Chapter 982: Chapter 982: Another Endorsement Deal

Chapter 982: Another Endorsement Deal

New York, the world’s number one city.

In the mid-17th century, after the Anglo-Dutch War ended, the Netherlands was defeated and forced to cede New Amsterdam on the East Coast of North America to Britain. At that time, it happened to be the birthday of Charles II’s brother, the Duke of York, so the king changed the name of New Amsterdam to New York as a birthday present for the Duke of York. That’s how we have the New York of today.

In the early 20th century, Europe was swept by a craze to explore America, and other parts of North America also came to the most prosperous port on the East Coast to look for new business opportunities. For immigrants, New York was a new world, so it was also nicknamed the "Big Apple," which means "good-looking and delicious, everyone wants a bite."

Today, New York has become one of the most important and prosperous cities in the world. Its status is irreplaceable even on a global scale.

In this city, the hustle and bustle of people and traffic are non-stop all year round. The towering steel forest divides the city into a neat grid. Only in the area near the Statue of Liberty can you still see the messy, long and short streets of Europe, revealing the city’s past.

The raging winds at the mouth of the sea roar and pass through the towering buildings. The sparse golden sunlight seems unable to penetrate the tight blockade, listlessly casting on the gray road. The howling wind roars at any time of the year, adding a touch of desolation to this cold and distant corner. The endless stream of people always instinctively pulls their coats together, creating a barrier between themselves and strangers.

Just by looking through the car window at the busy figures on the street, you can deeply feel the difference between the East Coast and the West Coast. This is not Los Angeles, nor is it San Francisco, but New York. Even for an immigrant like Lu Ke, he could deeply feel the "East-West rivalry" of the United States.

This was the second time Lu Ke had visited New York this year.

The last time was in Week 4 of this season for the game against the New York Jets, but because the MetLife Stadium was not in New York City but in New Jersey, they didn’t have a chance to go into the city and take a good look around.

This time seemed to be the same. He could only glimpse the city from the four-door sedan that came to pick him up. Then, he quickly disappeared into one of the countless skyscrapers, as if he had been swallowed by the city.

Caught off guard, Lu Ke didn’t even have time to take a good look at the exterior of the building. The car had already driven directly into the underground parking lot. All the scenery in his sight turned into a cold, gray concrete wall. It wasn’t until he took the elevator to his destination that he realized it was a hotel.

Thinking back, he seemed to have caught a glimpse of the words "Hilton Hotel" at the entrance of the parking lot. However, because he was not expecting the car to turn suddenly, Lu Ke didn’t get a good look, so he couldn’t be 100% sure.

He pushed open the door of the hotel room and saw Leigh Steinberg sitting at the desk.

At this time, Leigh was enjoying a leisurely afternoon tea. The aroma of tea filled the air. There was also a Black Forest cake and a cup of milk on the coffee table. He was holding a copy of "The Birthday Party" by Nobel Prize in Literature winner Harold Pinter and was reading it seriously. His leisure and comfort were in stark contrast to Lu Ke’s rush and haste.

Lu Ke immediately realized that things were not too urgent, at least not at the moment. So, Lu Ke sat down opposite Leigh, let out a long breath, and pointed at the milk on the table. "Can I drink this?" He wasn’t asking for permission, but asking if it contained any banned substances. Professional athletes had to be careful at all times.

As expected, Leigh immediately understood and shook his head. "It’s from the hotel. It might not be reliable. You’d better drink bottled water."

Then he gestured to Vincent, who had followed him in. Leigh put down his book and folded his hands on his knees. "I’m sorry I couldn’t watch this game at Gillette Stadium in person. Honestly, I regret it. It was such a wonderful game, and I couldn’t watch it live. I love seeing the panic on Bill’s face the most."

Bill? Bill Belichick? He didn’t expect them to be friends! But... that didn’t seem strange either.

"I thought you were trying to avoid suspicion," Lu Ke said jokingly.

Leigh was slightly stunned, and then he reacted. "You know?"

Recently, there had been some unreliable rumors in the league that since Brady was now in the second half of his career, Belichick had been struggling to find a successor for Brady.

The reason why the news was said to be unreliable was not because of the news itself—the New England Patriots had indeed been looking for a suitable young backup quarterback, just like when Aaron Rodgers took over from Brett Favre, to prepare for the void after Brady’s performance declined. After all, Brady was already 35 this year.

It was because those who truly understood Belichick knew that he didn’t believe in quarterbacks with outstanding individual abilities. He was more inclined to a quarterback who fit his tactical system. Since Brady, the Patriots had never selected a quarterback before the sixth round. Lu Ke was obviously not suitable for Belichick’s tactical system.

Such news was completely baseless. Instead of a real rumor, it was more likely that someone was deliberately trying to praise Lu Ke to set him up for failure and to mess with the San Francisco 49ers’ morale. In any case, Lu Ke’s contract renewal next offseason would be a focal point of attention, and they could already see that competitors were starting to cause trouble.

The reason Leigh didn’t tell Lu Ke was that he didn’t take it seriously at all. He had already started to deal with it. He didn’t expect the news to leak out among the players.

"He can’t afford the contract I want," Leigh said in an understatement, which revealed his strong confidence. What he was looking for was a top contract that would break historical records, not a backup position.

Lu Ke laughed.

Leigh didn’t say any more nonsense and got straight to the point. "The reason I came to New York today is because someone here needed me to watch the game with them."

Before Lu Ke could think about it, Leigh immediately dropped a bombshell. "The new sponsor has basically been finalized. We had a small party, and they also wanted to watch your game in person to see your performance. A bunch of cunning old foxes, they specifically chose this game."

The game against the New England Patriots was an absolute test for Lu Ke. Even an outsider knew how difficult Belichick and the New England Patriots were to deal with, and the important matchup between Lu Ke and Brady was a focus that the league was hyping up. So, the sponsors specifically chose this game.

It was a final test.

But for Lu Ke, the more surprising part was: there was another sponsor? The Rolex endorsement deal was only two months ago.

But Leigh said it so casually, as if it was no big deal. Lu Ke’s surprise didn’t come in a huge wave. "What if we had lost this game?" he asked curiously.

Leigh shrugged lightly. "It’s not a big problem. How can an athlete never lose a game? What they wanted to see was your style of play, especially your attitude in a difficult situation. Of course, it would have been even better if you had won."

From the process and outcome of the game, Lu Ke’s performance was truly eye-catching. Even before today, there were countless rumors about Lu Ke in and out of the league, which greatly increased the expectations, but the reality was even better than the expectations.

For Leigh, Lu Ke’s game demeanor was an everyday occurrence, but for the sponsors, it was still a rare and important bonus point.

What Leigh didn’t say was that before this game, the contract negotiations had actually been basically finalized. Neither side had more room to advance or retreat. All that was left was to nod in agreement. The sponsor still hadn’t budged.

But after the game ended, they verbally agreed at the party. In less than two hours, the lawyers from both sides reviewed the contract details, and now all that was left was Lu Ke’s signature.

Obviously, this game really satisfied the other party.

This was also the reason for Leigh’s good mood. Looking back now, choosing Lu Ke back then was indeed a testament to his great foresight. Leigh intentionally didn’t tell Lu Ke these details, not because he was worried that Lu Ke couldn’t handle the pressure and would perform poorly, but because Lu Ke’s full attention was on the game, and Leigh would handle the off-field matters as much as possible, so Lu Ke wouldn’t be distracted.

After casually glossing over the matter, Leigh continued, "The contract has basically been finalized now. All that’s left is for you to officially sign it. That’s it. Tomorrow, you’ll need to make time to shoot a short commercial. They need to do post-production and editing to see if it can be aired during the Super Bowl."

One bombshell after another was dropped.

A 30-second Super Bowl commercial slot costs four million dollars. In the entire world, it is still the top of the top, and no one can compete. What’s even more exaggerated is that despite being so expensive, it is still in high demand. All the major advertisers are fighting to get a spot, from physical products to movie trailers, covering all fields. It can truly be said that they are spending a fortune.

Now, the sponsor that Leigh had signed for Lu Ke was actually qualified to compete for a Super Bowl commercial spot? Did this mean that its magnitude was not inferior to Rolex?

This was not surprising. Leigh had mentioned before that the number of companies willing to partner with Lu Ke was quite large, and he had been carefully vetting them. So, the one that stood out now was undoubtedly the result of multiple layers of selection. Inevitably, Lu Ke was also a little excited.

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