American Football: King of the Bay Area

”Uh, sir, are you sure we’re measuring for football cleats? Not ballet slippers or high heels?” Lu Ke was completely bewildered as he watched the staff member measuring his foot. Unable to understand, he decided to make a joke.

In the hotel room today, besides Lu Ke and Lech, Under Armour had sent a total of three representatives. One was Sean, the General Manager of the West Coast marketing department, and the other two were his assistants.

The woman with the graceful figure was Sean’s private secretary, responsible for taking minutes and noting contract details. The other, dressed in business casual, was a staff member from the design department, specifically sent to take Lu Ke’s detailed body measurements.

These so-called ”detailed measurements” opened up a whole new world for him, much like getting a bespoke suit. For his arm alone, they measured four different sections. They also took detailed measurements of his palms, shoulders, thighs, and more.

The most interesting part was the measurement of his feet. They didn’t just measure the sole, instep, and arch, but also his ankle and calf. Moreover, the assistant had Lu Ke walk on a testing device to analyze his walking and running habits, checking where his feet applied the most pressure.

Although Lu Ke didn’t quite understand how these details would be applied to the gear, he truly felt the special treatment of something being ”custom-fit.”

The conversation portion of the meeting lasted for about thirty-five minutes. Lu Ke and Sean discussed a wide range of topics. It wasn’t just about what had happened in the past three weeks of games; Sean also delved into Lu Ke’s life before immigrating, asking about his hometown, his memories of China and proficiency in Chinese, and his current connection to his birthplace. Things like that.

Lech sat beside them the whole time, listening intently. He occasionally joined the conversation, but mostly, he remained a focused listener.

As an agent, his knowledge of Lu Ke was quite limited. But Lech’s situation was unique. Barring any surprises, for the next five to ten years, Lu Ke and Ben Roethlisberger would be his only two clients. This meant he could slowly, intently, and deeply get to know Lu Ke, which was crucial for his work.

After the conversation ended, Lu Ke went into the next room to begin the measurements. The entire process took another forty-five minutes or so, but it still wasn’t over. They had now returned to the main room to finish measuring his feet.

The reason Lu Ke made that joke was because they were measuring his ankle. In football, cleats are position-specific. Linemen, who need to engage in powerful clashes, wear high-tops. For quarterbacks and receivers, who need agile footwork, mid-tops and low-tops are the better choice.

”If you want high heels, I have personal connections with some top designers. I could see about putting you in touch,” Sean joked back, playing along.

Lu Ke replied with a straight face, ”I don’t think I’d ever find an occasion to wear them, so I’ll pass.” The deadpan delivery paired with his serious, impassive expression made it even funnier. ”Are you planning to design a unique pair of shoes just for me? The measurements are so meticulous, something feels off.”

”Design? No, no, no, this is just for a custom fit,” Sean said with a light smile. ”Maybe one day in the future, we’ll design a special line called ’Bambi,’ but not right now.”

Lu Ke couldn’t help but laugh along. ”Looks like I’ll have to work even harder, then.”

After all the data was collected, the staff member nodded at Sean to confirm. Sean then stood up. ”Perfect! Our tasks for today are all complete, so we’ll wrap things up for now. Next, we will arrange the follow-up matters as soon as possible. Once the contract is signed, your gear will be delivered to you personally.”

”It’s a pleasure doing business with you!” Sean politely shook Lu Ke’s right hand again. ”By the way, if we can get the contract signed before Friday, I hope you’ll be able to wear Under Armour gear on the field for this weekend’s game. I look forward to you getting a win.” Then, Sean shook Lech’s hand and led his two assistants out.

Lech escorted Sean out of the hotel room, while Lu Ke sat on the sofa, slowly coming back to his senses.

Walking back into the main room of the suite, Lech saw Lu Ke look up, his face breaking into a brilliant smile. His eyes were wide with excitement as he said, ”Is this real? Is all of this really happening? Did Under Armour really choose to sponsor me? Am I a player with a sponsor now?”

For professional athletes, sponsorship opportunities are countless. But among them, cars, sports gear, apparel, and beverages are known as the ”big four.” They offer the most profitable endorsements, have the widest consumer market, and are the most fitting for an athlete’s image. They are, without a doubt, the deals every player dreams of.

Now, the very first endorsement of Lu Ke’s professional career was for sports gear. His first step was an incredibly solid and powerful one.

This side of Lu Ke showed the youthful energy expected of a twenty-two-year-old, along with the euphoric excitement of a rookie. Lech broke into a wide smile and nodded in affirmation. ”Have you read the numbers in the contract?”

”Right, I forgot about that.” Lu Ke snapped back to reality and opened the sample contract on the table. But the document was incredibly thick, a sprawling text laying out countless clauses that looked to be at least a hundred pages long. For a moment, Lu Ke couldn’t find the signing bonus, so he chose the easiest route. ”Remind me, what were the numbers again?”

”Two hundred fifty thousand US dollars a year, for two years,” Lech answered readily, not beating around the bush.

Lu Ke let out a long breath, trying to calm his racing heart. ”You mean, Under Armour will now sponsor all my training gear, and on top of that, they’ll pay me two hundred fifty thousand US dollars a year? That’s more than half my team salary.”

Lu Ke’s contract as an Undrafted Player was for $465,000 per year. Now, the Under Armour sponsorship contract was for $250,000 per year and required all of Lu Ke’s training gear to be from Under Armour.

The NFL’s official sponsor is Nike, and all team jerseys and gear are from Nike. However, Nike’s deal isn’t a complete buyout. Players’ gloves, cleats, the compression shirts under their jerseys, and their personal training clothes for outside of games—all of these fall into the category where players can freely choose their own sponsors.

As another one of the Alliance’s official sponsors, Under Armour has a near-monopoly on personal training wear, including compression shirts. Players without sponsors almost all choose Under Armour for a simple reason: it’s professional and high-quality.

Now, Under Armour had bought out the sponsorship for all of Lu Ke’s other gear, aside from the official jersey and equipment. From a layman’s perspective, it just meant he wouldn’t be short on athletic wear for the next two years.

In contrast to Lu Ke’s satisfaction, Lech seemed quite calm. ”Two hundred fifty thousand a year isn’t a huge contract. Compared to the NBA, it’s practically peanuts. Aren’t you disappointed?”

”Heh, a man shouldn’t be too greedy.” Lu Ke waved his hand dismissively, speaking freely. ”I’m an Undrafted Player, and I’ve only played three games. To get a sponsor is already incredible progress. What’s more important for me right now is to keep my feet on the ground, focus on the next game, and move forward one win at a time. Once the victories pile up, the big contracts will come naturally.”

Lu Ke was full of desire for victory and would never give up easily. But when it came to off-field gains, he remained humble, content, and aware of his place. ’He believed that today’s contract wasn’t the end, but the beginning. Confidence isn’t the same as arrogance.’

The sponsorship from Under Armour was the first significant earning of his professional career. It was different from the contract he’d signed as an Undrafted Player; that was a salary, and the full amount would only be paid after the season was completed. This was an off-field reward, like a bonus, that truly opened up the wide world of a professional athlete.

Deep down, Lu Ke felt a mix of joy, surprise, excitement, and happiness. It was as if he were standing in a spotlight, bathed in its warm glow. Over the past two days, including the small changes in his community today, everything made Lu Ke feel like he was living in a wonderful dream.

The one thing he didn’t feel was dissatisfaction.

”As for the NBA...” Lu Ke shrugged. ”I guess I just picked the wrong sport from the start.”

The joke made Lech chuckle. He nodded. ”It’s good that you can maintain this mindset. That’s for the best.” The more time he spent with him, the more satisfied Lech became. Lu Ke was truly a rare kind of quarterback; his judgment hadn’t been wrong.

After entering the Professional Alliance, everything started to accelerate and get magnified under the spotlight, under the microscope.

A single victory could bring endless praise and glory; likewise, a single defeat could send you plummeting to rock bottom. The pressure from fans and the media amplified and accelerated everything several times over. This roller-coaster trajectory was a tough test for any rookie, and the off-field focus and attention could easily make them lose their way.

Fortunately, Lu Ke hadn’t.

The ecstasy of a three-game winning streak hadn’t clouded his judgment, and the intense scrutiny attracted by his status as a player of Chinese Descent hadn’t yet affected his focus. This was very important.

Admittedly, a contract for $250,000 a year was nothing to write home about. Its highlights were truly limited.

In the NBA, LeBron James’s lifetime contract with Nike was worth as much as a billion US dollars. Players with nine-figure shoe endorsement deals were not uncommon, and even rookie endorsement deals were worth far more than $250,000.

In fact, the NFL is the number one sport in North America. Its audience size, market value, and level of attention are far ahead of other sports. According to some estimates, the NFL’s audience is more than three times the size of the NBA’s. But a top NFL player’s endorsement contract is only equivalent to that of an average player in the NBA.

Why this strange phenomenon?