Super Bowl Domination

Chapter 264 Unique
"what?"

Even though he was used to it and had prepared himself mentally for today's interview, he still lost his composure for once because it was too absurd and shocking. A smile crept up the corners of his mouth and he looked at Donald in disbelief, as if it was just a joke.

Donald, however, did not laugh.

Donald still had a calm face and no expression. He didn't get angry when he saw Edwards' smile, and he repeated it calmly.

"Mr. Edwards, you heard me right. Seven million and a half dollars a year for a ten-year contract. That's my offer."

Right now the top salary in the entire NFL is just $2.5 million a year, and now Donald has tripled it in one go?
Edwards' smile faltered slightly, but he quickly composed himself and tried to take control of the situation, "This wasn't the case the last time we talked."

Donald nodded slightly, "I know. But the last offer was the last offer, and the situation is different now. After all, another two weeks have passed."

Edwards frowned slightly: This is not a martial ethics! "Negotiations shouldn't be like this."

"I know." Donald said calmly, "but this is how I feel right now."

"wrong."

Donald then continued aggressively.

"Now the price has changed again. Ten million dollars a year, for a ten-year contract."

Edwards looked at Donald as if he were a psychopath.

Donald didn't mind. He leaned back in his chair and crossed his legs. "Mr. Edwards, I am not satisfied with Nike's cooperative attitude."

"We all know what Levi represents now. He is not Beckham Jr. or Brady. He is the one and only Levi."

"How long has the NFL waited to finally get this opportunity?"

"The league had just signed a broadcasting agreement with China, and Levi suddenly appeared on the court. The last piece of the puzzle for Goodell's plan to expand in Asia and even globally has been completed. Nothing can stop it."

"When we discuss Levi, those so-called disadvantages will now become his advantages in breaking prejudices, breaking patterns and making history."

"Everything in front of us is brand new. I think Levi has even greater advantages than Jordan did back then. After all, the NFL is now the most profitable league in the world. Both the teams and the league are far ahead in terms of revenue, which is not comparable to the NBA back then."

"So, when we sit down to negotiate, I hope to see not only sincerity but also courage. Otherwise, I don't think there is any need to continue."

Bullshit?

No, this is to be decisive and ruthless, to quickly and easily sort out the entire situation.

Donald looked at Edwards calmly.

"Of course, we can continue to wait and see when Levi loses, whether he will get injured next, and how long the Chiefs' performance this season can last, but believe me, if we continue to wait, the situation will only become more and more favorable to us."

“Maybe, Levi will lose, but maybe, Levi will continue to win.”

"The real point is not winning or losing, but Levi's ability to always prove himself with top performances and get passers-by talking about football."

"Do you know how much traffic there is on the topic tag about Levi on Chinese social networks right now?"

"If you don't know yet, I suggest Nike should do some homework."

Inadvertently, it was a rant, Donald was absolutely on fire——

Edwards felt a little aggrieved.

Of course Nike has done its homework, how could it not?

In just three weeks, the discussion traffic of Levi on China's largest social networking platform has exceeded one billion.

Yes, you read that number right, one billion. The traffic index has soared across the board. NFL CEO Goodell is fully promoting the event, showing his determination to win the Asian market. From one million to one billion, the traffic index has increased a hundredfold. The only thing between the NFL and the Asian market is Levi.

Was Donald being over the top when he compared Levi to Jordan?

Not necessarily.

Back then, Jordan was just a college player with no honors or championships. Even in the draft, his brilliance was not the brightest.

To put it bluntly, the fundamental reason why Nike chose to sign Jordan was that the No. 1 and No. 2 picks had already been locked up by Converse, leaving Nike with no chance at all.

Now, Levi has no honors in the professional league, but at least he has stepped onto the league field and put up record-breaking performances in three games, which fully ignited traffic.

It was precisely because Edwards knew that Donald was right and could not refute it that he felt even more aggrieved.

Donald didn't care. He leaned forward slightly and looked at the big man in front of him.

"Mr. Edwards, how do you think Adidas and Under Armour will respond to the same conditions? If we continue to wait, who will be the first to give up?"

Generally speaking, negotiations are not so straightforward, where one rolls up his sleeves and fights with bare hands like a reckless man and starts punching unreasonably. However, Donald broke expectations and completely disrupted Edwards' plan with a round of punches and kicks.

however.

Edwards had to admit that Donald was right.

Under Armour would nod.

Keep persisting, for another week, or at most two weeks, as long as Levi can continue to win and keep the topic hot, Under Armour will nod.

Even Adidas may get there first.

In today's competition, the initiative does not lie in anyone's hands.

Indeed, Donald does not need to proceed step by step. He can just sit back and watch the three competitors fight to the death.

But...10 million dollars a year? This price is still too outrageous!
For reference, Nike signed two top professional tennis stars, Federer and Nadal, with their last contract worth 10 million US dollars a year.

That was tennis, an individual sport where promotion and exposure were easy and only top stars received such treatment; but what they were discussing now was rugby, a league with nearly two thousand players.

Nike, you can’t be willful.

why?
Once they agree to a contract like Levi's, other football players' agents will ask for exorbitant prices, and Nike cannot open this door.

Absolutely not.

However, Edwards did not panic, but calmed down.

The more aggressive and the more nonsense Donald speaks, the more it means that all this is just a trick to deceive people. The real proposal is still to come. These tricks are equivalent to a performance to divert attention before the magic comes on stage.

Despite the embarrassment, Edwards looked at Donald and showed Nike's courage.

"I heard."

"Mr. Yu, I heard everything. I am now ready for the negotiation. Why don't we get down to business?"

The subtext is that he also knows that all the previous preparations are just gimmicks, and the subsequent negotiations are the real and feasible options.

Donald was not surprised, otherwise Edwards would not have been able to sit in this position.

"Two and a half million dollars a year, for five years. At the same time, we need Nike to open a product line specifically for Levi, including but not limited to sneakers, jerseys, hats, socks, etc. Levi can enjoy a 3% dividend on all global sales."

(End of this chapter)