"There's no inside story. It's just that before I came here, Bambi was still training at UCLA, so I guess the press conference has nothing to do with Bambi." Jay said without blushing and without a heartbeat. He was full of nonsense but not nervous at all. , and spread his hands, "I just came here to see what's going on. As you know, Bambi is a training maniac, and he is still training. Maybe he was sold by Under Armor without even knowing it. "
The familiar reporter was also stunned for a moment, blinking, "Really?"
Jay took a step back, "I'm not sure either. Anyway, Bambi is now at UCLA, which I'm 100% sure of. As for the rest, I don't know. I guess, only the press conference is official." We can only reveal it after we start, right?" After saying that, he winked at the other party.
Then, the latest rumors appeared in the entire press hall: Lu Ke will not appear at the Hilton Hotel today, and Under Armor's press conference may have nothing to do with Lu Ke!
All the reporters started swearing, "I was cheated!"
In the midst of the restlessness, the reporters all began to be confused - think about it seriously, if it has nothing to do with Lu Ke, then what kind of news is worthy of Under Armor taking such a big step? It is so mysterious and so important that even professional reporters in the industry have not heard any news. Does this mean it is more worthy of excitement?
Standing in the lively crowd, Jay had to do his best to control the corners of his mouth and avoid them rising, but this was really not an easy task. He listened carefully to the wild conjectures of his peers, which became increasingly outrageous and funny. He is always on the verge of breaking through.
Especially when they turn around and ask, "Jay, do you have any guesses?"
He had to suppress a smile and make a serious expression of confusion, "No, I don't have any ideas. What do you think?" He felt that if he continued to hold it in like this, he would explode.
Fortunately, the press conference started soon.
…
"Click".
There was a crisp sound of a dislocated jaw in his ears. Jay felt that this was definitely the most beautiful moment this week. He could clearly see the shocked expressions of everyone in the audience who could not recover, even after experiencing the highest salary in the league. The impact, even after the preparation for a perfect season, even after Rolex and Mercedes-Benz, even after the joint competition between Nike and Adidas, when I actually heard the amount of Under Armor's contract extension, the shock was still clear The ground surged.
Under Armor and Lu Ke completed the endorsement contract renewal. This is a five-year contract worth US$5 million per year!
From a purely numerical perspective, five million per year is consistent with the Mercedes-Benz contract, but the five-year period is two years longer than the three years of Mercedes-Benz. Overall, It is said to be a contract worth 25 million. Compared with the NBA's tens of millions or even hundreds of millions of contracts, it seems not enough.
But in fact, this contract created a new history of the league! Again.
First of all, the market benchmarks of different industries are different. Sneaker contracts cannot be compared with cars, clothing, beverages, etc. This is especially true in the field of rugby. The value of this endorsement deal should be compared to other players within rugby.
Secondly, the amount of this contract is almost twice that of any football player currently in the NFL, even Nike or Adidas.
The renewal of the contract between Under Armor and Lu Ke not only made history, but also raised the cost of the rugby sneaker endorsement contract from two million to five million, a full double, easily killing it instantly. Any professional player in the league now.
This is a number that shocks the entire league! This is also a number that makes history!
Even though Jay was mentally prepared, when he heard the contract figures again, he couldn't help but be shocked and amazed. Like all the reporters present, he opened his mouth slightly and let out an exclamation. .
It is precisely because of this courage and ambition that Under Armor pulled out of the head-to-head competition between Nike and Adidas, defeated the two powerful competitors, and acquired the player with the most commercial value and market potential in the league. , this is definitely a contract that is enough to trigger an earthquake in the entire league!
Because of the special attributes of sneakers, Under Armor's contract renewal move has a huge and far-reaching impact even more than the San Francisco 49ers' contract renewal. It has undoubtedly become the biggest focus of this offseason - even Aaron Aaron Players such as Rodgers and Tony Romo who renewed their contracts this offseason did not receive such favors.
According to internal information after the press conference, the most ambitious one is still Nike, and the contract of "five million per year for five years" was written by Nike.
But Under Armor still has the advantage. When they signed the first contract with Lu Ke, it included relevant clauses. Before the contract expired, they had ten days to decide to match any competitor's offer and had priority to renew the contract. .
So Under Armor matched the contract.
After careful consideration, Nike did not further increase its contract offer. After all, football shoe contracts for rugby players are full of too many uncertainties. Five million is already an extremely high price, and "Lu Ke" is just one of the few people in the entire league. The first signing target, even Nike, must be cautious.
Then the current scene appeared.
Kevin Plank, the founder and CEO of Under Armor, personally appeared at the press conference and officially announced the gratifying news, “From the moment Lu Ke joined the alliance, he was destined to lead the way in creation. On the road of history, we are fortunate to be Lu Ke’s unwavering comrades fighting side by side. In the next five years, Under Armor will also accompany Lu Ke on this journey.”
Amid the astonished gazes of the audience, the lights in the conference hall slowly dimmed, and the projection screen behind them brightened. The reporters raised their eyes reflexively, and then saw the green training ground appearing on the screen. , and there was Lu Ke who was standing on the court and immersed in training...
Many eyes were subconsciously cast on Jay, and then they saw Jay spreading his hands with an innocent expression, as if to say, "See, I told you, Bambi is at UCLA."
Indeed, Lu Ke was at UCLA at this time.
Although the Under Armor press conference is being held, Lu Ke is still undergoing offseason training at this time, completing basic training meticulously. It wasn't any special training, just the simplest training, but it was real combat training. You could clearly see that Lu Ke's Under Armor quick-drying sportswear was soaked through.
Then, all the reporters watched Lu Ke's training. The extremely boring training, but because it was actually happening, it added a touch of joy.
After Lu Ke finished a set of foot training, he quickly ran towards the camera and stopped about five steps away from the camera. "Hey, I'm Lu Ke." But the self-introduction had just ended. Ke's gaze shifted to the side of the camera, and the focus seemed to be misaligned. Then he nodded slightly and took two steps forward.
Only then did the reporters realize that Lu Ke was adjusting the distance from the camera, and it was just too far.
After Lu Ke adjusted his steps, the smile on his face couldn't help but bloom, "God, I told you, I am a terrible actor, I am not suitable for this kind of performance. I bet, I will watch it now It must look very stupid." Lu Ke himself was the first to complain.
"The staff at Under Armor told me that I just need to focus on training there, and when it's time to broadcast, they give me the signal, and then I come over to say hello and say some thanks, and that's OK, but...Jesus Christ, I'm so embarrassed right now, I could die right here."
Lu Ke said cheerfully and happily, and his frank and straightforward expression made the reporters laugh, "**, our cover has been seen through, okay? **, if you are willing, you can also You can come out."
The camera lens moved over and focused on Watt standing next to him.
During this offseason, Under Armor also signed Watt, making Watt his player, so Watt's appearance can be regarded as an unexpected surprise.
"Logan, Marcus, don't steal the show, okay? You can leave your activity to your own time, otherwise we will have to mosaic the scene, which will be very troublesome." Lu Ke had already left the camera, but his voice It was still ringing, and then Logan and Marcus could be heard complaining.
Real, chaotic, yet incredibly relaxing.
The conference hall of Hilton Hotel burst into laughter again.
Finally, the camera returned to Lu Ke, "**, are you sure you can't come?"
"I think it would be more appropriate for me to stand by and not steal your lightning." Watt's voice sounded from the side.
Lu Ke spread his hands and said, "At least I have sent out an invitation." Then he looked at the camera again, "Honestly, I think we can perform 'Sesame Street' standing together, but this plan doesn't seem to work. Then I’ll just keep doing stand-up comedy.”
"Sesame Street" is one of the longest-running children's programs in the United States and has a profound influence.
Before Lu Ke could continue speaking, the voices of Logan, Marcus and others could be heard beside him, discussing and arguing about which role he was suitable to play in "Sesame Street".
Lu Ke paused for a moment, his eyes drifting away for a while, and then he refocused and said with a smile, "I guess Kevin Plank definitely didn't expect such a situation when he approved the live broadcast of the press conference. .” The taste of ridicule and complaint couldn’t be more obvious.
One second. Two seconds.
The conference hall of the Hilton Hotel burst into laughter, with endless applause and whistles. Even Kevin Plank couldn't hold back and applauded Lu Ke. d
