"Okay, Coach, I'll try my best to communicate with the players."
This was going to be difficult.
Guo Qiang wiped the cold sweat from his forehead.
Now that the sponsors were pressuring the General Administration, the pressure fell squarely on him.
Thinking about the players' resistance, Guo Qiang felt a headache coming on.
He had initially planned to go to Beijing and pacify them slowly, but to his surprise, he found that the team had no intention of departing.
This made Guo Qiang a little anxious.
The Olympics were about to begin, and at this critical juncture, the players were refusing to travel. If this were to be exposed by the media, he, as the team leader, would surely be blamed.
Among the players, Tang Long and Yao Ming were the leaders. Guo Qiang decided to approach them first and have them persuade the rest of the team.
However, the moment he saw Tang Long and Yao Ming, Coach Guo knew it was unlikely.
Because Tang Long was barefoot.
Yao Ming was slightly better, wearing slippers.
"Coach Guo, you've come at the right time. Where are my shoes?"
Coach Guo sighed and sat down beside them. "You are all national players, bearing the responsibility to win honor for the country. How can you throw a tantrum like this?"
"Coach Guo, you're being unreasonable. We want to leave too, but we can't walk without shoes. They said we're not allowed to play in other people's shoes, so we have no choice."
Tang Long pouted. "I'm okay, but I feel bad for Brother Yao. He's an Olympic torchbearer. Imagine him running in slippers at that moment. Who knows how the media will interpret it!"
Tang Long clapped his hands and stood up, excitedly saying, "Perhaps the media will interpret it as my Brother Yao promoting low-carbon living and environmental protection."
Low-carbon, my foot...
Guo Qiang glared at Tang Long indignantly.
Honestly, he was starting to envy Jonas a little now.
Foreign coaches earned more and had fewer problems. It was unlike them, the local coaching staff, who had so much to deal with and were excellent at taking the blame. They received pressure from above and faced insubordination from below, truly caught in the middle.
"How about this, you, Yao Ming, and Yi Jianlian – the three of you are exceptions because you play abroad and are restricted by contracts. How does that sound?"
"Coach Guo, you're not being fair. You're trying to make us take the blame."
Divide and conquer.
First, get the core players on board, then reason with some of the stronger players, and for the rest who dared to challenge, kick them out of the team. That way, who would dare to object?
Besides, this would not be conducive to team unity.
On the surface, it seemed like granting them special privileges, but in reality, the players on the team would surely resent them. Even if they didn't say anything, who knew what they were thinking.
At that time, everyone would focus their criticism on these three, and even the team's core players might not be able to withstand public condemnation.
"What nonsense are you spouting?"
Coach Guo cursed under his breath and walked away.
"Tang Long, aren't you worried that this will escalate?"
Tang Long looked curiously at Yao Ming. "What if it escalates? We are in the right. We are the ones playing on the court. Why can't we have a say in matters that directly affect us? I say, Brother Yao, your awareness isn't high enough. You need to learn more from the players' union."
"Get lost."
Yao Ming glared at Tang Long and also walked away, muttering to himself.
Soon.
News that Tang Long and the others had not departed on the scheduled date spread through unofficial channels. It wasn't until the 5th that some media outlets began to notice this unusual behavior.
The first match was on the 10th. As the host nation, they should at least have had time to familiarize themselves with the venue. However, the team's delayed departure, coupled with all sorts of rumors flying around, fueled the sensationalist headlines.
Tang Long and Yao Ming in conflict, basketball in crisis.
Coaching staff granting special treatment to NBA players sparks dissatisfaction among others, leading to altercations in the locker room.
Guo Qiang, looking at these reports, slammed the table in anger.
There was no choice. Guo Qiang had to consult with the General Administration again.
The key issue was that the brand provided too much sponsorship. The General Administration, reluctant to lose it, also needed the money. Therefore, they wouldn't budge and gave Guo Qiang a stern order: any player who did not depart today would be kicked out of the team.
Everyone was already fuming, and now this only added fuel to the fire. They simply refused to budge, and no one was prepared to leave.
The hardline approach failed, so they tried the soft approach.
But the order was reversed, and the effect was naturally greatly diminished.
At the crucial moment, it was Wu Rongzhao who came to basketball's rescue. Hong Xing Erke took over the brand sponsorship, with no restrictions on the players' game shoes, finally bringing this matter to a close.
The moment the players stepped off the plane, the reporters who had been waiting to dig up sensational news were stunned.
Although the players were wearing shoes of various brands, they were all carrying Hong Xing Erke shoes.
This peculiar way of making an entrance immediately caught the attention of the sharp-nosed reporters, who saw a potential for traffic.
Soon.
Reports about the arrogant brand, disregarding the players' well-being for self-promotion, only to be spurned by the players, became a trending topic.
Following this, reporters dug up more explosive news.
This brand, under the guise of a national brand, had massively increased its prices after becoming a major player. It had also joined foreign sports companies in sanctioning domestic sporting goods.
This was like igniting a powder keg.
At this point, the players began praising Hong Xing Erke. The media further uncovered that Old Wu had invested a large sum in sponsorship without imposing restrictions on game shoes, always considering the players' needs. All this was not only to ease the players' burdens and enable them to achieve better results but also because Old Wu was repaying Tang Long.
The story of Tang Long and Wu Rongzhao once again became a trending topic. Hong Xing Erke, with its exceptional magnanimity, shattered people's ingrained perceptions.
How could a company with such a broad vision produce mediocre shoes?
Soon, everyone discovered that the Tang Long co-branded line was not only stylish but also vastly superior in performance to those from other domestic companies.
Once again, Hong Xing Erke became popular!
On the 8th.
Yao Ming carried the Olympic torch, wearing Hong Xing Erke shoes.
On the 10th, before the first game against the United States, Guo Qiang, in an interview, specifically thanked Old Wu and Hong Xing Erke for their contributions to the national team.
Warehouses across the country were emptied.
At 8 PM on the 10th, the starting lineup for Longguo against Huaqi was released.
Yao Ming, Tang Long, Yi Jianlian, Da Zhi, and Sun Yue.
Huaqi also fielded its strongest lineup.
Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony, and Dwight Howard.
The two sides should have met earlier, at least in private meetings. However, due to the previous sponsorship issue, the Longguo players only arrived in Beijing on the 6th. With acclimatization and training, Tang Long and James only met for the first time in the players' tunnel.
"Tang, you rascal, this is your home court. After the game, you're treating us to Beijing's best nightclub."
"Us?"
Tang Long looked at them suspiciously.
Who was "us"?
James pointed to Anthony, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Paul.
"Of course, us!"