novelraw Chapter 678 24: Movers and Shakers (Part 2)
Chapter 678 24: Movers and Shakers (Part 2)
"Yes, Yankee Stadium is just across the Hudson River, and it takes less than twenty minutes to drive there; it's a bit farther from Manhattan, but thirty minutes is more than enough to let you experience all the prosperity of New York's Upper Town." Nomura Katsuhiko's voice came from beside him, "Alpine is New Jersey's elite residential area, reputed as the Beverly Hills of New York. It's quiet enough and private enough to give you a place where you can always prepare for battle with peace of mind and focus entirely on the game—by the way, your teammate Sabathia and his family also live here, almost over there."
Looking in the direction Nomura Katsuhiko pointed, except for the tall and lush trees and plants, Lin Guanglai could see nothing—since most of the residents here are elites from all walks of life in New York, to protect each resident's privacy, the buildings in Alpine are separated by plenty of greenery, which also effectively helps residents escape the entanglement of New York's media.
The two talked as they walked inside the villa: outside the door was a red mailbox, to the right of the main building was the garage, and to the left was a not-too-big nor too-small garden, spacious enough to host a barbecue party for dozens of people.
Entering the villa, the first thing that caught their eye was the vast living room: the spacious and bright floor-to-ceiling windows allowed all the morning sunlight of New York to bathe people's bodies, bringing a hint of warmth; the interior decoration style was simple, clearly considering Lin Guanglai's personal preferences—the area of just this living room was almost the same size as Lin Guanglai's home in Tokyo.
"This house has six bedrooms, so besides you and Sanada usually living here, if your family and friends come to the United States, you won't have to worry about them not having a place to stay," Nomura Katsuhiko continued introducing the interior of the house to Lin Guanglai, "In addition, this house has 12 independent zones, including a media room, gym, and therapy room, enough to meet your daily series of needs."
"As for cleaning the house, you don't need to worry. I've already arranged cleaning staff: they will come at a fixed time every week to do simple cleaning; on Yankee away game days, they will also organize a specialized team to do overall maintenance of the house—of course, if there's any special circumstance, you can just tell me or Sanada a day in advance."
"Oh, by the way!" Nomura Katsuhiko suddenly patted his head, as if he suddenly remembered something, "The original owner of the house was a Yankees fan, so he built a dedicated bullpen and batting cage in the backyard, with professional equipment that has been used for only a few years. I think you'll like it."
Lin Guanglai's attention was still on the house and the surrounding scenery, his reaction slightly delayed; a moment later, he withdrew his gaze and questioningly said:
"This house is really nice, maybe even a bit too nice—Mr. Tuan, it's not that I don't trust you, but I signed a minor league contract with the Yankees, right? Are you really sure I can afford this house?"
As an international free agent under 25, Lin Guanglai currently has a contract with the Yankees for a $545,000 annual salary and a $3.5 million signing bonus, but this is pre-tax income, and after New York state tax deductions, the total may be only about two million;
Even though he did earn a high salary for several years with the Softbank Team, after deducting taxes and agent commissions, and converting to US dollars, the numbers weren't very large—if he hadn't lived in the young players' dormitory in Softbank for years, with little extra consumption in daily life, this amount would be even less.
"Hahahaha, if you were just an average base salary player, then of course it would be very difficult to afford such a house..." Hearing Lin Guanglai's concern, Nomura Katsuhiko laughed aloud, "But Guanglai, you're different from others—your current commercial value is even unmatched by your teammate Aaron Judge, do you understand?"
Here, Nomura Katsuhiko took a thick stack of documents from his briefcase and placed them neatly in front of Lin Guanglai, "Look at these, Guanglai—this is your confidence."
Lin Guanglai took the stack of documents from the other party, finding that it listed the names of sponsors who had sent signing intentions to him, in addition to common sports brands, there were sponsors spanning various industries;
There were also numerous media interview invitations, or invites from programs like GQ sports that delve into the lives of athletes;
In Japan, NHK TV Station even proposed shooting a dedicated documentary about Lin Guanglai's life in America and experiences with the Yankees...
In short, as Lin Guanglai gradually made a name for himself in America, his distinct appearance and the unique value of his Dual Swordsmanship identity clearly made him the media and sponsors' new darling, his immense commercial value like a fertile virgin land awaiting exploitation.
"Let's start with sports brand sponsorships, Mizuno proposed renewing our contract, the sponsorship amount is not an issue, it could even match the top players in the Major League..." As Lin Guanglai read, Nomura Katsuhiko began analyzing for him.
"However, I think even if you sign an equipment sponsorship contract with Mizuno again, there's no need to bundle all the equipment as before. At your current value, signing individual contracts for each piece of equipment can maximize benefits—after all, at the end of the day, the influence of domestic brands like Nike, Rawlings, and Wilson in the US market is not something an outsider like Mizuno can compare to."
Here, Nomura Katsuhiko revealed an ambition he hadn't mentioned to anyone else: "If possible, my ultimate goal is to help you secure an independent product line under a brand, this not only raises our dividends, but also benefits your personal future brand promotion."
"Baseball sponsorship is just our first step, beyond these, establishing connections with luxury brands and major watchmakers is the key to truly entering a new circle—from the intention list I have now, Richard Mille has expressed great interest in you, their strategy is also more inclined towards collaborating with young athletes across fields..."
"As for endorsements in Japan, what you're seeing now is already a selection I've made, they're basically the higher brand value companies within each industry, collaborations with companies like Suntory, Itoen, Sekimoto Furniture, and Family Mart are ones we can slowly negotiate."
"Additionally, Konami has also sent us a partnership invitation, expressing hope you can be the cover athlete for the next Pro Evolution Power Baseball, they will design a new Big Head Baseball character based on your image..."
"I also suggest you accept the YES Sports interview, and GQ's video shoot, both will greatly help elevate your reputation among fans."
Looking at one name after another on the document in his hands, Lin Guanglai felt like his eyes were about to get dizzy.
"So, although the team gave me a three-day holiday, actually I have no time to rest, right?" Feeling the heavy workload that might be looming, Lin Guanglai couldn't help but complain to Nomura Katsuhiko.
"Pretty much." Nomura Katsuhiko smiled as he answered Lin Guanglai's query, "After all, you are a hot topic now..."