Chapter 34

At the Capital Airport.

The national team was immediately surrounded by reporters upon landing.

Breaking the Asian record, being the first Asian to run under 10 seconds, and the first person of East Asian descent to achieve this feat were all enough to attract the media's attention. Although a time of 9.99 seconds was not yet enough to compete with the top athletes from Europe and America, it was still considered the biggest breakthrough in sprinting since the turn of the century.

However, the national team learned from the lesson in the Philippines and did not allow Zhang Guan to participate in any interviews. The team was concerned that Zhang Guan might speak without restraint and say something like "breaking the world record," which could put them in a difficult position again. Therefore, both Director Ma and Coach Yu agreed that Zhang Guan should be trained before facing the media, at least to know what not to say.

Director Ma briefly introduced the competition at the airport and did not answer the reporters' questions. The Athletics Management Center would later hold a special press conference for the Asian Athletics Championships, which would be the official time to face the media.

Achieving a breakthrough, recognition was inevitable. The General Administration of Sport awarded Zhang Guan a prize of 300,000 yuan. However, only 100,000 yuan of this amount actually reached Zhang Guan.

The General Administration of Sport did not issue the "Provisional Measures for the Management of Bonuses for National Team Athletes" until 2010, which clearly defined the distribution of bonuses. Before the issuance of these measures, one-third of the athletes' bonuses were to be handed over to the association as a sports fund, one-third to coaches and other contributors, and the remaining one-third to the athletes themselves. The sports fund would then be distributed between the management center and local associations according to a set ratio. Fortunately, this time, the bonus for breaking the Asian record was tax-exempt, otherwise, a portion of personal income tax would have been deducted.

The provincial sports bureau rewarded Zhang Guan with a house, with a floor area of over 120 square meters, which was not particularly large. Although house prices had not yet skyrocketed at this time, a 120-square-meter house in the provincial capital was worth around 300,000 yuan. Since Zhang Guan's registered unit was the provincial sports bureau, this house was considered a reward to an employee, and the process followed employee welfare procedures, so it did not need to be further distributed. Therefore, it was more practical than the 300,000 yuan reward from the General Administration of Sport.

The day after returning to the country, the Athletics Association held a commendation meeting. Afterward, the national team temporarily disbanded, and the athletes returned to their respective units.

The athletes' registered units were the provincial sports authorities. After being selected for the national team, they would participate in regular training organized by the national team and be called up for international events. However, most of the time, athletes mainly trained with their provincial teams. Only a few top athletes could enjoy the training facilities of the national team continuously.

However, many athletes would stay for a few more days before returning, mainly to handle media interviews. For example, Zhang Guan was scheduled for several media interviews. These interviews were pre-prepared, and the athletes just needed to read from the script.

When Zhang Guan was packing his luggage and preparing to leave the athletes' dormitory, he encountered Coach Yu at the door.

Coach Yu's mood was clearly very good, and the usual dark circles under his eyes were gone. The historic breakthrough at the Asian Athletics Championships allowed Coach Yu to have a good night's sleep, making him appear very relaxed.

Coach Yu called Zhang Guan aside and said, "Zhang, I've kept you here for a special reason. I need to give you a heads-up. You've broken the Asian record and run under 10 seconds, making you a celebrity in the country. I believe it won't be long before someone approaches you for advertisements or product endorsements."

Coach Yu deliberately paused and then continued, "The country does not yet have clear regulations on the commercial development of athletes. According to past management, the Athletics Management Center will definitely take the initiative to find you and be responsible for developing your commercial value. This is the approach taken for most domestic athletes, such as Liu Fei, who signed a contract with the Athletics Association, allowing the association to manage his commercial value."

Zhang Guan carefully recalled the endorsement deals of Liu Fei. In 2003, Liu Fei began endorsing commercial brands, signing two endorsement contracts that year: a 350,000 yuan annual contract with Coca-Cola and a 500,000 yuan annual contract with Nike, which included 200,000 yuan worth of equipment, clothing, and shoes, meaning the actual endorsement fee was 300,000 yuan.

These two endorsement contracts were highly profitable, as Liu Fei won the gold medal at the Athens Olympics the following year, and his value increased by several dozen times. Later, his endorsement fees started at 5 million yuan, with the highest reaching 15 million yuan.

Zhang Guan knew that once he embarked on the path of an athlete, commercial value would always be a topic that could not be avoided. In this regard, the higher-level associations were a peak he had to face. Regarding the development of athletes' commercial value, the first step was to determine who would be responsible for it. If it were abroad, it would be straightforward for athletes to find a sports agent or sign with an agency. However, the situation in China was much more complex.

In commercialized sports like football and basketball, although there were constraints from higher-level management associations, athletes could still have their own agents. For example, some national team players not only had their own agents but also had agents with significant influence. In non-Olympic sports, athletes could also have their own agents, such as snooker player Ding Junhui.

However, in other sports, especially Olympic sports, athletes found it difficult to have their own agents. Almost all commercial development was managed by the associations or management centers. For example, Liu Fei, despite being a top athlete, did not have a proper agent during his athletic career. All his activities were arranged by the Athletics Management Center.

There were no clear laws or regulations regarding the use of agents by athletes, but many associations had internal rules prohibiting athletes from using their own agents. The associations would be responsible for the commercial development of athletes, and these internal rules sometimes did not even have a formal written document, making them unwritten rules that athletes had to follow.

From Zhang Guan's perspective, if the association were to be responsible for his commercial operations, it would be like signing a contract of servitude. While there might not be significant financial loss, he would certainly lose his freedom. Whether it was endorsing brands, shooting advertisements, or participating in commercial activities, he would be constrained and unable to act as he pleased. Everything would be decided by the management department. For example, during the 2008 Olympics, Liu Fei was already injured and could not run, but to honor a 500 million yuan contract, he was forced to compete, leading to a heartbreaking moment.

Moreover, once he signed with the association, he would lose his autonomy. He would have to follow the association's commands, and if he disobeyed, the association could not only suspend his competitions but also ban him from all commercial activities, cutting off his source of income and forcing him to comply. This was one of the reasons why many sports associations did not allow athletes to have their own agents. Athletes with money were more likely to become corrupt and disobedient, which was a consensus in the sports world. The current athlete management system in China still followed the old model from the last century, which was simple and brutal. Administrative penalties and fines were the main methods of managing athletes.

However, signing with the association also had many benefits. The most direct benefit was the support of a powerful organization. In the commercial world, there were many unwritten rules, and even big stars often faced unfair treatment, such as exploitation by companies, coercion by unscrupulous forces, or media smear campaigns. Compared to these, a star's fame was insignificant. All these unfair treatments required submission to the authorities. Under the protection of the Athletics Association, issues like exploitation, coercion, and smear campaigns were not a problem.

Another benefit was saving a significant amount of money. Hiring a professional agent or agency was costly, with agents taking 4% to 6% of endorsement fees and possibly 10% or more of advertising fees. Considering that athletes only received 50% of their endorsement and advertising fees, with the rest going to the association as a sports development fund and to coaches and other contributors, the loss would be substantial if there were additional commissions. If the association were responsible, there would be no need to pay the agent's commission. From another perspective, since the required contributions would be made in full, signing with the association would be like getting a powerful backer for free.

The third benefit was that the Athletics Association, being a national organization, was very serious about selecting commercial brands. This could be seen from Liu Fei's endorsements and advertisements, which were all well-known domestic and international brands. Small and obscure companies were not considered, which helped maintain and enhance the athlete's image.

"There are advantages and disadvantages. How should I choose?" Zhang Guan hesitated and asked, "Besides letting the association manage my commercial development, are there any other options?"

Coach Yu smiled slightly, as if he had sensed Zhang Guan's thoughts. He said, "You can also choose not to sign with the center and find a professional agent yourself. However, I think the higher-ups might not easily agree to this."

"The higher-ups?" Zhang Guan asked, puzzled.

"I mainly mean the association. The Athletics Management Center is just responsible for specific tasks, but the major decisions are made by the Athletics Association." Coach Yu explained.

"Do you mean they will make things difficult for me?" Zhang Guan asked immediately.

"Although it's not 100% certain, the possibility is very high." Coach Yu sighed. He could understand that young people had their own ideas, but when it came to specific interests, things became very complicated.

"They really manage everything. Anyway, I won't be keeping any less of what I should contribute. Why do they have to worry about it?" Zhang Guan complained.

"Well, that's..." Coach Yu was momentarily at a loss for words.

But Zhang Guan said, "I understand. Athletes are a kind of resource, and the better the resource, the more valuable it is. It's like the oil-producing countries in the Middle East. The more oil they produce, the more powerful they become. To ordinary people, it might seem that selling oil to anyone is the same as long as they get paid. But in reality, many countries have to beg them to sell, and they use oil to gain more benefits from the buyers."

"Uh... You understand it quite well, it seems!" Coach Yu felt that Zhang Guan was veering off topic and had not yet reacted.

"Coach, what do you think I should do?" Zhang Guan asked.

Coach Yu shook his head and said, "Don't ask me. I never get involved in such decisions and won't even give you a hint. You have a long road ahead, and you need to make your own choices. If I help you choose, you might regret it later and blame me, Old Yu!"

...

In the car, Zhang Guan looked out the window at the passing scenery, lost in thought.

Zhang Guan did not want the Athletics Association to manage his commercial value. This was not about financial gain but about his desire to make his own decisions. He felt it was his right, and he decided to find a way to protect it.

However, protecting his rights could not rely solely on the law; it mainly depended on his strength. Society was very realistic. An ordinary person, without power or money, could only endure injustice and struggle to survive. But if it were a big star, a few words and media attention could quickly resolve the issue.

"I'm not a big star yet. If the Athletics Management Center approaches me now, what should I do? Refusing outright might not be good. The best approach is to delay. When I become a sports superstar, I will naturally have more say, and then I can negotiate with them." Zhang Guan thought and suddenly found a good excuse.

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I just checked, and over the past seven days, I've been averaging 6,500 words per day. Although I post two chapters a day, I think I'm still writing more than many 2K authors who post three chapters a day. This chapter, excluding my few words, is over 3,800 words. During the new book period, posting 2K words can help boost clicks, but I believe the quality of the work is key. If the quality is high, readers will enjoy it, and clicks won't matter as much. So, I'll focus on writing diligently. However, recommendations are still important, especially during the new book period, so I humbly request your support! Thank you.

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