Chapter 737: Tide Riding
Mark Parker sits behind a corner desk with his hands folded on the table
This is more like an exhibition hall than an office.
There are all kinds of strange and bizarre dolls and wax figures produced by Nike on display, and the exhibition wall lists almost all the classic shoes launched by Nike, which are colorful and dazzling.
Even the desk in front of him looked more like a glass display case, with all kinds of products, large and small, displayed underneath, including shoes, basketballs, wrist guards, and even sports water bottles.
On the right side of the corner desk is an open laptop with a black screen. If you look behind it, you will find that it is an Apple laptop. Behind the computer is a wax figure of Roger Federer, the tennis superstar who endorses Nike.
I believe that anyone who walks into this office will not doubt the taste of its owner.
Only people with taste can create such a tasteful office environment.
But at this moment, sitting in this office full of artistic atmosphere, Mark Parker is worried about a very realistic and even greedy matter.
At this time, someone knocked on the office door.
Mark Parker sighed heavily, gathered his spirits, raised his head, and said, "Come in!"
When Mark Parker saw that the person who came in was Bert Hoyet, the global vice president in charge of football affairs, a smile immediately broke out on his face. This was a capable man he had promoted.
Moreover, his principle is that no matter how bad the environment is, no matter how great the pressure is, he must remain confident and calm in front of others.
"Belt, come and sit down!" Mark Parker pointed to a chair in front of him.
"Thank you, Mark!" Bert Hoyet came over.
As soon as I sat down, I saw a very lifelike black and white English bulldog tied to the leg of the desk with an iron chain next to the chair. I immediately smiled and reached out to gently touch its left ear.
"Hey, little guy, bark twice and let me hear you!"
This action immediately made Mark Parker behind the desk burst into laughter.
He sewed this bulldog himself.
"Belt, I've seen your plan!"
Bert Hoyet immediately stopped what he was doing, looked at the company's president, and listened seriously.
"The plan is well done, but I still want to hear your deeper thoughts in person so that I can decide whether to support you!" Mark Parker said seriously.
Bert Hoyet is no exception. Before convincing the company's senior executives, he must first get past the president.
"Mark, did you watch the Champions League game yesterday?"
"Yes!" Mark Parker nodded.
Strictly speaking, he is not an avid football fan, but he takes football very seriously and therefore makes time to watch European football matches whenever he can, especially the Champions League quarter-finals, which are not to be missed.
"The top four have been decided, with Southampton and Atletico Madrid both reaching the Champions League semi-finals."
"I know!"
Bert Hoyet nodded and continued: "Then you should also know that I am optimistic about Atletico Madrid reaching the Champions League final, because Dortmund's recent situation is not ideal, and Southampton, even if they are facing Bayern Munich, but I still think that the possibility of advancing is 50%!"
Mark Parker immediately understood what Bert Hoyet meant.
"I'm not saying their results will always be this good, but I'm saying that Yang Huan and the team behind him are far beyond our expectations in terms of their ability to run a club. Southampton's success is not accidental, and Atletico Madrid is proof of that."
Mark Parker nodded, "But what about Inter Milan?"
"It was an accident!" Bert Hoyte shook his head and smiled bitterly: "I can only say that we spent more than 100 million euros in the winter break, but in the end we couldn't even make it into the top three in the league. I can't say anything more."
After a pause, Bert Hoyte said confidently: "But I can guarantee that Inter Milan's failure is only temporary. With Yang Huan's character, he will never allow his team to be so depressed and depressed."
Mark Parker looked at Bert Hoyte and asked again: "But you have to know that Serie A is in a slump right now. Inter Milan has been in such a mess for the past few decades and has always been a black hole for stars and famous coaches."
But after finishing speaking, Mark Parker changed the subject, "Of course, I also agree with your judgment. We need Inter Milan, but I really don't think highly of Inter Milan!"
Bert Hoyte shook his head and laughed, "Mark, you know what? If you ask me who in Italy has the best chance of challenging Juventus, I will tell you without hesitation that it is not Roma, who you have high hopes for, but Inter Milan!"
When saying this, Bert Hoyet had extremely strong confidence.
"Monaco is currently ranked second in the French Ligue 1, only two points behind Paris Saint-Germain, the leader of the table. The championship battle has become completely fierce, so I think there is absolutely no reason to doubt Yang Huan's ability to operate."
Mark Parker shook his head and explained, "Belt, you misunderstood. I have never doubted the operational capabilities of him and his team. On the contrary, they are very successful. You should know that this is a big project and we must conduct a comprehensive assessment."
"I understand!" Bert Hoyet sighed.
Nike has encountered problems in its development in recent years, which has caused the company to become very cautious in its investment in sponsorship, although it has not been reduced, especially in such large projects.
"Mark!" Bert Hoyet felt that something should be said.
"I have something to say, but you have to promise not to let it out."
"OK!" Mark Parker nodded.
"Based on the intelligence I got in Europe, I have every reason to believe that Yang Huan is supporting Platini in challenging Blatter!"
"What?" Mark Parker was shocked.
Seeing that the president was about to ask him, Bert Hoyet immediately shook his head and said, "Don't ask me if I have any evidence, because I don't have any, but I want to ask, do you think that what Platini has done recently is too outrageous if no one supports him?"
Mark Parker was a little surprised, but when he thought about it carefully, it really made sense.
"But hasn't FIFA, which is headed by Blatter, always cooperated with Yang Huan's Miracle Media?"
"Yes, the cooperation between Infront and FIFA and the International Olympic Committee has continued after being acquired by Miracle Media, but this does not prevent Yang Huan from betting on both sides. Even if Platini removes Blatter, do you think Miracle Media's interests will be damaged?"
Mark Parker was speechless at this moment.
If we continue to follow what Bert Hoyte said, once Blatter steps down, will he be able to use his relationship with Yang Huan to cooperate with FIFA and UEFA?
You know, this area has always been Adidas's base!
"Also, I recently received news that a company registered in Monaco has been quite active in European football."
"What do you mean?" Mark Parker was a little confused.
"They first acquired 51% of the shares of Basel, a famous team in the Swiss Super League. This share originally belonged to the ENIC consortium and was later sold to other investors. But now this Monaco company has successfully bought back the shares through ENIC, and the specific amount is unknown."
"It is the same company that has been secretly buying shares of Anderlecht in Belgium at low prices in the stock market. The team has not been doing well recently, so it is said that their management is interested in bringing in investors."
"In addition, I have also received clear news that the old Czech team Sparta Prague has been privately acquired at a very low price. As soon as the acquisition was completed, the acquirer immediately launched a stadium renovation plan to transform Sparta Prague's Letna Stadium into a commercial center integrating a shopping mall, fitness club, cinema and hotel."
"It is said that this renovation plan has been submitted to the Prague City Government for an environmental impact assessment, and the Letna Stadium is located right in Prague's most popular old town area!"
Mark Parker was really shocked when he heard this. "Could it be this Monaco company as well?"
"That's right!" Bert Hoyet nodded.
"Whether it's Anderlecht, Basel or Sparta Prague, the prices are quite cheap. The key lies in the cost of maintaining operations. But if you can find a sustainable way to operate these teams, it is quite cost-effective to buy them."
Mark Parker finally understood after hearing this. "You mean, the boss behind this Monaco company..."
"Yes, I have every reason to believe that it is Yang Huan!"
Even though Mark Parker was mentally prepared, he still couldn't help but gasp.
Isn’t Yang Huan’s ambition too big?
He already owns teams in all the five major European leagues except the Bundesliga, but now he is even looking for acquisitions in Belgium, Switzerland and the Czech Republic. This really shows that he has too much money and can do whatever he wants!
"In addition, I also heard that they are in talks with Ajax, perhaps to acquire some shares, or to develop in-depth cooperation. In short, Ajax is very interested in them."
Mark Parker kept shaking his head when he heard this. "I don't understand why he would want to do this? The current economic environment is so bad, and these teams are willing to be acquired because they are probably having financial problems. If Yang Huan buys in now, won't he be trapped?"
"That's true, but it's not!" laughed Bert Hoyet.
Mark Parker frowned, obviously not understanding.
"I once talked to Sun Yue, CEO of Miracle Media, and he told me that the scale of global sports events is growing at an astonishing rate and has already entered every corner of the world and even everyone's daily life."
"At that time, he told me that the annual scale of the global film and television industry is about 90 billion US dollars, but the scale of global sports events is expected to reach a staggering 150 billion US dollars in 2015!"
"One hundred and fifty billion dollars?" Mark Parker was a little stunned.
Nike works so hard but only makes over 20 billion, less than 30 billion U.S. dollars in revenue a year, which is less than one-fifth of sports events. My God, is there really such a big market?
"Yes, Sun Yue was very sure when he mentioned this number. In global sports events, the proportion of football events is increasing at an alarming rate. Therefore, people of insight in Ligue 1, Serie A, and even now La Liga and Bundesliga are all proposing reforms to package the image of the entire league and develop the global market!"
"This is a wave of globalization of sports events, and no one can stop it!"
Mark Parker was a smart man, and when he heard this, he understood everything.
If this is an unstoppable wave, then what Yang Huan wants to do now is to take control of the best and most competitive resources in his own hands before this wave comes and before everyone can see it clearly.
When this wave really comes, the resources in his hands will be an inexhaustible gold mountain!
There is no doubt that he is a trendsetter at the forefront of the times!
But should Nike follow him?