Williams came to his office with several newspapers in his hand. Judging from the smile on his face, he must be in a very good mood today.
"Good morning, Mr. Williams." The secretary immediately came forward to greet Williams.
"Good morning, Jenny." Williams smiled kindly, and then continued: "Go ahead and tell Mr. Frey to come to my office."
"I was just about to say this. Mr. Frey is waiting for you in your office now. He came early in the morning." The secretary replied.
"It seems there is someone more impatient than me." Williams smiled, shook his head, opened the door and walked into his room.
Frey had been waiting for a long time. When he saw Williams, he stood up immediately. When he was about to speak, Williams threw the newspaper in his hand to Frey.
"Well done. Winning four gold medals in one day is the best result we have achieved since the start of the track and field event. Almost all the media are talking about this matter. You, the chief operating officer, must have put a lot of effort into it!" William Si opened his mouth and praised.
"I have been in contact with the media last night. Many media pages have been determined and temporarily changed to become this news. However, we also paid some price. I promised them that we will publish a few pages. An advertisement," Frey said.
"It's worth it. The recent doping scandal had such a bad impact on us that it almost destroyed our entire athletics association. Now we need a shot in the arm. The necessary publicity and public opinion guidance are correct. Choice." Williams nodded.
Frey continued: "Mr. Williams, I think we should strike while the iron is hot, invest more money in the media and increase publicity, so I hope to apply for an additional budget for publicity."
"We already have a lot of publicity budget this year, right? And the doping scandal also cost us a lot of public relations fees. Recently, we have been increasing revenue and reducing expenditure. If we want to increase the budget now, you need to give me A reasonable excuse," Williams asked, frowning.
"Yes, due to the Olympics, our promotion budget this year is indeed larger than in previous years. But I can guarantee that our increased investment is definitely worth it. In this Olympics, our results are very good, and we have the opportunity to sign more With more sponsors, our current investment can get back exponential returns from sponsors!" Frey said.
Williams nodded without saying anything, still thinking about the pros and cons.
Frey continued to persuade: "Mr. Williams, so far, our track and field team has won 11 gold medals in the Olympics, which has exceeded the total number of gold medals won in track and field events in the last Olympic Games. After five competition days, excluding the last day of marathon and track and field, there are still four days of competition. We will get better gold medals and our results will get better. Conservatively speaking, we can at least I got 15 gold medals, if I’m lucky, I might even get 20 gold medals!”
"This national team may create history and may be the best result ever achieved by American track and field in the Olympics. For us, this is also a God-given opportunity to expand our influence! Take this opportunity, We can sweep away the adverse effects of the previous doping siege, not only reshape the image of the Athletics Association, but also gain recognition from more people. It would be a pity if we missed it, and we may not have to wait any longer. There’s no chance like this anymore.”
Williams was finally persuaded and nodded: "You are right, the opportunity is rare. I agree with your idea. I will try to persuade the council to increase publicity funds."
"In addition, I want to apply for a trip to Europe, and I also need to apply for some public relations fees." Frey continued.
"What are you going to do?" Williams asked.
"I would like to meet with some of the directors of the Lawrence Sports Society." Frey said.
"Are you going to lobby them?" Williams immediately understood Frey's intention.
Frey nodded: "This year's Lawrence Best Sports Team Award should belong to our U.S. Track and Field Team. In addition, I would like to try if the Lawrence Best Comeback Award can be awarded to Alvin or Alexander. They both won the Olympic Games." Gold medal, this is a very successful comeback.”
"When it comes to General Lawrence, I heard a rumor before. It is said that this year's Lawrence Awards will add three awards, namely the Best Extreme Athlete Award, the Best Sports Model Award, and the Best Coach Award." Williams said with a face. Said casually.
Frey hesitated for a moment. He was a little unsure of Williams' intentions, so he asked: "Mr. Williams, you mean, let me compete for the best coach award? Give it to Li Dai?"
Williams nodded: "We came to him originally to ask him to take the blame for us, but he saved us, so don't you think we should thank Coach Li?"
"Uh... I should thank him." Frey's words were somewhat untrue. Based on his understanding of Williams, Williams is the kind of person who values interests very much. The word "repaying a favor" has never been associated with Williams. Too big a relationship.
"You still don't understand what I mean." Williams put on a very serious expression and continued: "I hope to take this opportunity to show my kindness to Dai Li, because he has shown us enough coaching skills. His ability and leadership ability are worthy of our showing favor to him, do you understand now?"
"I understand. I will fight for it and get Dai Li nominated for Lawrence's Best Coach." Frey nodded immediately.
If Dai Li is just a coach with average level and ability, or if he fails to lead the U.S. team to achieve good results, then he will inevitably become the scapegoat of USATF.
And if Dai Li is very capable and capable and can lead the U.S. team to achieve similar results to previous years, USATF will certainly not need this scapegoat and will recognize Dai Li's level.
But now, Dai Li's performance in leading the team has exceeded that of previous years, and it is possible for the U.S. track and field team to achieve the best results it can. In the eyes of the USA Track and Field Association, Dai Li's value is completely different. Dai Li has proven that his coaching level and team leadership ability are far superior to other coaches. At this time, even the United States Track and Field Association wants to please Dai Li.
Whether in the East or the West, the strong will be respected by people, and pleasing the strong is a subconscious instinct of human beings.
…
Winning four gold medals in one day is indeed a great incentive for the U.S. track and field team, especially winning gold medals in unpopular events such as the men's high jump and the 110-meter hurdles has given other athletes a great incentive. It also gives them the confidence to compete for the championship.
So far, the U.S. team has won 11 gold medals in track and field events, and in the last Olympics, the U.S. track and field team won a total of 10 gold medals. Now that the Olympic track and field competition is just over halfway, the number of gold medals won by the U.S. track and field team exceeds the total number of gold medals in the previous session. In the following games, the American team still has several gold medal points, and it is inevitable to create better results.
On the sixth competition day of Olympic track and field, the morning was mainly preliminaries for some events in the men's decathlon and several other events. The final only included a men's 3,000-meter obstacle course.
The 3000-meter obstacle course is a very difficult sport. In terms of physical energy consumption, the physical energy consumption of the 3000-meter obstacle course is similar to that of the 5000-meter long-distance running. However, due to the obstacles that need to be crossed, it means that you have to jump hard before you can run a few steps. The impact on the athlete's rhythm will be very large.
The results of the competition indeed proved the difficulty of this project. Among the fifteen contestants, only ten finished the race, and the remaining five withdrew from the competition midway. Even among the finishers, the gap between first and tenth place was 40 seconds.
The 3000-meter "Obstacle King" Hengro from Kenya won the championship without any suspense. He is the ruler of this event, the last Olympic champion and the World Championship champion. Dai Li has scouted him. He is an S+ level player. If there are no accidents, in the next five years, when Hengro is at his physical peak, no one can challenge the king of the 3000-meter obstacle course. issue a challenge.
The American athlete won the runner-up in the 3000-meter obstacle course. Dai Li was already very satisfied with this result. After all, there is an S+ level Hungaro. There is no need to count on the gold medal. The silver medal is already the best that the American team can get. Scored.
As usual, there was no track and field competition in the afternoon, but Li Dai was not idle. He accepted an exclusive interview with Liu Ran, a female reporter from CCTV Sports Channel.
…
"Coach Li, I heard that you have not become an American citizen, so you are the first non-American head coach in the history of the US track and field team?" The female reporter chose this question as her opening statement.
"Yes, I have not become an American citizen, and I have no plans to do so. I have just obtained a green card from the United States. After all, my main job is in the United States. With a green card, it will be much more convenient for me to work and live in the United States. ." Li Dai opened his mouth and replied.
"International public opinion is generally not optimistic about this U.S. track and field team. However, it seems that you have led the U.S. track and field team to achieve very excellent results. How did you do it?" The female reporter asked a very interesting question. We are almost getting to the point.
Dai Li thought for a while and replied: "In fact, before the game, the U.S. Track and Field Team was indeed in trouble, and I was called in at the last minute. The first thing I did when I took over as the head coach of the U.S. Track and Field Team was to break the rules of the U.S. team. The athlete selection system. Under normal circumstances, the US team selects athletes based on performance rankings through the Olympic trials. I did not choose this method... "
Dai Li began to introduce it eloquently, but he did not talk about the core content of training, nor did he comment on a specific athlete. He only talked about some superficial things.
Dai Li is not stupid enough to reveal some key core secrets, such as the shortcomings of athletes, or what targeted training he has adopted for athletes. Li Dai would never do such things as exposing his shortcomings to his opponents or teaching his apprentices to starve their masters to death.
The content of Dai Li's answer was, to a high-level professional coach, a tasteless piece of food that would be a pity to throw away, but it was more than enough to fool the female reporter in front of him.
"Coach Li, as the head coach of the U.S. track and field team, what do you think of China's track and field? Or do you have any suggestions for China's track and field?" The female coach asked another more substantive question.
"Developing sports is a long-term matter. Many times we need the efforts of one generation or even several generations before we can achieve results. This requires a long-term plan. It is not just a few simple suggestions that can bring sports to a country. To improve your strength." Dai Li replied with a smile.
"Coach Li, a side question, are you interested in returning to China to coach? For example, returning to China to coach our national team?" the female reporter asked again.
"In fact, I once had the experience of coaching the national team. For me, returning to the national team is like going home. If I have the opportunity, of course I am willing to go back. After all, no matter how good it is outside, it can't be as good as home. Ah." Dai Li sighed.
"I have also noticed this. When you were in China, you were in the national team's training camp for a long time, and you also participated in the Asian Games with the national team." The female reporter then asked: "So, when you Why didn’t you stay in the national team?”
"Actually, I was assigned to the Hanbei Provincial Sports Bureau at the time. It was common for national team training camps to draw personnel from the sports bureaus of various provinces. After the Asian Games, I might also join the national track and field team, but By chance, I met coach Gu Zhizhong, and he recruited me into the national table tennis team as a physical fitness coach. The national table tennis team has the best athletes in the world. As a coach, I hope to coach the best athletes in the world, so I just went to the national table tennis team. This can be considered as joining the national team, but the event is not track and field, but table tennis. It is the same as playing for the country." Li Dai introduced.
"On your resume, after you left the National Table Tennis Team, you went to Dingtian Football Club. Then why did you leave the National Table Tennis Club? Was it a high-paying poaching by Dingtian Football Club? We all know that Dingtian Football Club When it comes to discovering talents, we have always paid no attention to the cost." the female reporter asked.
"Well..." Li Dai hesitated, and finally said: "I didn't take the initiative to leave the national table tennis at that time. After the national table tennis strike, I was transferred from the national table tennis to serve as a member of the Tai Chi World Heritage Committee. I was a coach and didn’t know anything about applying for World Heritage, so I chose to resign. It happened that an acquaintance introduced me at that time, so I went to Dingtian Football and became a physical coach."
"Tai Chi World Heritage Application Committee, is this a rise and fall? It sounds like you have been suppressed." The female reporter said in a teasing tone. This sentence sounded very unprofessional and more like a joke. A random and unintentional mistake.
Dai Li was more willing to believe that the female reporter was digging a hole for herself inadvertently.
"None of these reporters who can come to the Olympics to cover is a fuel-efficient person!" Dai Li said to himself.
It's just that Dai Li is no longer an ignorant young man. Even though he was promoted openly and secretly and was suppressed about what happened back then, he still won't speak out directly now.
"I'm just a sports coach. I don't do any other work besides leading the team and training." Dai Li shrugged: "For me, it's enough to do things within my capabilities. For example, what I am doing now, leading a team to compete in the Olympic Games, this is a job that I am qualified for."
Dai Li did not directly respond to the female reporter's "suppression theory", which made the female reporter a little disappointed. However, her face did not show the slightest emotion, but she still maintained a professional smile and continued to ask the next question.
"Coach Li, I heard that you have a physical training center in the United States. Can you introduce it to us?" the female reporter asked.
"Of course! I have specially prepared some information." Li Dai took a stack of promotional materials from his assistant, and then continued: "Reporter Liu, you can give me your email address, and I will send this information later. Here you go. Now let me introduce to you, my training center. By the way, this is not an advertisement, right?"
"Coach Li, you are really good at joking. This is originally an exclusive interview with you. An introduction to your achievements in the United States is also a necessary part of the interview." The smile on the female reporter's face became even brighter.
"Okay, I know that you are not allowed to use words like 'best' or 'number one' when advertising in China, otherwise you will be fined by the Industrial and Commercial Bureau. Since this does not count as advertising, I will tell the truth. The physical training center is definitely the best physical training center in the world!"
The female reporter looked at Dai Li, the admiration in her eyes flashed inadvertently. At this moment, Dai Li's whole body seemed to be radiating confidence.