Commercial Value Development

As soon as the national team disembarked from the plane, they were surrounded by reporters.

Breaking the Asian record, being the first Asian to run under 10 seconds, the first person of East Asian descent to break 10 seconds, and breaking Japan's monopoly on Asian sprinting—all these achievements were enough to catch the media's attention. Although the 9.99-second result wasn't enough to compete with those Western big names, it still marked the biggest breakthrough in sprinting entering the 21st century.

However, the national team had learned from their experience in the Philippines and didn't let Zhang Guan participate in the interview at all. The national team was worried that if Zhang Guan spoke out again about "breaking the world record" or something similar, they would be put in a passive position again. Therefore, both Director Ma and Coach Yu agreed that Zhang Guan needed to be trained before facing the media, at least to make him understand what should not be said.

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

With such a groundbreaking achievement, recognition was inevitable, and the General Administration of Sports awarded Zhang Guan a bonus of 300,000 yuan. However, Zhang Guan ultimately only received 100,000 yuan.

The General Administration of Sports did not issue the "Provisional Measures for the Management of National Team Athletes' Prize Money" until 2010, which explicitly stipulated the distribution of prize money. Before the "Measures" were issued, the prize money distribution was one-third handed over to the association as a sports fund, one-third given to coaches and other contributors, and only the remaining third went to the athletes. The sports fund would be distributed proportionally by the management center and local associations. Fortunately, the bonus for breaking the Asian record this time was national-level and was one of the few bonuses that didn't require taxes; otherwise, part of it would have been deducted as personal income tax.

The Provincial Sports Bureau rewarded Zhang Guan with an apartment, about 120 square meters in size—not very big. Although house prices hadn't skyrocketed yet at that time, a 120-square-meter apartment in the provincial capital was worth about 300,000 yuan. Since Zhang Guan's registered unit was the Provincial Sports Bureau, this apartment was a reward for their employee, following the employee benefits process, and did not need to be redistributed, making it more practical than the 300,000 yuan reward from the General Administration of Sports.

The day after returning to China, the Chinese Athletic Association held a commendation meeting, after which the national team was temporarily disbanded, and the participating athletes returned to their respective units.

Athletes' registered units are provincial sports authorities. After being selected for the national team, they participate in regular training camps organized by the national team and are called up for international competitions, while usually, athletes primarily train with their respective provincial teams. Only a very few top athletes can continuously enjoy national team training benefits.

However, many athletes stay a few more days before returning, mainly to handle some media interviews. For instance, Zhang Guan was also arranged for several media interviews. These interviews usually involve agreeing on the script in advance and then reading from it during the interview.

As Zhang Guan packed his luggage, ready to leave the athletes' dormitory, he encountered Coach Yu at the door.

At that moment, Coach Yu was evidently in a very good mood, with his usual dark circles nowhere in sight. The historic breakthrough at the Asian Athletics Championships had allowed Coach Yu to sleep soundly, making him appear very relaxed.

Coach Yu called Zhang Guan aside and said, "Xiao Zhang, there's something special I need to remind you about. Breaking the Asian record and running under 10 seconds makes you a well-known figure in the country. It won't be long before people start approaching you for advertisements or product endorsements."

Coach Yu paused deliberately before continuing, "The country hasn't yet clearly regulated the commercial development of athletes, but based on past management practices, the Track and Field Management Center will likely approach you to manage your commercial value. This is the approach taken for most domestic athletes. For example, the 110-meter hurdles star Liu Feiren has signed a contract with the Chinese Athletic Association, which is fully responsible for his commercial value development."

Zhang Guan recalled Liu Feiren's endorsement deals. He remembered that in 2003, Liu Feiren began endorsing commercial brands, signing two endorsement deals that year: one with Coca-Cola for an annual fee of 350,000 yuan and another with Nike for an annual fee of 500,000 yuan. The Nike deal also included products like gear, clothes, and shoes worth 200,000 yuan, so the actual endorsement fee was only 300,000 yuan.

These two endorsement deals were extremely profitable because the following year, Liu Feiren won the Athens Olympic championship, and his value skyrocketed by dozens of times. Later, Liu Feiren's endorsements started at 5 million yuan, with the highest reaching 15 million yuan.

Zhang Guan knew that as an athlete, commercial value was an unavoidable topic. In this matter, the upper-level association was a formidable challenge he had to face. When it came to developing an athlete's commercial value, the first issue was determining who would handle it. If it were abroad, it would be straightforward: the athlete could simply hire a sports agent or contract with a management company. But the situation in China was much more complicated.

In commercialized sports like football and basketball, although there are constraints from higher-level management associations, athletes can have their own agents. Some national team players even have agents with significant clout. For instance, some professional football or basketball players not only have their agents but also have highly influential ones. Similarly, athletes in non-Olympic sports, like snooker player Xiao Ding, can also have their own agents.

However, in other sports, particularly Olympic sports, it is very difficult for athletes to have their own agents, and most athletes allow the management association or center to fully handle their commercial development. For example, Liu Feiren, despite being a top athlete who could have a dedicated management team, didn't even have a proper agent during his athletic career. All his activities were directly arranged by the Track and Field Management Center.

There are no explicit legal requirements regarding athletes having agents, but many associations impose internal regulations, prohibiting athletes from hiring their agents and instead taking full responsibility for their commercial development. These internal regulations are often unwritten rules without formal documentation but are strictly enforced.

From Zhang Guan's perspective, allowing the association to fully manage his commercial operations would be akin to signing a slave contract. Although it might not result in significant economic losses, he would lose his freedom. He wouldn't be able to decide on endorsements, commercials, or participation in commercial activities independently; everything would be dictated by the management department. It's similar to Liu Feiren in the 2008 Olympics, where despite being injured and unable to compete, he was forced to participate to fulfill a contract worth 500 million yuan, leading to a heart-wrenching scene.

Additionally, handing over commercial operations to the association meant losing autonomy. Many decisions would then have to follow the association's direction. If an athlete disobeyed, the association could impose sanctions or even ban all their commercial activities, cutting off their income stream and forcing them to comply. This is one reason many sports associations disallow athletes from hiring their agents—wealthy athletes tend to become rebellious, a known consensus in the sports world. The current athlete management system in China still follows outdated, simplistic, and harsh practices from the last century, where administrative penalties and withholding money are the primary methods of control.

However, signing with the association also has many advantages. The most direct one is having strong backing. In the commercial celebrity world, many unspoken rules exist, and even top celebrities often face unfair treatment, such as company exploitation, coercion by unscrupulous forces, or media smearing. These issues require deference to official departments. Under the protection of the association, problems like exploitation, coercion, and smearing become non-issues.

Secondly, allowing the association to handle commercial development can save a lot of money. Hiring a dedicated agent or team is costly. For instance, agents usually take a 4% to 6% cut from endorsement fees and up to 10% or more from advertising fees. Considering that sports celebrities only keep 50% of their endorsement and advertising fees (with the rest going to associations and coaches), additional cuts from agents would significantly reduce their income. If the managing association handles it, there are no extra agent fees. From another perspective, since the required contributions must ultimately be paid in full, signing with the association means gaining a substantial backer for free.

Thirdly, the association, as a national-level organization, is very serious about choosing commercial brands, as evidenced by Liu Feiren's endorsements, which were all with renowned domestic and international brands. They ignore smaller companies and brands, helping maintain and elevate the celebrity's image.

"There are pros and cons! How should I choose?" Zhang Guan hesitated for a moment and asked, "Apart from letting the association handle commercial development, are there any other options?"

Coach Yu smiled slightly, seeming to understand what Zhang Guan was thinking, and said, "You can choose not to sign with the center and instead find a professional agent. However, if you choose this route, I don't think the upper management will easily agree."

"Upper management?" Zhang Guan asked, puzzled.

"I mainly mean the association. The Track and Field Management Center is responsible for specific operations and execution, but major decisions are still made by the Chinese Athletic Association," Coach Yu explained further.

"You mean they'll make things difficult for me?" Zhang Guan immediately asked.

"While not certain, the likelihood is quite high," Coach Yu sighed. He understood that young people have their ideas, but whenever specific interests are involved, things become very complicated.

"Why do they interfere so much? As long as the required contributions are paid, why does the association care so much?" Zhang Guan complained.

"Well…" Coach Yu was momentarily at a loss for how to explain.

But Zhang Guan spoke up, "I get it. Athletes are also a resource. The higher the quality of the resource, the more valued they are. It's like those oil-rich Middle Eastern countries: the more oil they produce, the more influential they are. To an ordinary person, it seems they just sell oil to anyone willing to pay. But in reality, many countries have to seek their favor to buy oil, allowing them to leverage their control over oil for more benefits."

"Uh… you seem to understand quite well, I guess that's about right!" Coach Yu felt Zhang Guan's analogy was a bit far-fetched and hadn't fully grasped it yet.

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

Coach Yu shook his head and said, "Don't ask me. I never participate in these kinds of decisions or even offer suggestions. Your future is still long, and you have to choose your path yourself. If I helped you decide and you regretted it later, wouldn't you blame me?"

…

Sitting in the car, Zhang Guan watched the scenery flying by outside the window and fell into deep thought.

Zhang Guan didn't want the association to handle his commercial value development rights. This wasn't primarily about financial interests but rather that he didn't like others deciding his matters. He felt it was his right, and he wanted to find a way to protect it.

However, protecting one's rights cannot rely solely on legal means; it mainly depends on strength. Society is realistic. A small, powerless individual can only endure and compromise when facing injustice. But a major celebrity can quickly resolve issues with just a few critical words on social media and media attention.

"I'm not a big-name athlete yet. If the Track and Field Management Center approaches me now, what should I do? Directly refusing might not be a good idea. The best approach is to delay. Once I become a sports superstar, I will naturally have more influence and can negotiate with them." Zhang Guan thought for a moment and suddenly came up with a good excuse.