King of Sports 146 King Of Sports

A large number of new talent had emerged in this championship. The likes of Sun Yang, Ye Shiwen and Ning Zetao performed well but the most dazzling star was undoubtedly Tang Yan.

He participated in a total of 6 single events and 2 relay races. Except for the two losses to Sun Yang, in all his other events he won gold, demonstrating his dominance in Chinese swimming.

He broke 3 Asian records. 

After the award ceremony, Tang Yan celebrated with his teammates and then left the swimming pool. After he went out, he directly called Zhuang Jiajie and asked him to meet at a nearby cafe.

....

Zhuang Jiajie was fast. Tang Yan had just sat down, when he entered right on his heels.

It could be seen that he was anxious.

"You finally called me!" He said excitedly as soon as he sat down.

Suddenly, Tang Yan couldn't help but smile.

Who was acting like the 18 year old.

"What do you want to drink?" Tang Yan reached out and called the waiter.

"Let's have a latte." Zhuang Jiajie said politely to the waiter.

Tang Yan didn't mind, he began the conversation: "I've thought over your offer and I'm interested but I need more detail on what you have in mind."

"Yeah sure I already have a plan in mind." Zhuang Jiajie was obviously prepared.

"Your reputation is on the rise but because of you frequently changing sports, this accumulation isn't continuous, which will lead to a problem. There are many people who know you, but relatively few people like you." Zhuang Jiajie said straightforwardly.

"Your coffee." At this point the waiter had returned with the coffee they ordered.

"Thank you." Tang Yan took the coffee, looked over at Zhuang Jiajie and motioned him to continue.

"Most of your fans have one sport they follow rigorously which is likely how they know you and whilst they might pay attention to your other activities every now and then. Most of the time they don't because they don't have any particular interest in that sport." Zhuang Jiajie continued.

Tang Yan nodded sipping his coffee.

"The issue with this, is that when you switch sports your relevance and popularity falls in all the other fields but that relevance and popularity is how you appeal to advertisers and promoters. You need to build a following that doesn't just follow you as a boxer but you as an athlete."

"They're here to see your overall journey not just your swimming, boxing or archery career."  

"This problem would have been difficult to solve in the past, but it's different now. With the power of social media, you can have a place to concentrate everyone who likes you and craft a persona around your cross-sports gimmick. "Zhuang Jiajie said, taking out his mobile phone.

Tang Yan looked down and saw what was displayed on the screen.

"Weibo?"

"Yes, Weibo, it's a relatively big social media platform and is extremely trendy among the new generation. I believe it will continue to grow and become one of the biggest assets in terms of creating a following in the future. With the platform, your fans will have a gathering place and you can easily interact with them to continue to raise your popularity. Your fans will only grow. 

"The more fans and followers you have, the more attractive you will be to advertisers and promoters. It's not just about being the best athlete, that is important as well but you need to be able to create a brand around it!"

Zhuang Jiajie said a little excited, "It's essentially a popularity contest, as long as there is popularity, it means there is a market and as long as it is a market they can sell to, your endorsement fees will soar!"

Tang Yan nodded thoughtfully, Zhuang Jiajie's idea essentially described how things would be in the future. In his previous life, there were plenty of Weibo celebrities who built a massive following and used that to earn a living just based on sponsorships.

Zhuang Jiajie's thinking was actually very advanced. Weibo had only been up for two years now being launched in 2009 but he had clearly been able to ascertain its future potential.

"Of course, this is only the first step." Zhuang Jiajie's next sentence once again aroused Tang Yan's interest.

"Next, you need to use your spare time to appear in entertainment programs. That is the second step of the plan. For example programs like Wilderness Survival. With your ability, it shouldn't be a problem at all. "Zhuang Jiajie continued.

Tang Yan nodded in agreement with Zhuang Jiajie. This was the standard growth path of celebrities and online stars in his previous life but this was a trend that began to occur four or five years later.

"Well, what do you think my Weibo name should be?" Tang Yan asked with a smile.

As soon as Zhuang Jiajie heard these words, his face was immediately delighted, he understood the indirect meaning of the question, Tang Yan was accepting him.

"Anything really is fine. It's probably better to use your real name, so it's easy to search."

"Okay, got it. I'll make an account tonight. I will also put your name and contact information on it, but you need to remember I'm apart of the national team, which represents the country. Take these factors into account when screening endorsements. "Tang Yan reminded solemnly.

In his previous life, an athlete was kicked off the team and buried under criticism because of one of his endorsements, he didn't want to repeat the same mistake.

"I know, I plan to make money together, I won't push you into the fire pit." Zhuang Jiajie said.

"Well, let's end it here for today." Tang Yan said, he was beginning to feel fatigue set in, after a long day, he took a sip of his coffee and then stood up.

"By the way, after you go back, please send me a schedule of the events you are going to participate in. I need to adjust my plans according to your schedule." Zhuang Jiajie said after he got up.

"You've settled into your role very quickly." Tang Yan said with a smile.

"No time like the present." Zhuang Jiajie said confidently.

"Okay, I'll send it over when I get back." Tang Yan nodded.

.....

Back at the hotel, he took out his phone and started to register for Weibo. He originally thought of the username Official Tang Yan but when he thought about it, it seemed too corporate. After a thought, he entered:

KOS-(King of Sports)

Looking at the words typed, the corner of his lips turned up slightly.

Sure enough, the name looked domineering.

He registered and went through the authentication process and soon he was verified. He followed up by adding Zhuang Jiajie's contact information in his bio.

Immediately after doing this, he suddenly found that he had dozens of followers, this speed surprised him.

Clicking to see, he saw it was a mixture of Weibo sponsors and normal users, it seemed they had been waiting for a long time.

After a while, someone started to comment.

"Is this Weibo fake?"

"He's verified so it should be real."

"Really? King of Sports. I like it but he's still missing a few events, right?"

"Hahaha, Brother Tang, when will you start track and field? I want to see you racing Bolt!"

"I still expect Tang Yan to switch to football. China's very own Messi!"

"Imagine China winning the World Cup, I would die happy!"

Chapter end