Chapter 491: Declare War on Nike!

The Cavaliers lost, and the Lakers also lost...

The game against the Cavaliers had already attracted an unprecedented wave of attention, and the game against the Lakers broke through 62 million viewers in the United States, far exceeding the 35 million viewers of the finals when Jordan retired. Even the Super Bowl felt a strong threat from the NBA. After all, it was just a regular season game!

Frankly speaking, the public opinion trend that Nike had previously led in the United States was still very successful.

Lin Dong was successfully portrayed as a big boss, giving American fans a sense of the game of "killing the dragon to get treasures". Not only did it bring the attention of the NBA this season to an unprecedented height, it even pushed the popularity of the Lakers and the Cavaliers to a peak.

Correspondingly, the market value of the Lakers and the Cavaliers, and even the value of players such as Kobe, Wade, and O'Neal, also skyrocketed, but the market value of the Supersonics was generally stable, because too many people were optimistic that the Lakers and the Cavaliers could defeat the Supersonics and break their myth.

What value does a god who is about to fall from the altar have?

Of course, it is undeniable that they are still a super team, and Lin Dong is still the most valuable player in the league.

But compared with the substantial increase in the value of Kobe, Wade and others, Lin Dong's value is still stagnant. The feeling of sudden change has already been set off across the United States.

Almost all fans have a unified view, that is, anyone can win, but Lin Dong must lose!

Almost all ratings come from "wanting to see Lin Dong lose", which is the basis for the success of the NBA this year and Phil Knight's most proud hand.

He successfully showed everyone that he is able to control everything!

He can make anyone win who he wants to win, and he can raise the value of anyone he wants to raise. Correspondingly, it also means that if he wants Lin Dong to lose, Lin Dong will lose, and if he wants Lin Dong's value to stop rising, then Lin Dong will not be able to rise!

But... as the Cavaliers and the Lakers lost to the Supersonics one after another, Phil Knight felt that his sense of control was disappearing rapidly.

Not because of the team.

If you can't beat them, you can continue to help the Cavaliers and the Lakers to strengthen, and continue to fill the loopholes if there are loopholes!

The real big problem is... the public opinion has changed!

Before this, the "anti-Lin" voices of fans across the United States were already very high, which made the sales growth of Lin Dong's Dragon series in the past few months quite small. There was a small increase, but compared with the previous crazy sales, this increase was almost negligible. Almost all of it was driven by the popularity of Lin Dong in Seattle and Washington State. In fact, sales in other parts of the United States were in a downward state.

Under the influence of public opinion, more and more people in other regions hate Lin Dong, so that even if there are teenagers who like Lin Dong, most of the time they dare not wear the Dragon series to go out, otherwise they may become the object of ridicule when they go to school.

This is part of Phil Knight's way of showing Lin Dong his control and making Lin Dong obedient.

But I didn't expect...

After the Supersonics beat the Lakers, this trend actually reversed.

——No hope, that Asian guy is too strong...

——Although I am very upset, I have to admit that the Asian guy is the real No. 1 in basketball today. I feel that Jordan didn't have such dominance back then.

——Don't be racist, basketball is basketball, politics is politics, we should look at the problem more objectively.

——Speaking of which, the Lakers and Cavaliers have very strong lineups, but the Sonics' lineup is really... When they played against the Lakers, their main power forward was not there, but they still won like this.

——There is no way, it's because Lin Dong is too invincible...

——This guy gives people a very cool feeling!

——His shoes look cool too! I feel more and more pleasing to the eye.

——I heard that there is an aerodynamic version, which is said to be able to jump very high, otherwise... let's try it too?

——That's a pit! It's fake, but it really increases height... I heard that the effect is very good!

Americans may not understand this, even if he is Phil Knight, but Dragons do.

As the saying goes, everything will rebound when it is over-suppressed, not to mention that it is a kind of suppression that is provoked out of thin air.

Moreover, Phil Knight actually overlooked one point, that is, human nature still worships the strong.

Big boss? Demon? Dragon?

So what if it is a dragon?

If it is really strong enough to destroy the world, then for the European and American culture that chooses to build ships when floods come and chooses to surrender when gods descend, they are more willing to regard the dragon as the new true god!

So...

Since the end of the game on the evening of the 5th, the sales of Lin Dong's Nike Dragon series on the 6th and 7th in the United States have actually started to rise like a rocket.

13%, 26%... In just one month, by the end of November, when the Supersonics had won 16 consecutive victories, Lin Dong's Nike Dragon series had already increased by 227% based on the sales in October!

Frankly speaking, Nike is making a lot of money, but Phil Knight is gloomy when he looks at the report on the table.

It has increased... and it has increased wildly!

It has changed... and public opinion has also changed wildly!

More and more fans from all over the United States have begun to stand on Lin Dong's side, seeing him as a true god who is still invincible despite the suppression of the league and the pursuit of various superstars. They began to worship him and start chasing stars!

What’s worse is that Phil Knight began to feel that he couldn’t control the public opinion.

Even on the Internet, which was the easiest to provoke in the past, the various public opinions and posts that he hired to spread were almost all cursed.

Those who said that Lin Dong was invincible because his opponents were too weak, and the posts were full of curses: The Cavaliers and the Lakers have already combined into the Big Four, and they are still weak? ! The lineup that Jordan faced back then was not so exaggerated, right?

Those who said that Lin Dong was from Longguo, and the posts were full of curses: Are you engaging in racial discrimination? Moreover, Lin Dong also went to high school in the United States, and his girlfriend is also American. Although I heard that he changed his nationality to Longguo... But he really felt American culture. Not long ago, when Hurricane Katrina blew down the flood control levees in New Orleans, the NBA organized donations, and Lin Dong donated a full 10 million US dollars, the most among NBA stars! You are also blacking this? Do you have a conscience!

Some people who insisted on leading the trend and saying that Lin Dong was a dragon, hoping to see someone stand up and slay the dragon, almost laughed like crazy under the post: In a word, I like dragons! Roar, I will dress up as a dragon for Halloween this year! The dragon is coming! Girls, hurry up and have fun!

Even the dinosaur masks sold like crazy because of this...

The out-of-control of public opinion and the "out-of-control" of sales made Phil Knight, who was sitting at the table, feel deeply frustrated.

How much money does that increase in sales cost? 200 million? 300 million? So what!

December is coming soon, and the contract between Nike and Lin Dong will expire at the end of December...

If the Cavaliers and the Lakers had fought harder and followed the script they designed, then now would be a time of great success for him.

After showing his absolute dominance over the league, either Lin Dong chooses to surrender to him, so that he doesn't have to appease this Asian man anymore, or he can naturally propose a lifetime contract with a lowered value. After that, he can find a way to strengthen the Supersonics, or sabotage the Cavaliers and Lakers, so that the Supersonics can win four consecutive championships, and push Lin Dong's personal reputation to the top. Nike will also make a lot of money.

If Lin Dong doesn't surrender, he will continue to strengthen the Cavaliers and Lakers, sign Wade or the younger LeBron with a lifetime contract, and make one of them the new king, and then completely step on the Supersonics and Lin Dong! Let Lin Dong become the stepping stone of the new king! Even for the Asian market, Yao Ming and Sakuragi Hanamichi can replace Lin Dong. After all, he had fallen from the throne at that time, and Asians are also very good at taking advantage of others' misfortunes, which will have no impact on Nike's global strategy.

But now... the initiative of negotiation is no longer in his hands.

Under the current situation, should he negotiate with Lin Dong? Go to lower his price? Go to fight him head-on? Or choose to abandon Lin Dong?

None of these is what Phil Knight dares to do.

When Lin Dong becomes the real god now, and even the entire US market begins to chase him crazily, the only consequence of choosing to abandon him is that both the US market and the Asian market will face unprecedented headwind challenges. Not to mention continuing to expand, maybe even what has been eaten in the mouth will have to be spit out again!

The Lakers and the Cavaliers have to give up, two piles of mud that can't be helped...

Nike seems to have no choice.

Phil Knight closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

A generation of business tycoons, even if they can't pick up and put down, at least, all the factors and emotions that are most unfavorable to themselves are hidden in the deepest part of their hearts, that's still no problem.

When he opened his eyes again, Phil Knight had put on a smiling face and adjusted his emotions.

He picked up the phone on the table and dialed a number.

Beep...beep...

"Hello? Who is this?"

Fel Knight's eyebrows couldn't help but jump slightly. He didn't believe that Lin Dong didn't save his mobile phone number. This was simply...

"Haha, dear Lin, it's me." Phil Knight quickly adjusted his mood back. He smiled and said, "I watched today's game. It was quite exciting! I miss the Lion Restaurant in Seattle a little bit recently. Come with me for dinner tomorrow. It's a good opportunity to talk about the renewal."

"Let's do it another day." Lin Dong on the other end of the phone laughed: "I'm not free tomorrow. I have an appointment."

"Haha, your wife? Can we come together!"

"No, it's Plank." Lin Dong smiled and said, "You know him."

Although Phil Knight was trying his best to control his emotions, he couldn't help but change his face instantly when he heard Plank's name.

Under Armour President! The Under Armour President who was ruined by his own stock shorting!

What does it mean?

Phil Knight restrained his temper and asked, "That's perfect. We're old acquaintances. I haven't seen him for a long time. Let's go together."

"Haha, that might not be convenient." Lin Dong said with a smile, "He talked to me about endorsements, which is a business secret."

Phil Knight suppressed his anger and wanted to throw the phone at Lin Dong's face, and said coldly, "Oh... Lin, you can't sign two sports brand endorsement companies at the same time, this is..."

"I know, but doesn't our contract expire at the end of December?"

“…” Phil Knight’s fingers, which were pinching the phone, had turned white because of the force: “Hahaha, dear Lin, this is probably the biggest joke I have ever heard… Are you going to give up Nike, whose annual sales have exceeded 10 billion US dollars, and choose to endorse a small workshop whose annual sales have dropped to tens of millions?”

“Yes.” Lin Dong responded with a smile: “After all, there is more freedom there. At least they will not help me support and shape some opponents, or even destroy my team in order to suppress my value and make me sign a low-priced contract.”

“…”

Phil Knight’s face has completely sunk. In his world, players are just chess pieces, and there is nothing more than nobility and inferiority. But now, this chess piece thinks he is a chess player!

However, he can push the matter of supporting and strengthening the Cavaliers and the Lakers to others. Anyway, there is no evidence to prove that he was behind it, but Phil Knight can’t deny the fact that Battier was driven away from the Supersonics.

I didn’t expect that guy to care so much about this and hold a grudge so much.

Phil Knight suppressed his temper and said with his last effort: "Is Under Armour's annual sales enough to give you some pocket money?"

"I have enough money, and I can't spend it all. Even if I retire in the future, I would rather go back to Longguo to be a coach and cultivate the basketball foundation of Longguo, rather than using the little money I saved to compete in the capital market like you and become a slave to money." Lin Dong smiled and said: "Money is just a string of numbers to me."

"Hehe... If it is really a number, then why do you still choose to endorse Under Armour? Isn't it better not to accept the endorsement?"

"Haha, because I like that guy." Lin Dong laughed: "When Under Armour was on the verge of bankruptcy, he used the little money he had to buy all the Under Armour shares in my hands , as a businessman, he has a bottom line, but you don't. "

"If there is nothing else, I will hang up." Lin Dong said cheerfully: "By the way, brother, don't go to the Lion Restaurant. Every time you order Chinese food, I feel bad for you when you eat so shyly. There is an old saying in our Dragon Country that old wild boars can't eat fine bran. If you don't like it, don't force yourself. Eat your Western food. It's more suitable for you to eat with a knife and fork."

"In addition..."

Lin Dong paused and said calmly on the phone: "No matter what you do, the Supersonics will win the championship this season. Under Armour may not be able to compete with Nike in the end, but don't worry, I will let them bite a piece of meat off you, a big piece... This is a punishment for your interference in my team!"

Beep! Beep! Beep! Beep!

Phil Knight was stunned at the table, holding the phone in his hand, his whole body trembling.

He, he, the famous business tycoon on the Forbes rich list, the top capital of America, was actually mocked by a player? !

Let’s not talk about the hardships of starting a business when he founded Blue Ribbon Sports Goods, but since he founded Nike in 1972, he has achieved a class leap. For 33 years now, no one has ever dared to speak to him so rudely and presumptuously.

What is he talking about… old sow? Or old wild boar? Is this how he describes himself?

Fuck… Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!!!

This damn thing, he is looking for death!