Chapter 684: Brand Image
"Is everything going well? How's the training plan that Andre came up with?" As Leigh approached, a mix of sunlight and sweat filled the air. You could almost feel the vibrant energy and vitality. For Leigh, who had been sitting in an office for a long time and whose old bones probably couldn't handle working out anymore, just feeling the atmosphere was refreshing.
Lu Ke nodded. "We're in the middle of it." He meant that their cooperation was in the adjustment phase, but the overall direction was positive.
After a long day of high-intensity training that had been going on for a month, Lu Ke was too tired to talk much, so his words were concise. He was drenched in sweat, as if he had just been pulled out of the water, but at the same time, he had to drink large gulps of water to rehydrate.
Leigh slightly lowered his chin and said with a smile, seemingly casually, "Bambi, you're a very self-disciplined player. You don't need to be urged or worried about. For any agent, this is a dream player. But I still need to give you some advice: don't push yourself too hard."
Lu Ke, who was wiping his sweat, stopped and looked at him with a confused expression.
Leigh still had a calm demeanor, but his words revealed warm concern. "You should know that overtraining can easily lead to sports injuries. Not just injuries, but wear and tear on your body that can accumulate and cause irreversible damage. Ten or twenty years from now, when you retire, I don't want Anne to be waiting for you at home with a wheelchair."
Anne, in this case, referred to Jiang Youning.
Jiang Youning had mentioned before that for every game, Leigh would keep in touch with Lu Zhengze and Jiang Youning, making sure their phones were always on so he could inform them of Lu Ke's condition as soon as possible. Even when there were no games, Leigh would proactively tell them about Lu Ke's recent situation and training.
In the unlikely event that something happened to Lu Ke, Leigh didn't want his family to find out from reporters or the television. The news that had been passed around and spread was always sensationalized, bringing unnecessary harm to the players' families. This was something Leigh had always tried to avoid.
As a compassionate agent, Leigh's way of handling things was indeed different. "I'm responsible for him," was what Leigh told Jiang Youning. And in real life, he did just that.
Leigh watched this year's Pro Bowl with the Lu family.
Lu Zhengze officially invited Leigh and his wife to have dinner at their home. That night, Jiang Youning personally cooked for the Steinbergs, and they watched the Pro Bowl together, spending a wonderful evening.
In response to Leigh's teasing, Lu Ke laughed. "That's why I didn't do any extra training just now."
"I noticed." Leigh chuckled. "But are you sure? I noticed that your training volume is heavier than Logan's and Marcus'."
"Ha." Lu Ke laughed. "Don't worry, Andre and I are still getting into our rhythm. If there's a problem, I'll bring it up. I won't joke around with my career."
In fact, Lu Ke's training volume was a bit outrageous.
It wasn't because of Andre or the system.
From the arrangements and adjustments of his daily training tasks, Lu Ke had already figured out the system's pattern. It always challenged Lu Ke's physical limits but wouldn't cause any real damage. Instead, it would accumulate little by little, pushing Lu Ke to break through the bottlenecks. Objectively speaking, the system's plan was undoubtedly the most scientific and reasonable.
This time was the same.
According to Andre's plan, Lu Ke re-adjusted his training plan. That day, the system's daily task was refreshed, reducing the amount of some training to ensure that Lu Ke would not be injured from overtraining.
Three days later, the system's daily training task was upgraded and adjusted to include training items like trampolines. Obviously, Andre's training plan passed the test. The system absorbed the good parts, removed the bad parts, and made a new plan.
But Lu Ke's training volume was still quite intimidating. The root cause was the loss in the Conference Championship. The penalty for losing was a burden that Lu Ke had to bear.
"Offseason training effectiveness reduced by 10%, daily training task difficulty increased by +1."
These two penalties were vividly and specifically reflected in every day's training. Lu Ke was truly dancing on a tightrope, constantly challenging his limits. Although the training effectiveness was reduced by 10%, he could still clearly feel that he had touched the barrier of his physical talent. He just needed to put in a little more effort to break through this wall.
Gradually, Lu Ke began to get used to this amount of training, as if he had lead blocks tied to his ankles. At first, it was difficult to move, but over time, he got used to it and eventually couldn't feel them at all. Habit is a terrible thing, and human adaptability is also a terrible thing.
Leigh nodded in agreement with Lu Ke's frankness. He didn't continue the conversation on this topic. Instead, he politely asked, "How much rest time do you have? Do you have time to slow down and talk?"
"Thirty minutes." Although Lu Ke didn't say much, he still caught the seriousness in Leigh's words. Furthermore, Leigh wasn't the type to just wander around. Since he had come specifically to the training field to visit, it meant he had important business to discuss.
Then, Lu Ke and Leigh walked along the edge of the training field. In the center of the field, the other guys were still training with focus and dedication. Slogans and rhythms could be heard from time to time, and their conversation became more relaxed.
"After the regular season ended, sponsors started coming to us one after another, hoping to hire you as their spokesperson." Leigh didn't beat around the bush and went straight to the point. "The reason I didn't tell you was because you were preparing for the playoffs, and I didn't want to distract you. The other reason is that I rejected all of them."
As the only Chinese quarterback in the league, Lu Ke had created countless miracles. Even without the "Chinese" label, as a rookie quarterback, Lu Ke had also made countless historical achievements.
What's more, after the game against the Arizona Cardinals, Roger Goodell's attitude undoubtedly represented the league's official stance, which further paved the way for Lu Ke's rise.
Also, in the playoffs, he strongly defeated the New Orleans Saints in the four-minute drill showdown, and he tied the game with a Hail Mary and lost to the New York Giants in overtime. These two games gained Lu Ke countless fans.
It was no exaggeration to say that Lu Ke was a hot commodity now. Too many interests were tied to him, and everyone was trying to get a piece of the pie. Even the NFL was no exception. Goodell was already planning related promotional activities for the new season, and Lu Ke was undoubtedly one of the key figures.
But Leigh never told Lu Ke about this, which was obviously abnormal.
"If it were any other player, they would have been impatiently asking about sponsorship deals. They would have wanted to become billionaires as soon as possible and spend lavishly. But you never said anything, so I wasn't in a hurry to tell you," Leigh shook his head slightly, showing a helpless smile.
Lu Ke spread his hands. "Because I have the best agent, and the best choice is to trust him."
Leigh's eyes fell on Lu Ke, and he smiled. He suddenly blurted out, "I think you'd be a great fit for a talk show in the future."
This was so sudden that Lu Ke was taken aback.
But Leigh didn't stop. He continued, "For football players, they often focus more on short-term commercial value. They'll just take any advertising endorsement they can get, regardless of the brand."
"On one hand, there are simply too many players in the league, and only a very small number of them can get endorsements. As long as there's a chance, they'll take it. On the other hand, the careers of football players are often not long. A lot of running backs leave the field after one to three years. And for quarterbacks, countless of them disappear after one or two years if they can't secure a starting position."
As Leigh spoke, he glanced at Lu Ke, but he noticed that Lu Ke was not affected at all, so he looked away and continued.
"So, you can't blame them for choosing short-term gains," Leigh said objectively. "But I hope you won't be a fleeting meteor but a banner in the league. Your commercial value is far greater than Peyton Manning and Tom Brady."
Otherwise, Leigh wouldn't have directly negotiated with Goodell. This was a massive plan, and the league was a part of it.
Lu Ke nodded slightly. "Now I finally understand what you meant when you chose to sign with me back then."
This self-deprecating remark made Leigh chuckle, but he didn't deny it.
"Everyone knows that the four dream advertisements for professional athletes are cars, sportswear, apparel, and drinks. But including these four brands, the advertising endorsements of football players can be simply divided into two types."
"One is fast-moving consumer goods, which are closely related to an athlete's career. For example, pizza, soft drinks, and sportswear. The contracts can only be extended if the player performs well on the field. Once they get injured or retire, all these advertisements might disappear."
"The other is luxury goods that focus on brand image, such as cars, watches, and fashion. They value on-field performance, but they value the player's personal image and off-field influence even more. On-field performance is the foundation, but if you can successfully establish a brand image, you can continue to sell for a long, long time."
Lu Ke pursed his lips slightly. "Like David Beckham?"
Leigh paused for a moment and then laughed cheerfully. "Yes, just like David Beckham!"
"Wait, are you trying to turn me into Beckham?" Lu Ke's eyes widened, showing a look of disbelief.
🗒️NOTE:
Support me on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/MistaQuartz
Explore up to 30 chapters in advance!