Chapter 685: Grand Ambitions
"David Beckham," Leigh said as he savored the name, nodding slightly in approval. "That's a very fitting analogy."
"...I was just joking," Lu Ke said, realizing Leigh was serious. He shook his head, wiped the sweat from his forehead, and said earnestly, "Honestly, I don't think there's any similarity between me and Beckham."
Leigh didn't mind and simply shrugged. "Fifteen years ago, David Beckham wasn't David Beckham either."
For an agent, building a commercial empire around a brand image is the ultimate goal of a career. Now, Leigh had found his ultimate goal.
Every sport has a commercial empire built around a top superstar: David Beckham and Cristiano Ronaldo in soccer, LeBron James and Kobe Bryant in basketball, Roger Federer and Serena Williams in tennis...
Michael Schumacher in racing, Michael Phelps in swimming, Usain Bolt in sprinting, Tiger Woods in golf... and so on.
However, in football, due to the large number of players, the specialized nature of the sport, and various complex reasons, the commercial empires built around top superstars have always been inferior to those in other sports.
Currently, the most commercially valuable players in the league are Peyton Manning and Tom Brady.
However, the market value and income of these two superstars are simply incomparable to other sports superstars. In the list of the world's most commercially valuable athletes, neither Manning nor Brady could make it into the top thirty. This is a huge difference compared to the NFL's profitability and ability to create commercial value.
For Leigh, this was a challenge, a challenge that could give his career a second life.
In fact, before David Beckham, the commercial and market value of professional athletes was also limited. Top superstars like Michael Jordan and Muhammad Ali were able to get commercial endorsements and sponsorships, but they were far from developing their full market value.
It wasn't until the emergence of Beckham that people realized how "brand image" could be used for profit. A single player could sustain a market value of billions or even tens of billions of dollars.
In Leigh's eyes, being an Asian player and an undrafted rookie were Lu Ke's disadvantages, but they were also his advantages.
If Lu Ke couldn't stand up and become just another player, this label would become a heavy burden that would suffocate him. But if Lu Ke could rise up and create his own world, this label would become the starting point for him to make history and create miracles. Countless "firsts" would become Lu Ke's business cards as he marched toward a commercial empire.
In the end, for professional athletes, strength and achievements are the foundation of everything.
Now, Lu Ke had taken a solid first step in his rookie season. Leigh believed that the first condition he needed had matured. Therefore, he was now proceeding with the plan step by step.
"Bambi, do you know how massive and vast the Asian market is?" Leigh said meaningfully, a flash of wisdom in his experienced eyes. "As for how much potential your homeland has, I don't think I need to elaborate."
Leigh caught the look of shock and surprise on Lu Ke's face and couldn't help but smile.
It was only at times like this that the youthfulness and naivety of a young man would appear on Lu Ke's face, reminding others that this quarterback who had been dominating the field was not yet twenty-three years old.
"I believe you can become the Beckham of football. Because you have advantages that Manning and Brady don't have. At the same time, football also has advantages that soccer and basketball don't. Asia is a brand new market, an untapped market. Now, you hold the key to opening up this virgin land."
This was the first time Leigh had shown his ambition to Lu Ke. This was a world that Lu Ke was not familiar with, and it was also a world that Lu Ke could not touch with his current perspective.
The whole of Asia, one-fifth of the world's population. Not just Roger Goodell, but also other leagues like basketball, soccer, and baseball were trying to tap into the potential of this land. No one was an exception. The NBA had already taken the lead. Europe's top five leagues were also actively developing this market. Now, Leigh wanted to be the pioneer for the NFL.
Such a perspective, such a vision, and such courage were indeed a cut above the rest and unique.
And Lu Ke was just a young man who had just graduated from college a year ago. What's more, business and marketing were not his majors.
Facing Leigh's grand ambitions, Lu Ke's mouth was slightly agape. He didn't hide his surprise and shock. The words of disbelief lingered on his tongue for a moment, and finally turned into a chuckle. "Why not? When you face a challenge, if you don't even have the courage to try, it's better to live a peaceful life and enjoy a moment of tranquility."
The joking tone revealed Lu Ke's grand ambitions.
"Was that your mindset when you participated in the draft?" Leigh asked curiously.
Leigh didn't need Lu Ke's answer. He already knew it.
In his four years of college, he had only completed two incomplete games. For any rookie like that, even with a godly physique and an incredible rookie training camp, thirty-two teams wouldn't have taken the risk because the reference sample was too small and there were too many other players they could choose from. They didn't need to gamble.
So, this was an attempt that was destined to fail. But Lu Ke still went to the training camp with his head held high and left an impression on many teams with his actions, which paved the way for Jim Harbaugh's bold gamble later on.
Indeed.
Lu Ke shrugged nonchalantly. His seemingly ordinary expression exuded a powerful confidence and a firm will with every gesture. It was this maturity and toughness that were beyond his age that became the key reason for Leigh's decision to take a gamble.
Leigh looked away and didn't continue to test him because he knew that his idea had been approved by Lu Ke.
For a player and an agent, they have a cooperative relationship. They need to get along and understand each other. The rapport between them is the foundation for success.
Before, after the game against the Arizona Cardinals, Leigh didn't overstep his bounds and stop Lu Ke from expressing his stance in front of the media. That was the first time they got along. Then, when he noticed that Lu Ke had a suspected injury but was hiding the truth and stayed on the field, Leigh talked to Lu Ke and determined a career plan for him. That was the second time they got along.
Today was the third time.
"Cars, sportswear, apparel, and drinks. These are still our goals." Leigh returned to the topic itself and began to elaborate on his plan. "But the choice of brands must be for the long term and must be made with caution. We need to build your personal image step by step. We would rather give up short-term gains and stick to the plan."
Lu Ke nodded slightly to show that he understood. Then he asked with great interest, "But what if I retire in three years?"
Leigh looked up and saw the mischievous sparkle in Lu Ke's eyes. He wasn't angry or upset. Instead, he calmly retorted, "Why not one or two years? Why three? You have many choices even when you're giving an example. I thought you might not even last through your second year, just like Sam Bradford."
In 2010, the St. Louis Rams drafted Sam Bradford as the first overall pick. He had a perfect rookie season, becoming the third quarterback after Peyton Manning and Matt Ryan to start sixteen games and pass for three thousand yards in his rookie season. He was unanimously selected as the NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year.
In 2011, the season that had just ended, Bradford was plagued by injuries. He played on and off throughout the season and ended his second year with only six touchdowns and six interceptions and a record of two wins and fourteen losses.
Lu Ke spread his hands and said in a half-joking tone, "What if I said I'm aiming for three consecutive Super Bowl championships?"
Leigh raised his eyebrows and thought for a moment, as if he was carefully considering the statement. Then he said, "I'm willing to pay for that reason."
Then, Leigh showed a confident smile. "If even an agent doesn't believe in his own player, who will? Although I think you were just spouting nonsense." Let alone three consecutive championships or defending a championship, it was already extremely difficult to win one Super Bowl. Otherwise, no team in the league would have been able to achieve such a historical feat for half a century.
The joking topic ended there.
Leigh continued, "In fact, I already have some top brands that are worth working with. Under Armour is also looking to renew their contract. In addition, some Asian companies have already started to approach us. So, I'm just giving you a heads-up. Please be patient. There will be good news soon."
Lu Ke nodded slightly without saying more. He would leave all off-field matters to Leigh.
Looking at Lu Ke, who was acting like he didn't care about anything, Leigh was a little helpless. "Aren't you worried that I'll sell you out?"
"You can try," Lu Ke replied with a smile, but the dangerous undertone in his words was obvious.
The cooperation between Lu Ke and Leigh was the result of a two-way selection, which made their cooperation more equal and smoother because the so-called trust assessment had already been completed before the cooperation began.
"You didn't come all the way here just for this, did you?" Leigh didn't say anything, but Lu Ke took the initiative to speak.
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