Chapter 854: Breaking News
Jay Fox couldn't help but look around at the bustling crowd that continued to grow.
In addition to print and online journalists, there were also league staff, Rolex officials, and more. A huge number of people gathered in the large space, quickly exceeding a thousand and showing no signs of stopping.
The basketball court had been transformed into a concert venue, with the stage in front, occupying almost a third of the court. The remaining two-thirds were the standing area, where all the top media outlets were gathered, forming a dense crowd that packed the space.
Other attendees spread out in a fan shape along the spectator seats.
Compared to the 18,000-person capacity of the Staples Center, the number of people in attendance today seemed insignificant, but at this moment, it felt as if every corner of the venue was packed. A vast and boiling excitement was occupying every inch of the court.
Although all the media had anticipated a grand event, the reality far exceeded their expectations.
At the beginning of the year, Jay attended the Super Bowl pre-game press conference, and the atmosphere was already unimaginable, but compared to the scale of today's event, it was like a drop in the ocean. This was a super press conference that could change the future of the entire league, and its level and treatment were two notches higher.
Jay couldn't help but feel a little excited.
"Jay, Jay, I just heard a rumor that Trent Baalke has also arrived. What's going on?" A colleague excitedly ran over, looking at Jay with anticipation, and immediately reported the latest gossip.
Trent Baalke is the general manager of the San Francisco 49ers.
Jay blinked, a little slow to react, and then stood up abruptly. "Trent? What's he doing here?" He instinctively started looking around and then realized that Trent couldn't be there. Otherwise, the atmosphere would have already exploded. Why was everyone just eager now?
"You don't know either? I just went and asked the guys from the San Francisco Chronicle, and they said they didn't know either. We thought they were playing dumb. But looking at your reaction, did no one really get a heads-up? This isn't an exclusive story. Why is it so tightly sealed? I suddenly have a bad feeling."
His colleagues chattered away, and Jay's head was filled with more and more questions. Why would the San Francisco 49ers be at this event? "Is it just Trent? Or are other team managers here too?"
"I don't know. Everyone's trying to find out. Things are getting more and more interesting. I think someone just saw Jerry Jones, but it's not confirmed yet."
"What?"
Although it was "not confirmed yet," everyone around him gasped at the same time. Even battle-hardened veteran journalists couldn't hide their surprise.
Jerry Jones is the owner of the Dallas Cowboys.
It's no exaggeration to say that he is a cunning old fox who holds the Cowboys' interests firmly in his hands. He can even be called one of the best and top professional sports team owners in the world. Even without the "one of," there wouldn't be much of a problem. Even now, with the NFL's development so mature and complete, the Dallas Cowboys are still the only team in the league that can sell all of their own jerseys and merchandise.
In fact, the owners of the other thirty-one teams in the league have repeatedly tried to unite and force Jones to sell the Dallas Cowboys by passing a series of rules. But their attempts to ally have always failed, which is a testament to Jones's skill and cunning.
The most direct example is that many professional team owners from the other three major North American leagues have publicly expressed their desire to be like "Jerry Jones."
If Jones showed up at the press conference today, the complexity of the matter would be beyond imagination.
What kind of deal could attract Jones to come in person?
The press conference hadn't even started, and expectations had already skyrocketed.
"Ladies and gentlemen! Ladies and gentlemen!" A polite reminder came from the stage. Everyone turned to look at the stage. "Please take your seats. The press conference is about to begin. I'm your host for today, Ryan Seacrest."
Ryan Seacrest, the host of "American Idol," has had a brilliant career since 2002 with the globally popular reality TV singing competition. Since then, he has hosted the Super Bowl pre-game show, the Grammys, the Emmys, the Golden Globes, and other top-tier shows. He is still one of the top hosts today.
The host's appearance added another layer of excitement to the press conference. The City of Angels, adjacent to Hollywood, showed off its star power for the first time.
Gradually, the commotion in the venue calmed down.
The entire Staples Center slowly went dark, with only one last spotlight on the stage. Seacrest officially began his hosting, briefly introducing the history of Rolex and its connection to sports, as well as its history with the four major sports leagues in the United States, and used a witty and humorous tone to liven up the atmosphere.
"Let's give a warm round of applause to the General Manager of Marketing for Rolex USA, Wolfgang Müller." Seacrest raised his right hand and extended an invitation. The main character of the day finally appeared.
While Wolfgang and Seacrest were exchanging simple greetings on the stage, the reporters in the audience turned on their radars, continuously searching:
Where is Roger Goodell? Where is Jerry Jones? Where is Trent Baalke? Besides them, are there any other important NFL figures here?
However, Wolfgang was a decisive and straightforward person. His polite conversation only lasted for a short time before he cut to the chase and slowly unveiled the mystery without any warning, which left all the reporters in the audience a little stunned.
"Without a doubt, football is one of the most adventurous, challenging, and team-oriented sports in the world. This spirit of never giving up and fighting to the end is exactly what Rolex has always followed. Rolex has always been looking for opportunities to partner with football, and today, we have found that moment."
It's officially confirmed!
It wasn't a guess based on Roger Goodell's presence. It was a solid confirmation from an official source.
Wolfgang's words were only the tip of the iceberg, but the excitement of the reporters slowly began to overflow. This was absolutely huge news for the NFL. A top-tier sponsor like Rolex could be compared to giants like Nike and PepsiCo.
It could even be said to be better.
Because Rolex has always focused on the high-end competitive sports market, it has had relatively fewer opportunities to partner with more mainstream and popular sports like basketball, soccer, and football. Starting today, Rolex is confirmed to be partnering with football. Does that mean there will be more similar partnerships in the future?
If so, will other top brands follow suit?
For these top giants, one move affects everything. Their every action will have an immeasurable impact on industry development and economic trends. Just like Rolex's entry into the football industry today, it's a textbook breakthrough.
No one was an exception. The excitement was already brewing just by looking at each other.
Wolfgang could faintly feel the surging excitement. Everything was as he expected. This was exactly the effect Rolex wanted to achieve. He continued to speak.
"For Rolex, we are always focused on stories of people who challenge themselves, overcome themselves, stay true to themselves, and ultimately surpass themselves. Because this is our life, and it's also the goal we tirelessly pursue. For this reason, we can't think of a more suitable ambassador than this player."
Wait.
What? An ambassador? What kind of ambassador? What player?
Before the reporters could even process that, Wolfgang didn't keep them in suspense. There had already been enough suspense. All he needed to do now was to announce the answer, not keep them waiting. "Here, Rolex warmly welcomes the quarterback of the San Francisco 49ers, Mr. Lu Ke, to join our family and become a part of Rolex."
What?
What!
What happened?
What was that name?
Why does something feel a little off?
Everyone was stunned. Their eyes were dull and blank as they stared at the stage.
At this moment, the drums started to beat, all the lights went out, and a spotlight shone on the left side of the stage. All eyes instinctively followed the light. Then, they saw Lu Ke, in a navy blue suit and a white shirt, appearing under the spotlight with a grand and upright posture, walking steadily onto the stage.
Lu Ke?
LU KE!
It was really Lu Ke!
God, oh, for God's sake! Who would have thought that Rolex's first step into football would be Lu Ke!
No wonder Rolex was so mysterious and kept it a secret! No wonder!
Now all the answers have been revealed:
This is absolutely breaking news! Not just in the NFL, but a sensational story in the entire North American market! The powerful combination of Rolex, which is targeting the high-end market, and Lu Ke, a unique representative of the NFL, is a partnership that could even change the future market. It is even more sensational than Yao Ming being the number one pick and has more business significance.
Jay, who was sitting in his seat, was completely dumbfounded. His jaw dropped. His colleagues next to him patted him on the shoulder, expressing their shock and complaints, but Jay couldn't care less. His mind was completely blank. He simply couldn't believe his eyes as he stared blankly at Lu Ke.
For a long, long time.
Jay finally found his voice and said one sentence: "Damn it! He didn't give me the exclusive! That damn Bambi!"
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