When the giant yellow stars bloomed in the sky, exclamations filled Avia’s office park.
As the grand fireworks show came to an end, people redirected their attention to food, music, and conversation.
Avia’s boss, Jerry Stubfield, warmly embraced Gan Guoyang, saying it was the most wonderful and grand fireworks show he had ever seen.
"The most important thing is that our fireworks are more luxurious and beautiful than those at Nike. Nothing could make me happier."
Avia’s park is not far from Nike’s.
In the 80s, Avia had just an ordinary office building.
By the 90s, in less than ten years, they were on par with Nike.
Although in the North American region they still weren’t a match for Nike in product marketing, it didn’t matter because they had Ah Gan.
As Gan Guoyang secured his second three-peat, Avia’s prestige in the sportswear industry also reached a peak.
They timely launched the Skyscraper Six-star Memorial Edition and innovatively incorporated Cantilever shock absorption technology, making it the best-selling and hottest shoe of 1992.
This year, Nike also released a new version of the Air-Jordan with huarache technology, allowing the shoe to fit more snugly to the user’s foot, making it more comfortable, and it was also an excellent basketball shoe.
However, because Jordan and the Bulls lost to Ah Gan and the Trail Blazers in the finals, both sales and influence of the AJ7 fell behind the Skyscraper Six-star Edition.
Avia has evolved from a regional company relying on unique technologies to create niche shoes into a North American sportswear behemoth, standing shoulder to shoulder with Nike and Adidas, leaving brands like Converse and Reebok behind.
Being a technical expert, Jerry Stubfield, of course, knew why they had achieved today’s scale. At the banquet, he was always following around Ah Gan, not leaving his side like a sidekick, afraid that there would be anything unsatisfactory for Ah Gan at this reception.
This Olympics, Avia seized the opportunity and signed endorsement deals for jerseys, shoes, and sports jackets with several Olympic national teams, including the China Team.
Avia originally had the opportunity to win the endorsement for the US Dream Team’s gear, but at the crucial moment, Jerry Stubfield chose to forgo it, giving Nike the opportunity.
The reason was simple: Stubfield believed they already had Ah Gan and should fully support the China Team, focusing on developing new markets in Asia, rather than engaging in endless battles with Nike in the North American market.
This has been a long-standing important strategy for Avia; they have consistently engaged in limited competition and appropriate collaboration with Nike, focusing more efforts on the global market, laying out in blue ocean areas like Asia, South America, and Australia.
Both companies are located in Portland, where they secretly compete while maintaining a façade of peace, frequently cooperating in development and conducting co-branded activities.
By yielding the Dream Team endorsement to Nike and securing the China Team’s gear deals, it essentially means that Avia will become the number one giant in the future Chinese sports market.
Originally, Nike, having entered China earlier and laying out its plans, saw that due to Ah Gan, it was no longer possible to compete with Avia in the Chinese market and chose to take a step back and continue collaborating with Avia in Asia.
At tonight’s banquet, the entire Chinese national men’s basketball team attended, but at this American-style buffet, they seemed somewhat reserved and unaccustomed, all staying under a large temporary canopy. There were plenty of ribs, seafood, fruit, cream cakes, and some Chinese food like buns, flower rolls, and roujiamo, all prepared especially for the Chinese team players.
Gan Guoyang brought Stubfield and the team’s general manager, Jerry West, into the marquee to toast with everyone.
Stubfield was full of enthusiasm for the Chinese players, believing that one among them could become a future star to help him become Avia’s number one spokesperson in China.
Meanwhile, Jerry West had recently observed the Chinese National Team’s training. He needed to monitor Ah Gan’s condition to prevent injury and, on the other hand, wanted to see if any Chinese player was qualified to enter the NBA.
Tang Jianguo had tasked West with recruiting another Chinese player to the Trail Blazers to further secure the collaboration between Ah Gan and the Trail Blazers.
Unlike the scheming Americans, the young players of the 1992 national team were very genuine.
They had been training in America for two weeks and, like their predecessors in 1985, were truly amazed.
The developed urban infrastructure, the beautiful Lake Mountain Park, and the advanced sports facilities made them feel the benefits of "capitalism indeed having aspects worth learning" and why the country should pursue openness and market economy.
Of course, despite their amazement, these young players mainly focused on basketball. Being able to come to America to train, especially with Gan Guoyang, was indeed a rare learning opportunity.
Gan Guoyang provided ample resources, allowing the Chinese Men’s Basketball Team to receive the best training methods, advanced medical recovery, and cutting-edge video and data analysis in basketball to help the national team make the final sprint before the Olympics.
When the men’s team came to train in America, coach Qian Chenghai was invited to visit and assist with the training. Gan Guoyang was the first to come over and toast with him.
Qian Chenghai smiled broadly, holding tightly to Gan Guoyang’s hand, and said, "Tonight really was extravagant; you fed everyone so well. How will they be able to adjust to eating canteen meals when they go back to training?"