Let's not even talk about how ridiculous it would be for Leigh to choose to sign a player based on their commercial value.
Big Ben is clearly not the most commercially valuable quarterback in the league. Even as a rookie, Big Ben wasn't a player with commercial potential. He wasn't handsome, and he was even a bit clumsy. He wasn't a good talker and was even a bit rough around the edges. But Leigh still chose Big Ben.
Furthermore, my so-called commercial value is clearly just a "theoretical" speculation.
Purely from a commercial value perspective, among this year's rookies, Cam Newton is a better choice. As a representative of the new generation of mobile quarterbacks, a Heisman Trophy winner, and a first-round pick, combined with his handsome Black image, Newton's market potential is better from every angle. This is an objective fact.
From another perspective, American football has no foundation in Asia. In the European market, at least rugby is widely promoted, so it's easier for American football to enter. But in Asia, it's a barren, untapped market with almost no fan base. It's like promoting ping-pong in the United States, full of too many problems and too much uncertainty.
What's more, the so-called "commercial promotion" value on me must be based on my performance. I have to have excellent performances every week. As a rookie, my foundation and record are not strong enough. If my performance on the field starts to decline in the future, the difficulty will be even greater. The problem is that my starting position isn't even guaranteed yet.
Football is different from soccer and basketball. Soccer and basketball already have mature markets in Asia. Using Asian players to open up the market is a familiar tactic. But in football, people don't understand the positions on the field, the rules of scoring, or even whether it's played with the feet or the hands. In this situation, the impact a Chinese-American player can make is very limited.
It might just be one news story or a few news stories that flash by. It's like how they promoted the Dakar Rally back in the day. After Chinese racers participated, there was a lot of news coverage, but it eventually died down, and no one paid much attention to it. The fan base was just too weak.
At the end of the day, signing me for my so-called commercial promotion value is a flimsy argument. It might be a secondary reason, but it's definitely not the main reason.
Looking at my young and immature face, which showed a wisdom that didn't match my age, Leigh realized he hadn't fooled me. A hint of appreciation flashed in his eyes again. However, Leigh didn't say anything else. Instead, he took out his wallet and pulled out a hundred-dollar bill. He handed it to me and said, "This is my reason."
A hundred-dollar bill?
I was a little stunned and hesitantly took the bill, but I didn't have time to think or answer.
"Bambi," a voice called from the front. Leigh and I both looked up and saw Logan Newman holding his phone. He had a confused look on his face and then an embarrassed expression. "Sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt. But..."
Logan shrugged and looked at me. "Anne said you're not answering your phone or replying to texts. She called me to ask what's going on. It seems like she has a bit of a situation."
I immediately understood and nodded, indicating that I understood and that no further explanation was needed. Leigh took the initiative and said, "Please, it must be urgent."
"Anne is my mother," I explained politely, then apologized, took out my phone, and called her back. I walked over to the side.
Jiang Youning has a calm personality. Although she isn't a person who remains unflustered in the face of chaos, she isn't one to make a fuss. A few hours ago, I had called her from the locker room to let her know I was safe. If it wasn't an emergency, she wouldn't have called me three times and asked Logan about it.
"Ke, why aren't you answering your phone?" Jiang Youning answered the phone and immediately asked.
"I put it on silent," I replied. I could detect a bit of a difference in her tone because she was speaking in a low voice, as if she was trying to avoid something. I could faintly hear some noise in the background. I couldn't help but frown and asked worriedly, "Mom, what's wrong? Is there something going on at home?"
"We have guests at home," Jiang Youning's footsteps seemed to be leaving the living room and going into the kitchen. Her voice returned to normal a little. "They said they're sports agents and hope to sign a contract with you. At first, they just wanted to talk to us about your career plans and stuff. Your dad and I thought it was pretty reasonable to find out about the situation. It was the same with Logan's family before."
I couldn't help but laugh and nodded slightly. I already knew what happened next. "So, you invited them into the house to sit down?" My parents are very hospitable and love to invite friends over to the house. That's how we became friends with the Newmans.
"They're already at the door. Should we just turn them away like salesmen?" Jiang Youning gave a positive answer. "But after they came in, things got a little complicated."
"They?" I noticed the change in her wording.
"Yes, there are already three agents sitting in the house. The atmosphere is a bit... I don't know how to describe it. The three of them are talking happily, and your dad can occasionally interject, but it all seems to be nonsense, and they're not saying anything of substance," Jiang Youning's honest words made me laugh.
San Francisco is located in the Bay Area, which is an eight-hour drive from Los Angeles. But if you take a plane, it only takes one hour and twenty-five minutes to get there. Plus the travel time between the airport and the destination, two and a half hours at most is enough. What's more, many sports agents are also based in San Francisco.
Because there are no football teams in Los Angeles, the San Francisco 49ers have the largest fan base in all of California. The Oakland Raiders and the San Diego Chargers, which are a little further away, can't compare. So, the headquarters of a sports agency might be in Los Angeles, because it's the media capital second only to New York, but the sports agents might work in San Francisco.
Even so, it's only been two and a half hours since the final whistle of the San Francisco 49ers vs. Cincinnati Bengals game. Three agents have already shown up at my doorstep, which is a complete difference from the situation after the rookie training camp.
"So what do they want?" I asked, skillfully guiding the conversation while my mom was still rambling.
"Right, they want to talk to you. Ask for your opinion, and then discuss your career plans," After all these years, Jiang Youning has no problem watching the game, but her understanding of the entire sports industry is still relatively limited. Agents? All the information she knows about them came from the Newmans across the street.
"Mom, if you don't like it, just send them away. I'm not home right now, so you can't make any decisions for me," I suggested.
Jiang Youning frowned. "Is that really okay?" But before she could finish, "Hold on," she walked out again. A commotion could be heard through the phone. Even through the phone signal and from across the country, I could feel the crowded and lively atmosphere in my house.
Jiang Youning was stunned by the sight at the door. Three corporate professionals in suits were rushing to the door, even shoving each other just to get up the steps as quickly as possible. It was as if a half-step behind meant losing something.
But the problem was, there was nothing to lose here.
"Gentlemen! Gentlemen!" Jiang Youning said loudly. "There are already three inside, so there's no need to fight." Then, the three of them froze and looked at each other. One of them asked, "Ma'am, do you know who we are?"
"Sports agents, if I'm not mistaken," Jiang Youning said with wide eyes, sharing her thoughts. Then the three of them fell silent. Jiang Youning pointed to the door behind her. "Welcome, please come in and wait in the living room. Ke isn't home right now. He's in Cincinnati, which I'm sure you all know. If there's anything, just sit down and have a cup of tea, and we can talk slowly."
After saying that, Jiang Youning turned around and walked back into the house with her phone, looking very dominant. "Phew, why are a bunch of grown men acting like children?" Jiang Youning complained.
I couldn't help but laugh. "Mom, I'm still on the phone." Or did she think the person on the other end of the phone was her friend?
"I know." Jiang Youning wiped the sweat from her forehead. "What should we do now? What should we know? Is there anything special about sports agents? They all look the same. How do we choose an agent? Should we call Austin and Tiffany over to help us take a look?"
In high demand, this is what being in high demand really means.
Honestly, in the sports agent industry, besides a few top names like Tom Condon, most of the agents are small fries. There are only a few sharks. Currently, there are more than 800 registered agents in the United States, and there are only about 2,000 clients to compete for.
Considering that Tom Condon alone has signed more than a dozen top players, the poor get poorer, and the rich get richer. The result is a classic situation of too many monks and not enough porridge.
Logan and Marcus both signed with well-known agents in the industry. They have a double-digit number of players under their belt. Although they don't have any top stars, they're not small fries. And those agents with less experience will definitely serve their players diligently, like personal nannies.
By the way, there are also some assistants who, after going through the grind, take an exam and become sports agents. This is also a shortcut to building connections and relationships.
Now, I have become the target of countless agents. Six agents showed up in just two and a half hours? This is indeed very unusual.
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