Born to Run

"Ye Qin, I can't understand why you refused this. The price given by the other party is very high."

Just after the National Day holiday, Max Eisenbad frowned in a conference room of the State Administration of Training. He looked at an endorsement contract in his hand with a deep incomprehension on his face.

This is a high-end endorsement contract for a well-known Japanese car brand. It took a lot of effort to get him Max Eisenbad and his entire team of brokers.

But now the most important link is that Yeqin could not pass at all. It took a full week from Yeqin to end the Shenghai Grand Prix, and the two sides could not coordinate.

"Is there no other choice?" Yechin looked at Max Eisenbad and asked in a low voice.

"Of course." Max Eisenbad frowned and laughed. "You are now a world trapeze, a great athlete who won the men's 100m and 200m championships at the World Championships. Oh, yes, you still There are 400-meter silver medal winners, and now a lot of business giants are waving banknotes outside the door, waiting for your favor."

In 2007, after Max Eisenbad signed a brokerage contract with Yechin, apart from a few small secondary endorsements, he did not immediately continue to find new business partners for Yechin.

But with the appearance of Yechin’s results in the last international competitions in 2007, one after another commercial endorsements have been found. Since the beginning of 2007, there has been an endless stream, so much so that his agent is a bit tricky. eye.

For high-end brands alone, there are Japan’s Toyota and Honda two giant car giants, South Korea’s Samsung’s electronic products, the United States is Coca-Cola, GM’s Chevrolet series, Germany’s Volkswagen and Mercedes-Benz, etc., luxury goods include IWC Watches, Longines and Omega watches, clothing brands and daily-use brands are even more numerous.

These are still international. If you add Chinese domestic ones, this list can almost be printed on A4 paper for several pages.

It is also the first time for Max Eisenbad to discover that there are so many powerful domestic companies in China. From daily necessities to beverages, almost all kinds of advertising endorsements are coming. The price offered is not lower than some of the companies he has seen abroad, and the number is large, large and small, and it takes a lot of time to select.

With his in-depth understanding of the Chinese market, he felt that the commercial value of Ye Chin was even greater than he thought. In a country with a population of one billion people, there are only three or four top sports stars in the country. It can be said that there is enough space to carry it.

Max Eisenbad is an old man in the sports industry. He has long understood that as a professional athlete, track and field athletes are naturally much more restricted than ball players such as basketball and football.

One of the main reasons is that the degree of commercialization of track and field events has never reached the level of ball sports. For big ball events such as football, basketball and rugby, the annual salary of top athletes starts at tens of millions of dollars.

The salary of track and field athletes is very low compared with that. In some top competitions, even the million dollar prize of the IAAF Golden League, not to mention that it is ultimately shared by multiple athletes, but the bonus is The amount, compared with the bonus of hundreds of millions such as tennis racing, is also very different.

Of course, compared with more than dozens of high-intensity matches a year like football and basketball, track and field competitions are definitely not that fierce.

This is not to say that the level of hard work of track and field athletes is lower than that of other athletes. Top athletes basically need to maintain a high level of training throughout the season in order to maintain their fitness. Especially in the growth stage, this is especially important.

Only in the absence of time for major competitions, the exposure of track and field competitions is very low, and only the IAAF World Tour barely has a certain degree of influence.

However, the heat of track and field is still very high when encountering big competition years such as the World Championships and the Olympic Games. Around the world, the reputation of the world's trapeze is not lower than the popularity of other sports stars.

The income of the athletes at the top of the pyramid is also an astronomical figure.

Since signing a commercial endorsement with Max Eisenbad, Yechin's income this year has surpassed all his previous competitions combined, and it has exceeded it several times.

On the one hand, there are reasons for his continuous improvement, breaking the 10-second mark, and winning three Asian records. On the other hand, there is also the ability to move from top agents.

Don’t say anything else, but after the World Championships, Adidas paid more than 5 million US dollars in endorsement fees, and in order to be Yechin’s long-term sponsor of the sports brand, it has signed a sponsorship of no less than 10 million US dollars per year in the future. cost.

This cost has exceeded the 2004 Olympic Games champion Jax-Telling, Nike gave him an annual fee of 2.8 million US dollars.

Of course, if Yechin can win the Olympic champion or break the world record, this fee will continue to rise.

Volkswagen has also issued a commercial contract worth US$2 million per year, and it has been upgraded from second-level endorsement to first-level endorsement. The specific words have not yet been implemented. Today, the focus of Max Eisenbad’s conversation with Yechin is here. This giant in the auto industry in Japan has a higher endorsement cost than Volkswagen. It is directly a top-level contract, which will continue to increase in the future.

Max Eisenbad is on the side of female athletes, and now he holds Sharapova, the top tennis popular star. Sarapova was named "the most beautiful athlete" in 2006 and has reached the top. The top of the list of the richest women athletes.

While Yechin, Max Esenbad wanted to put him on the list of the richest men in income, dare not say the top position, but there is still a chance to get into the top ten.

Compared with other sports, the disadvantages of track and field are obviously obvious, but Max Eisenbad's greatest confidence still comes from the huge market of China.

China's economy has developed rapidly in recent years, and Ye Qin's backing on such a market with unlimited potential can be said to have unparalleled commercial potential.

According to the market survey he conducted specifically for Liu Yangyu, his annual income ranks high in the international arena. In addition, there is also the NBA star Yao Yao. An important piece of his annual income also comes from the huge market in China.

This time, the endorsement of the commercial contract sent from Japan is a very good opportunity for Max Esenbad, so he still can't understand Yechin's refusal. The Chinese market, the East Asian market, this is an important factor in his fancy Yechin.

Ye Qin is actually a little vague about his current income. According to the exchange of U.S. dollars and RMB, he is now worth more than 100 million yuan.

Moreover, this number is still increasing continuously. He now feels that his income is a series of numbers, and what he leaves to consider is the issue of appreciation and preservation.

For a farm boy who could not even afford sports shoes, he has always felt a little dreamy about the changes in his income over the past few years.

Since the first 200-meter championship at the 2005 World Championships, the increase in income has exceeded his imagination. If he is not in that position, he may not be able to think that money can sometimes be so profitable.

By this year, in 2007, his income was accompanied by his performance on the field, and it was soaring, and he was a bit stunned to see himself.

For Ye Qin now, the money seems to be retired now and he can live a comfortable life without work at all. He is no longer the poor boy who completely needs to play for financial rewards.

When he had a choice, he didn't want to accept the endorsement of Japanese companies that Max Eisenbad said.

He now has a certain understanding of commercial endorsements. The other party can offer such a high price. Simply put, he definitely hopes to use his reputation to obtain greater returns in China.

The education from childhood to adulthood is not acceptable to him in terms of ethnic complex. Domestic sports athletes, whether it is Dayao or Liu Yangyu, basically avoid the endorsement of Japanese companies.

So far, the two he has learned about accepting endorsements from Japan are the former diving queen, and the other is the racket endorsed by the badminton god.

For others, Ye Qin has no position to criticize, but Dayao and Liu Yangyu are the examples. If possible, he naturally does not want himself to be stained in this regard.

Besides, things like ethnic plots have always existed.

After listening to Yeqin's brief talk about the situation, Max Eisenbad nodded, expressing his understanding and did not continue to delve into this topic.

From the perspective of a top broker, he is considering business alone, and he also understands that Ye Chin's endorsement of Japanese companies may cause his domestic income.

It is obvious which one is the basic disk.

"I don't know if you can be nominated for the Lawrence World Sports Awards next year. If you can get this award, the revenue from some commercial contracts may go further."

Avoiding the issue of Japanese endorsement just now, Max Eisenbad smiled and talked about next year's Lawrence World Sports Awards.

"I haven't thought about this." Ye Qin leaned on the chair in the conference room, shook his head and smiled.

He naturally knows the Lawrence World Sports Awards. It was founded in 2000 by Daimler and Richemont, and was supported by global partners Mercedes-Benz and IC IWC. It is one of the most influential awards in the world sports arena, and it is currently the only global sports awards ceremony.

For athletes, this is the Oscar in sports.

In China, Ye Qin knows that Dayao and Liu Yangyu have won the newcomer of the year respectively. The other winners are all sports superstars in the international sports world.

Asafaville was nominated for the Lawrence Sports Awards this year. In the 2006 season, Asafaville's brilliance illuminated almost the entire track and field world. In addition to a start-up, he was almost unbeaten throughout the year. The million-dollar winner of the IAAF Golden League has tied his own world record twice. Apart from the lack of championships, this result is amazing enough. But he and Alonso, Cannavaro, Schumacher, Tiger Woods and others all lost to Federer.

"There is still a chance." Max Eisenbad smiled, "If I can win the endorsement of IWC, maybe the chance is great."

As the main business partner of the Lawrence Prize, IWC naturally has the ability to operate. Of course, the premise is that the achievements have reached that level, otherwise it is definitely impossible.

As the first Asian men's 100m and 200m world champion, there is no doubt about his influence. This is representative.

In Max Eisenbad’s view, Yechin has a high probability of winning the Lawrence Sports Award for Best Male Athlete. If he wins the World Championships in the men’s 400 meters, the chances of winning are even greater. Now, on the contrary, Not too easy to say.

"By the way, have you set the departure time?"

Max Eisenbad seemed to think of something, and suddenly asked Yechin, "There is a business event in the United States that needs you to attend next month."

"It's ok, we will leave at the end of this month." Ye Qin recalled the time he had notified before, nodded and replied.

"Haha, then I'll be waiting for you in the United States." Max Eisenbad smiled and nodded, and then said, "I originally suggested that you should be separated from your teammates, but the track and field athletes are special. Sex, I won’t mention this suggestion. When you arrive at IMG Academy, I will arrange everything for you.”

Having said this, Max Eisenbad's smile was even greater, and he looked at Yechin very seriously, "I have brought many sports stars, from all races and countries.

But to be honest, Ye Qin. Compared to them, you can say that it is the most worry-free one for me. Your mechanism makes me hardly need to worry about what unexpected things will happen to you, and there is no mess that requires me to wipe your ass. I am only responsible for one simple thing, which is to negotiate a contract for you and then wait for the money to be collected. "

This is what Max Eisenbad said. As Yechin’s agent, the agent team he formed for Yechin has almost nothing to do. Most of Yechin’s work is taken care of by the national track and field team. work in team.

What they need is only some assistance in business activities, and their normal life is simple. Compared with other professional athletes, it can be said to be extremely easy in this respect.

"I know this." Yeqin smiled, "But Max, you have facilitated a lot of cooperation between the track team and the IMG Academy. This is very important for improving our overall strength."

This year's track and field team's winter training location is not elsewhere, but chose to go to the IMG Academy in the United States, which is the matchmaker Max Eisenbad.

MG Academy is located in Bradenton, Florida, USA. It is the world's largest and most advanced multi-sports education institution. It is known as the world's best sports specialty school that perfectly combines sports and education. It belongs to the American International Management Group.

As the vice president of American International Management Group, Max Eisenbad, it is this time that the Chinese Athletics Team and the IMG Academy are cooperating to promote adults. The business of www.wuxiaspot.com covers all aspects of the sports industry: from top sports events, To event sponsorship, celebrity customer agency, and world-class sports training academies, at the same time, it also provides consulting services for many world-leading sports management organizations, sports events and cultural organizations.

In China, CCTV and IMG have cooperated to establish CCTV IMG, which plays a crucial role in promoting local sports events and introducing Chinese local sports events and sports culture to the world.

For the national track and field team, this is an important part of the "going out" training before the Olympic Games. It almost did not exist in the previous Chinese team. Even Yang Yao went to the United States to study and train. The four athletes are far from the same level compared to this large-scale training trip to the United States.

The members of the Chinese track and field team going to the IMG Academy to participate in the training include members of the Chinese men's relay team, as well as long jump, shot put, hammer throw, and a total of about 20 men and women's teams.

Accompanied by two coaches Yuan Guohua and Li Qi, as well as seven or eight staff members including Chen Zhongzhou, Zhuang Wei and team doctors, escorted them, which is a rare precedent for the track and field team to train abroad.