckham and David."
Lech didn't care, and shrugged lightly, "Fifteen years ago, David Beckham was not David Beckham."
For agents, building a business empire around a brand image is undoubtedly the ultimate career goal. Now, Leh has found his ultimate goal.
In every sports field, there is a business empire of a top star. David Beckham and Cristiano Ronaldo in football, LeBron James and Kobe Bryant in basketball, tennis Roger Federer and Serena Williams…
Michael Schumacher in racing, Michael Phelps in swimming, Usain Bolt in sprinting, Tiger Woods in golf. oods)...and so on.
However, in the field of rugby, due to the large number of players, the professionalism of the sport, and various complicated reasons, the business empire surrounding top superstars has always been inferior to other fields.
The most commercially valuable players in the league currently are Peyton Manning and Tom Brady.
However, the market value and industry income of these two top superstars are simply not comparable to that of other sports superstars. In the list of the world's most commercially valuable sports players, neither Manning nor Brady is among the top three. Ten, compared with the profitability and commercial value creation ability of the NFL League, it is really a world of difference.
For Lech, this was a challenge, one that would give his career a second lease of life.
In fact, before David Beckham, the commercial value and market value of professional athletes were also limited. Top superstars such as Michael Jordan, Muhammad Ali, etc., they They can gain commercial endorsements and sponsorship contracts, but they are far from developing their market value.
It wasn't until the appearance of Beckham that people realized that the so-called "brand image" could still be profitable in this way. Just one player can maintain a market value of one billion or even tens of billions of dollars.
In Lech's view, the performance of Asian players and undrafted rookies is Lu Ke's disadvantage, but it is also Lu Ke's advantage.
If Lu Ke can't cheer up and loses sight of everyone, then this label will become a heavy burden, suppressing him tightly and making him unable to breathe; but if Lu Ke can rise up and create a world of his own, Then this label will become the starting point for creating history and creating miracles, and countless "firsts" will become Lu Ke's business card on his way to a business empire.
In the final analysis, for professional athletes, strength and performance are the basis of everything.
Now, Lu Ke has taken a solid first step in his rookie season, and Leh believes that the conditions he needs have matured for the first time. Therefore, he followed the plan step by step.
"Bambi, do you know how huge and vast a market Asia is?" Laihe said meaningfully, a wise light flashed in his vicissitudes of eyes, "As for how full of potential your motherland is, I think, This doesn’t require me to elaborate too much.”
Laihe caught the surprise and shock on Lu Ke's face, but he couldn't help but smile.
Only at moments like this, the youthfulness and ignorance of young people will appear in Lu Ke, reminding others that this quarterback who is killing everyone on the field is not yet 23 years old.
"I believe you can become the Beckham of football. Because you have advantages that Manning and Brady do not have; at the same time, football also has advantages that football and basketball do not have. Asia, that is a brand new market, An untapped market, and now you hold the key to this virgin land.”
This was the first time that Laihe showed his ambition in front of Lu Ke. This is not a world that Lu Ke is good at understanding, and it is also a world that Lu Ke cannot touch with his current vision.
The whole of Asia, one-fifth of the world, not just Roger Goodell, other basketball, football, baseball, etc. are trying to tap the potential of this land. BA has achieved a stage lead, and the five major European leagues It is also being developed intensively, and now, Leh hopes to become a pioneer in the NFL.
Such a perspective, such a pattern, and such courage are truly superior and unique.
And Lu Ke is just a young boy who has just graduated from college for one year. What's more, business and marketing are not his major.
Facing Laihe's ambition, Lu Ke opened his mouth slightly, without hiding his surprise and surprise. The words of disbelief swirled on the tip of his tongue for a moment, and finally turned into a chuckle, "Why not? Faced with a Challenge, if you don’t even have the courage to try, then you might as well choose to live your life in an ordinary way, and instead you can enjoy a moment of peace.”
The joking tone revealed Lu Ke's ambition.
"Did you participate in the draft with this mentality at the beginning?" Leh asked curiously.
Laihe already knew the answer without Lu Ke's answer.
In four years of college, he only completed two incomplete games. For any rookie, even if his physical fitness is incredible, even if his rookie training camp is incredible, thirty-two teams will not choose to take risks, because of my reference The sample size is too small, and because teams have so many options to choose from, there is no need for them to gamble.
So, this was an attempt destined to fail. But Lu Ke still went to the training camp with his head held high and left an impression in front of many teams with his practical actions, which also paved the way for Jim Harper's bold gamble later.
really.
Lu Ke lightly shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly. His seemingly indifferent expression revealed strong confidence and a firm mind in his movements. It is this composure and tenacity beyond his age that became the key reason why Leh chose to give it a try.
Looking away, Laihe did not continue to test, because he knew that his idea had been approved by Lu Ke.
For players and agents, there is a cooperative relationship between them. They need to work together, understand each other, and have a tacit understanding with each other. This is the basis for success.
Previously, after the away game against the Arizona Cardinals, Lech did not go over and over again to prevent Lu Ke from expressing his position in front of the media. It was the first run-in; then, he noticed that Lu Ke had signs of suspected injury but concealed the truth. While staying on the court, Lech and Lu Ke started talking and determined their career plans. That was the second run-in.
Today is the third time.
"Cars, sports equipment, clothing and beverages. This is still our goal." Lech returned to the topic itself and began to explain his plan, "But the choice of brands must be long-term and cautious. We need Build your personal image step by step, rather than giving up short-term gains, you must stick to your plan to the end.”
Lu Ke nodded slightly to express his understanding, and then asked enthusiastically, "But what if I retire in three years?"
Laihe raised his head and saw the mischievous light shining deep in Lu Ke's eyes. He was not angry or angry, but calmly asked, "Why not one year or two years, but three years? Even for example, you have a lot of choices. I thought you might not last the second year, just like Sam Bradford."
In 2010, the St. Louis Rams selected Sam Bradford as the No. 1 pick. He turned in a perfect answer in the first season of his career, becoming the third rookie player after Peyton Manning and Matt Ryan. The quarterback who started sixteen games and threw for 3,000 yards was voted unanimously the Offensive Rookie of the Year.
In 2011, the season that just ended, Bradford was plagued by injuries and was hit and miss throughout the season. In the end, he only threw six touchdowns and six interceptions, winning two games. Fourteen losses ended the second year of his career.
Lu Ke spread his hands and said half-jokingly, "What if I said, I'm aiming for three consecutive Super Bowls?"
Laihe raised his eyebrows and murmured, as if he was considering the words slowly, and then said, "For such a reason, I am willing to pay."
Then, Lech showed a confident smile, "If even the agent doesn't believe in his players, then who else will? Although I think you were talking nonsense just now." Don't talk about three consecutive championships or defending the title. Championship, even winning a Super Bowl is already extremely difficult. Otherwise, no team in the league would have been able to create such history for half a century.
So much for the tongue-in-cheek talk.
Lech then continued, "In fact, I already have some top brands worthy of cooperation, and Under Armor is also looking to renew its contract; in addition, some Asian companies have begun to come to me. So, I I just want to say hello to you in advance, please be patient. There will be good news soon."
Lu Ke nodded gently and without further ado, he left all the off-field matters to Laihe.
Looking at Lu Ke, who looked like a shopkeeper shaking his head, Laihe was slightly helpless, "Aren't you worried that I sold you?"
"You can try it and see." Lu Ke replied with a smile on his face, but the dangerous atmosphere revealed in his words was clearly revealed.
The original cooperation between Lu Ke and Laihe was the result of a two-way choice, which made the cooperation between them more equal and smoother, because before the cooperation, the so-called trust assessment had ended.
"You made a special trip here today. Isn't that why you came here?" Laihe did not continue to speak, but Lu Ke took the initiative to say.
