God of NBA point guards

Chapter 463 Ratings plummeted by [-]% + New York anti-racial discrimination demonstration

At this time, the Bulls held a press conference at the hotel where they stayed in Seattle.

The conference was televised live on Seattle TV.

"Why don't you let us ask questions? What are you Chicago Bulls afraid of?"

"Mr. Host, are you cooperating with the media?"

"Protest, we have the right to ask questions."

At the beginning, the host of the Bulls conference did not allow the local media to ask questions. After 8 minutes of the conference, dozens of local reporters expressed their anger.

The press conference was in chaos. The host couldn't bear it anymore and had to compromise and let the staff hand the microphone to a reporter from the Seattle Times.

The reporter immediately asked: "Mr. Jordan, do you think Hughes Blake's racial discrimination can be tolerated?"

"Of course not," Jordan replied immediately.

"Now most media have not reported on Hughes Blake's racist behavior towards Iron Fist King. Do you think that is right?" the reporter asked again.

Jordan shook his head and said: "I am a black man and I oppose any racial discrimination. I also think the media should have a correct attitude towards this. But I cannot control the media. You should ask the media this question."

"Do you think the Iron Fist King should be expelled from the league and the sports world?" the reporter asked again.

Jordan hesitated and then said: "He was indeed impulsive at the time, because it is taboo to hit the referee. He should be the first person in the league to hit the referee. Last year, Van Exel just pushed the referee. As for your Asking questions, I’m sorry, this matter is very complicated and I can’t comment.”

On the 4st, the final G3 match day.

The media has once again revised the chances of the Bulls and SuperSonics winning. For example, on NBC TV, the Bulls' chance of winning has been adjusted from 1% after the G52 game to 85%, leaving only 15% for the Sonics.

In the morning, only one day and one night had passed. Stern looked as if he had aged a few years and looked very haggard.The pressure on him to reverse his penalty decisions is still there, and it's very strong.

There was already a pile of resignation letters on his desk, all from the company's executives, executives from the referee committee, and dozens of senior referees.

These people have only one request, that Iron Fist be banned for life.

At nine o'clock, he held a special meeting in the president's conference room.

Including executives, the entire referee committee, and five referee representatives participated in this special meeting.

As soon as the meeting began, he stood up and said: "Gentlemen, I understand your request, and I don't like a player who violently assaults the referee, but you need to be clear about the consequences of a lifetime ban for Iron Fist."

"Mr. President, no matter what the consequences are, Iron Fist must be banned for life."

"Yes, that's how it should be."

Everyone started talking at once, and their attitude was quite tough.

Stern's face also turned cold and he said: "In the end, you and I are just part-time workers. The attitude of the bosses is very important. Do you want to know their opinions?"

The executives and referees looked at each other in confusion. The last thing they wanted to know was the attitude of the team owners, because the attitude of the capitalists was very clear. Whoever helps them make money is their biological son.

Compared to those people who get their wages from the bosses, Iron Fist is the biological son of the team bosses. Isn't this obvious?
"I'll ask their opinions."

Stern picked up the landline receiver, pressed speakerphone, and dialed a number, which was quickly connected.

"Hey, I'm Jerry Buss."

"Jerry, I'm David, David Stern."

"Oh, hello, David. David, are those guys still forcing you? Fire them as I say. Let me tell you, the world lacks everything except people, and there are plenty of people willing to take it. Their salaries are high. If you announce your recruitment now, countless people will send you cover letters," Jerry Buss said.

When the executives and referees in the conference room heard this, their faces immediately darkened.

"Jerry, I'll think about it again."

"David, remember my words. What we need is obedient people. If they are disobedient, let them go! If anyone dares to harm our interests, we will let them know who has the final say in this alliance."

"OK, goodbye."

"Goodbye."

Stern hung up the phone, glanced at everyone, smiled and asked, "Do you want me to continue calling?"

"..."

Everyone looked at each other.

Stern smiled and said: "So gentlemen, we just work for the bosses. Don't make those bosses unhappy, otherwise they will fire us at any time."

Borrowing the team owner's intimidation, Stern finally withstood the internal pressure and breathed a sigh of relief.

In fact, he took a gamble because not all bosses supported him.

For example, Sterling, the owner of the Clippers, when he contacted him, Sterling made it clear that he did not support beating referees.

Now all team owners, including minority shareholders, are white. How many racists are there among these owners and shareholders?

These people may not openly oppose Iron Fist due to profit reasons, but they will not support Iron Fist either.

He contacted four or five team owners, including Jerry Buss and Ballmer, and obtained their support. The other owners said they would not participate in the matter.

Fortunately, he won the bet, and these executives and referees did not dare to let him continue the fight. They were all afraid of being fired by their boss.

But this situation may change after the G3 game, because once the ratings of the G3 game do not drop significantly, these executives and the referee committee will definitely come back and be stronger.

The average viewership of the G1 game was 4200 million, with the highest being 4670 million, which made him full of expectations for this finals series.

NBC's last TV broadcast contract has been completed, and a new TV broadcast contract will be signed soon, and this finals is the key. If the ratings can be maintained at such a high level, the NBA will definitely get the most generous broadcast contract in history.

The G2 game was also good. After Zhou Quan was sent off, the ratings dropped, but it was already the last quarter, so the impact was not big.

The next G3 game will be a game that tests Iron Fist's influence. Without him, can the ratings be maintained?

If it can be maintained, that would be the best, which shows that Michael Jordan still has strong influence and ratings appeal.

But if it couldn't be maintained, it would be troublesome. He couldn't imagine NBC's attitude.

As for the external pressure, it is also very high. He can only bear it for a while, at least until the finals are completed.

As for the future, time will wear away everything. After a few months of the offseason, this matter will definitely pass.

At night, Seattle Center Arena.

The Sonics without Zhou Quan are a completely different team with completely different playing styles.

George Karl has become accustomed to Zhou Quan's ball-holding and big-core style of play. Now that Zhou Quan is gone, he can only return to his previous team play style that does not require superstars.

However, the players were used to Zhou Quan's ball-carrying, big-core style of play and were not used to it at all. This game was a complete mess, with 35 turnovers in the game. The Bulls were blown away by the Bulls in the first half and lost by 35 points. The score is 75:110.

In fact, they were blown away in the first quarter and fell behind by 21 points in the first quarter.

"Adam, how much data?"

After the game, Stern took the initiative to call Xiao Hua on TV.

"Mr. Stern, the highest viewership for this game is only... 2180 million, and the average viewership is 1750 million." Xiao Hua's voice was full of disappointment and uneasiness.

"what?"

As soon as David Stern heard these two data, his brain suddenly hurt, blood rushed to his head, and his brain was buzzing. He didn't feel the phone dropped from his hand to the floor, and fell directly on the sofa.

"Oh! David, calm down."

His wife, Dina Burke, was shocked and rushed to get him blood pressure-lowering medicine. After giving it to him, she immediately contacted the doctor.

"I'm fine, Dina, there's no need to find a doctor." He waved his hand with a wry smile.

"Is it really okay?" Dina Burke's face turned pale with fright.

"It's really okay. You go and have a rest. I'll sit down for a while and then fall asleep." He got up and walked a few steps before Dina Burke felt relieved.

"Damn it, how could it be possible to lose so much? Isn't this back to its original shape?" He murmured after persuading his wife to leave.

Now he knows very well that without the Iron Fist King, Michael Jordan alone cannot support the ratings of 5000 to [-] million.

He couldn't help but feel lucky that he had withstood the pressure. If he had been banned for a few more games, the president of NBC, the finals television broadcaster, would probably come to his home and scold him.

If he imposes a lifetime ban on Iron Fist and drives him out of the league, the ratings for next season will probably drop significantly.

June 97, 6, New York, NBA headquarters building.

At 9 o'clock in the morning, more and more black people gathered in front of the building. They held various anti-racial discrimination signs and shouted various slogans.

For example, there was a sign saying "Get that racist Hughes Blake out of the NBA!" and several large photos of Zhou Quan. In less than half an hour, the crowd had reached 300 people.

As soon as David Stern arrived at the headquarters and saw these demonstrators, his head began to hurt. He knew that the NBA was in big trouble.

As soon as I arrived at the office, I received a call from NBC President Tom Wellings. "Mr. Stern, on behalf of NBC, I officially notify the NBA that the television broadcast contract is temporarily suspended." Wellings said.

"what?"

David Stern takes another hit.

"You know why, so you don't need to ask me why." After saying this, Wellings hung up the phone directly.

Stern smiled bitterly and put the phone down. His hands were shaking a little, and he was out of his mind. He put it down three times.

The TV broadcast contract currently being implemented is from 94 to 98, with a total of 8.92 million US dollars. There is still one season left. If it is not negotiated in advance, the league's wages will not be paid.

I originally saw that the ratings of the G1 game were so good, far surpassing the second largest league MLB, he was very strong during the negotiations, and NBC was willing to give a four-year contract of US$4 billion, which was far more than the current contract and doubled. , but he was still not satisfied and asked for a four-year, $20 billion contract, but NBC did not refuse and said it was open to negotiation.

However, now that the ratings have returned to their original form, how can we still negotiate this contract?
"President?"

Xiao Hua couldn't help but worry when he saw Stern like this.

But it's not Stern's health he's worried about, but what the ratings will do last night.

Stern raised his head and glanced at Xiao Hua, with cold eyes and said: "Adam Xiao Hua, please inform us that NBC has suspended contract negotiations with us."

"what why?"

Xiao Hua was dumbfounded. Without the television broadcast contract, the NBA would probably go bankrupt immediately.

"why why?"

Stern's tone suddenly turned serious and he shouted: "The ratings dropped from more than 5000 million to less than 2000 million. You ask me why? If it were me, I would also terminate the negotiation. I am telling you clearly now that if we accept The dropped ratings will never come back, and all of you will be purged, including you, Adam Silver."

"..."

Xiao Hua opened his mouth wide and couldn't say a word.

"Go and pray to God, pray to Iron Fist, and pray that the ratings of the G5 battle can come back. Now go to the police, hurry up, don't let those demonstrators smash up our headquarters." Stern said angrily.

"I know, I know, I'll go right away." Xiao Hua was sweating profusely and left in a panic.

Subsequently, the police dispatched a large number of police officers, but when they arrived, there were already thousands of people, and more black people were gathering.

"Mr. Stern, please, they are all Iron Fist supporters, holding up his picture."

Adam Silver went down to find out and then panicked. He didn't know what to do, so he ran up to report David Stern.

"Xiao Hua, you are responsible for handling this matter." David Stern stared at Xiao Hua and ordered calmly.

"Huh? Good, good."

Xiao Hua felt deep malice from Stern's attitude, but he could only obey and was not qualified to say NO.

"What conditions do you have?"

He took courage and took several company security personnel to the first floor, where he negotiated with the demonstrators under the protection of the police.

“Kick Hughes Blake out of the league.”

"Make that damn Blake apologize to Iron Fist."

"Let more black people become NBA referees."

"G2 war rematch."

Xiao Hua's head was as big as a fight, and he didn't want to agree to any of these conditions.

By noon, the number of demonstrators had reached tens of thousands, causing several chaos and vandalism, and the police had cordoned off nearby blocks.

In a nearby hotel, Arum, Tang Jin, and Philip were watching a good show.

They originally promoted a small demonstration of thousands of people, but once things started it was no longer their turn to make the decision. Countless black people with nothing to do spontaneously joined in, and the number of demonstrators quickly exploded to tens of thousands.

Tang Jin said proudly: "I don't think it will take long before it can even reach tens of thousands of people."

Arum smiled and said: "Is it time for the media's attention to shift now? We want to build the Iron Fist King into a warrior against racial discrimination. Who dares to target him?"

Philip sighed in his heart, these two old guys still knew how to play, and with a mere donation of 100 million US dollars, they managed to create such a demonstration with tens of thousands of people.

And if this scale continues to develop, it is really possible that it will expand to tens of thousands in the afternoon, and there are millions of black people in New York. There are many black people without jobs in the slums.

Arum suddenly said: "It's best for the three of us to know about this matter, and by the way, the two black leaders, otherwise it will cause trouble."

"What trouble is this? This is an anti-racial discrimination movement. We just donated a small amount of money. What are we afraid of?" Tang Jin said without any care.

Arum advised: "It's better to be careful. We are not politicians. It is best not to get involved in these things."

Phillip nodded and said: "You really have to be careful."

Arum said: "Don't talk about relevant matters on the phone. You know, the relevant departments will hear our call."

While the demonstrations in New York are still ongoing, they have already shocked the world.

The NBA has truly become famous all over the world because this was an anti-racial discrimination demonstration in support of Zhou Quan.

By four o'clock in the afternoon, the block where the NBA headquarters is located and several nearby blocks were all occupied by black demonstrators, with the number of demonstrators reaching tens of thousands.

There was chaos everywhere, with smashing, looting, and police firing tear gas to disperse the demonstrators. It was not until evening, when it was time for dinner, that the demonstrators began to disperse.

The NB headquarters was the first to be smashed and robbed. Almost all office computers were taken away, and valuable items were not spared. Water dispensers and chairs were all carried away.

At the NBA headquarters, David Stern's leather executive chair was also taken away from his office, and now he can only stand and hold meetings with a group of executives.

Stern is a very elegant man, but at this time he roared: "Our headquarters is now in a mess, and we have lost at least several million dollars. The losses in ratings, sponsors, and reputation are even greater, at least hundreds of millions of dollars."

NBC has stopped contract negotiations with us. If we can't get a new TV contract, it's not a question of loss, but whether our league will go bankrupt. Does anyone still want to expel Iron Fist now?Sorry, I'm going to fire you before I evict him. "

The executives looked at each other, not knowing what to say.

The matter has become so big that even the headquarters has been smashed. Now the league may go bankrupt, and even their jobs will not be saved. The iron fist beating the referee is nothing.

The pale-faced Xiao Hua lowered his head and said nothing. His face was red and swollen in several places, his right eye socket was black, and his designer suit had been torn, and he was in a very embarrassed state.

He was at the front, and there was a verbal conflict. He was pushed to the floor and beaten by the demonstrators. If a few security guards and policemen hadn't rescued him, he didn't know what the consequences would have been. He was scared to death. Tomorrow I need to see a psychiatrist.

"We have agreed to their conditions, fired Hughes Blake, and asked him to apologize to Iron Fist. I hope they won't come back tomorrow." An executive whispered.

"I hope so." Xiao Hua said quickly.

"G4 vs. Iron Fist is back. I believe the ratings will come back. NBC will definitely start contract negotiations with us again," another executive said.

"Yes, the ratings will definitely come back."

"Mr. President, don't worry, the ratings will come back again."

Everyone said in a hurry.

David Stern said coldly: "Didn't you say that the ratings would not drop? Didn't you say that with Michael Jordan here, the ratings could be maintained?"

Everyone looked extremely embarrassed.

David Stern also calmed down. He was once again glad that he had withstood the pressure from these guys and only banned Iron Fist for one game. Otherwise, this finals would really be over. Even if NBC renegotiates, the contract will not be big.

He also hopes that after Iron Fist returns, the ratings of the G4 game will come back, and the NBA will have hope.

"President, do you want to repurchase office supplies? Will they come again tomorrow?" Logistics Director Hambers asked.

"Don't rush to buy, lest you get snatched away again. By the way, are there any chairs? Go get one for me." David Stern said helplessly.

……

Since just after [-] a.m., Zhou Quan’s cell phone has been ringing non-stop with calls about the demonstrations at the NBA headquarters in New York.

"New York, NBA headquarters, what demonstration?"

"Yes, right in front of the NBA headquarters, I support you..."

"support me?"

At first, he didn't know what was going on. He was really surprised when he learned from reporters that an anti-racial discrimination movement in support of him had taken place at the NBA headquarters in New York.

"Will you rush to New York to participate in this anti-racial discrimination march and demonstration?" a reporter asked.

"Oh, I'm sorry, I want to play in the finals and have no plans in this regard." Zhou Quan said.

"What do you think of this demonstration in support of you?" a reporter asked.

"It's so shocking. I have such a great reputation in New York. Do they want them to support me like this?" Zhou Quan was still in a state of shock.

(End of this chapter)