Red Rebels

Is the United States really a football desert?

This is indeed an interesting question, and the answer can be viewed on two levels.

If we look at influence and popularity, football, baseball and basketball are indeed more popular than football in the United States, and the influence of these three games is also greater than football, especially football.

However, according to a detailed report produced by the Department of Commerce after a long-term investigation, at least more than 20 million people play football in the United States, one-third of whom are young people under the age of 18, second only to Brazil. , is the country with the second largest football population in the world.

Moreover, according to statistics from some authoritative organizations, in the United States, the number of teenagers under the age of 12 playing football exceeds the total of football, baseball and basketball combined. Currently, there are about 10 million teenagers who regularly play football and are expected to become professional players in the future. The probability is one in 1,000, which means that 10,000 people have the chance to become a professional player.

What is the average attendance in Major League Baseball?

15,540, this number exceeds most European leagues. If we talk about rankings, it can definitely enter the top ten in Europe.

The ratings of last season's Champions League finals in the United States were comparable to those of the NBA's Eastern and Western Finals. Next season, they are expected to exceed the level of the NBA Finals. And by the 2006 World Cup, the average ratings are likely to reach Average ratings for the nba finals.

Judging from this series of data, the so-called football desert in the United States is not true!

Of course, in the United States, the influence of football, baseball and basketball is indeed greater than that of football, but don’t forget that Americans’ consumption level cannot be ignored by anyone.

According to the official forecast of the 2006 World Cup, the 2006 World Cup may attract more than 20,000 American citizens to watch the game, and it is expected to purchase more than 100,000 tickets. It is a fan force that cannot be ignored in the World Cup.

It is precisely because the number of American fans is increasing day by day and their purchasing power and spending power are strong that the wealthy clubs are so keen on developing the American market.

However, the previous giants basically came to the United States in a formal way, such as Manchester United. They mostly chose to go it alone and play warm-up matches with American teams. The results of this were often not high.

For this trip to the United States, we have been planning for 2 years, carefully arranging the itinerary, and conducting a certain scale of publicity and marketing. In addition, in order to avoid making the mistakes made by clubs such as Manchester United and Juventus before, we have developed the United States The market is more based on the long term.

At present, many major league teams have expressed interest in cooperation with the United States. The club is considering selecting one or two teams from them to cooperate. It will conduct all-round cooperation with the cooperative clubs, especially in the youth training plan. The two parties will jointly establish five youth football schools in the next five years, invite potential players from American schools for systematic training, and introduce advanced youth training concepts.

Judging from the current feedback from the Ministry of Commerce, the Los Angeles Galaxy is most likely to reach a cooperation agreement with it. The team chose Los Angeles as the training location for this trip. On the one hand, it is also to consider the Los Angeles Galaxy at a close distance. Strength, as well as software and hardware foundation.

In addition to being based on the long-term, this time they gave up their previous solo efforts and invited AC Milan and Real Madrid to work together. The three clubs worked together to develop the American market. This caused a huge response in the United States. After all, these three teams last season They have all reached the semi-finals of the Champions League, representing the top strength in Europe.

This makes this summer’s Audi Cup competition particularly eye-catching. Judging from the current ticket sales, attendance at each game is expected to exceed 50,000. Ticket prices range from US$35 to US$85. Coupled with sponsorship, broadcast fees and other income, the entire event's profit is likely to exceed 30 million US dollars.

It's like a warm-up match with the Los Angeles Galaxy. According to the feedback from the Los Angeles Galaxy,

With 15,000 tickets sold so far, it is likely to set an attendance record for the Los Angeles Galaxy's home stadium.

……………… When the plane landed at Los Angeles International Airport, the fans who had been waiting in the terminal hall immediately became excited after hearing the announcement.

When determining the aircraft model and flight time, the club immediately publishes it on a series of online media such as the official website, official blog, Twitter and Facebook. This is also a habit of interacting with fans. Fans can use these The media gets in touch with the club and puts forward their ideas and opinions.

By the way, these Internet companies are all Xiao Yu's industries. They have no plans to go public yet and are highly anticipated by the outside world.

When the players walked out of the waiting hall talking and laughing, the entire waiting hall was filled with excitement. More than 2,000 fans came to the scene to wait for their arrival.

The airport had already guessed the goal of this group of fans, and deployed a large amount of manpower to maintain order on the scene. They also tried their best to cooperate with the fans' requests, and even went to a wider area to interact with the fans.

"Isn't it said that the United States is a football desert? Why are there so many fans?" Curtis asked Beckham in a low voice while smiling at the fans taking pictures.

"According to club statistics, we have at least more than 5 million fans in the United States!" Beckham replied with a smile.

Although they have never set foot in the United States in the past few years, the influence of this team is spreading all the time in the United States. Xiao Yu, Mourinho, Beckham, Kaká, Ronaldinho... everyone has already been in the United States. The news is spreading in the United States.

The enthusiasm of the fans exceeded everyone's expectations. They asked to take photos with the players, and also made many strange requests. The players had already received instructions from the club and tried their best to satisfy them.

When a female fan at the scene received a deep hug from Beckham, she was so intoxicated that she fainted on the spot. This made many people witness the charming charm of Beckham and fell in love with the captain.

In addition to more than 2,000 fans who came to the scene, there were also many media who came here. They witnessed with their own eyes that this was almost the most popular arrival of a European team after coming to the United States, and they all felt a lot.

It should be said that the largest audience of fans in China is among teenagers. This can be seen from the age of the fans present. Obviously, this has a lot to do with the history of promoting rebellious, fashionable and other styles. In addition, players such as Beckham and Little Ronaldinho, Kaka and Messi also have their own characteristics and styles, making them popular among other age groups besides teenagers, especially among the female surname group.

After being delayed at the airport for a full hour, the players had to leave the terminal hall and board the bus to the hotel that the club had booked under the constant urging of the staff.

Sitting on the bus, the players were still talking about the scene just now. No one thought that they still have such enthusiastic fans in the United States. Among them, the biggest fans are Beckham, Kaka, Ronaldinho and Messi followed closely behind, and other players also had many fans, and the discussion was very lively.

But when the team arrived at the hotel, a group of fans gathered here, about 300 people, and they were all anxiously waiting for the arrival, so after the team arrived, there was naturally another excitement.

While the players were being greeted enthusiastically by fans after arriving in the United States, Xiao Yu welcomed an important guest.

……………………Anschutz Group, referred to as AEG, is an entertainment group involved in many fields, including sports, movies, stadium management, and professional teams, including many in the Major League Soccer League. Teams include their shares, including the Los Angeles Galaxy and the New York Mets. In addition, in the NBA, the Los Angeles Lakers also have shares from the Anschutz Group.

The partner of this trip to the United States is the Anschutz Group. The two parties have cooperated many times before. For example, in the movie "One Shot" trilogy, in addition to DreamWorks cooperating with Disney, the Anschutz Film Group It is also one of the partners, with the entertainment group holding hands, and the film also aired a half-minute commercial during the NFL's Super Bowl live broadcast, which caused a huge response.

You know, due to the super high ratings of the Super Bowl, advertising time for this event is often hard to come by. Every Super Bowl is a prime time when Hollywood studios spend a lot of money to promote movies. This year, it even includes [Harry Potter], [Narnia], [King Kong] and [War of the Worlds] and other super blockbusters.

And "One Goal to Fame" also relied on the theme of competition and the theme of the Super Bowl to be included in this advertising period. For this purpose, the producer specially edited a 30-second exciting trailer, which contains multiple The wonderful scene was broadcast on the Super Bowl. Although 3 million US dollars in advertising fees were invested in it, the results were very good.

Although the movie has not yet been released, judging from the market response, "One Goal to Fame" has attracted considerable attention, especially among sports fans, and is known as the most anticipated inspirational sports-themed movie this summer. , will be released simultaneously in 3106 theaters in North America on July 15, and before that, a grand premiere ceremony will be held.

In addition to [One Goal to Fame], this Audi Cup North American competition is also organized and promoted by the Anschutz Group. From the current point of view, Anschutz has undoubtedly fulfilled Xiao Yu's expectations.

It is precisely because of this that when the Anschutz Group expressed its intention to cooperate, the club immediately paid attention to it, and the Ministry of Commerce immediately sent people to contact the Anschutz Group.

Both parties had the intention to cooperate, and then Xiao Yu came forward and arrived in the United States one day early to meet with Tim Leiweke, the president of Anschutz Group.

This is a cheerful-looking American businessman. He is not young, and his hair and beard are all white, but his eyes hidden behind a pair of glasses reveal a shrewd light. Baidu Sister-in-law @ban(.*福)生—Red Rebels

People are old and wise, and trees are old and wise!

This sentence should not be wrong when applied to him!

Xiao Yu's first impression of him was good. He likes to discuss business with smart people, because it can save a lot of effort. Those who like to worry about things will definitely not achieve great things.

Each of them brought several assistants, Xiao Yu brought David and Gardner, and a group of people sat down in the VIP conference room of the hotel. After a few opening remarks at the beginning, Tim? Leiweke took the lead and got to the point.

"We know that we are interested in establishing football schools in the United States. We are very interested in the future football industry in the United States and hope to cooperate with you!" Tim Leiweke said with a smile.

“In the United States, we have connections, connections, and funds. We also have land and stadiums that you lack, but you have professionals, visibility, and authority that we don’t have. We have reason to believe that if our two companies By cooperating, we will be able to occupy the most advantageous position in the American football industry!"

According to previous ideas, in the next five years, five football schools will be built in five major cities in the United States. This will be a huge investment. At the same time, we will also look for partners in the United States, many of which are companies. Anschutz Group is just one of them interested in cooperation with.