warrior godfather

Chapter 675

When Mark Baum saw the thing that Zhang Yu pushed over, he was slightly taken aback, then immediately picked it up, put it in front of his eyes, first looked at the front, then turned it over to look at the back, and looked carefully.

Enclosed in a beautiful clear case, this is a dark card just a little larger than a credit card, with a portrait of a smiling young man printed on the front, with a baseball game in the background and a player climbing an outside wall , competing with the opponent for a baseball, next to this card's information, on the back is the player's detailed information, and at the top it says Mitch Charles Mantle, Outfield, New York Yankees.

Mark Tatum looked at the card in his hand, his eyes became brighter, and he murmured:

"This is the 1956th card of the 135 Topps set, the Mickey Mantle one, and it's not cheap..."

He put down the star card and gave Zhang Yu a meaningful look.

Zhang Yu smiled and said:

"I heard from Rick that you are a Yankees fan and I just happened to see this card online and took a picture of it, hope you like it"

"You are interested, Ronan, thank you, I like this gift very much." Mark Tatum nodded again and again, with an unstoppable smile on his face.

Mark Tatum grew up in Brooklyn and was a loyal fan of the Yankees when he was a teenager. Before joining the NBA, he was in charge of business and marketing in the Major League Baseball. His love for baseball continued throughout his life.

Mickey Mantle is one of the greatest stars in Yankee history and is the idol of every Yankee fan.

And the price of this star card is not cheap, at least more than 4 US dollars.

When Zhang Yu and Mark Tatum met for the first time, they gave him such an expensive gift, which shows the importance they attach to him.

At this time, the waiter began to serve the dishes, but the dishes were not very expensive. They were ordinary dishes such as oxtail rice, pea soup, fried plantains, etc., which did not match the positioning of this high-end restaurant.

Zhang Yu was unaware of this, and smiled and said:
"Mark, this store was recommended by another friend of mine named Mark. It should taste good. Try it."

Mark Tatum looked at these ordinary dishes and was not angry. He scooped up a spoonful of oxtail rice with a smile, put it in his mouth, nodded and praised:

"The taste is really good. Thanks to you this time, Ronan, otherwise I didn't know there is such a good restaurant in Brooklyn. I will come here often in the future... Well, your friend's taste is really good."

Oxtail rice, pea soup, and fried plantains are all Mark Tatum's favorite dishes on weekdays. Not only was he not angry at Zhang Yu's "neglect", but he was very satisfied.

Zhang Yu smiled and said:

"As long as you like it, I will introduce him to you next time, Mark Baum, another shareholder of the Warriors."

Mark Tatum put down his spoon and suddenly said:
"It turned out to be him, I know, he's a banker from Indiana, a big Pacers fan."

Now it was Zhang Yu's turn to be surprised. When he bought the Warriors, it was operated by Baum. Mark Tatum knew that Baum was normal, but he didn't expect that Mark Tatum knew Baum so well. Tom's history.

Mark Tatum raised his hand and nodded his head twice, and said with a smile:
"The owners and shareholders of all teams in the league are all in my head."

Zhang Yu praised:

"Mark, your memory is really good. I'm afraid even Adam can't understand the situation of each team in such detail?"

Wirtz interjected:
"Mark is known for his diligence and dedication at the alliance headquarters. He has always been meticulous in his work and strives for perfection. When David was in office, he relied on Mark the most."

Riley also looked at Zhang Yu, and added with a smile:
"Yeah, all my friends who have been in contact with Mark are full of praise for him, but it's a pity that he wasn't the successor president..."

"Ahem!" Riley was halfway through speaking when Zhang Yu suddenly coughed twice.

He quickly changed his words:
"...Sorry, I made a slip of the tongue, let's eat."

"Okay, come on, you guys also try this oxtail rice, it tastes great, and the pea soup is also very good..." Mark Tatum looked normal, and instead greeted the three of Zhang Yu, but when Riley was talking, he Zhang Yu's smile obviously faded a little, which was noticed by Zhang Yu.

Afterwards, the four ate and chatted, not talking about business, just talking about some anecdotes and anecdotes in the league, as well as the experience of Mark Tatum and Wertz working together in the past.

Zhang Yu didn't speak much, but just said a few key points. Most of the time, it was Wertz and Riley who were talking, but Mark Tatum was very talkative, with witty remarks, which made the atmosphere very warm.

But when the dinner gradually came to an end, Mark Tatum smiled and said seriously:
"Ronan, you invited me to dinner today, gave me Mickey Mantle's football card, and ordered my favorite oxtail rice, pea soup, and fried plantains. You didn't just want to make friends with me, did you?"

When Riley and Wertz heard the words, the smiles on their faces also slowly disappeared, and they looked at Zhang Yu.

They knew that this meeting was finally about to get down to business.

Zhang Yu put down the knife and fork, picked up the napkin, wiped his mouth lightly, and said:

"I do have one thing I want to discuss with you."

Mark Tatum flashed his eyes and said:

"If you need my help, just say it, as long as it is within my ability, I will never refuse."

Zhang Yu does what he likes, and Mark Tatum has to express it, but he is cautious and doesn't take everything.

Zhang Yu smiled and said:
"No, Mark, I don't want to ask you for help, but I want to help you."

"Help me?" Mark Tatum wondered.

Zhang Yu nodded slightly, smiled and said:

"That's right, just to help you... I don't know if you are interested in the position of the president of the alliance?"

pat!

Mark Tatum's left hand trembled, and the silver fork landed on the plate with a crisp sound.

As if Zhang Yu didn't see it, she kept looking into Mark Tatum's eyes with a gentle smile on her face.

Wirtz and Riley were silent, gently put down the knife and fork in their hands, and watched Mark Tatum's reaction.

"Ahem..." Mark Tatum coughed lightly, put down the knife, picked up the red wine, and took a sip to cover up his embarrassment just now.

After putting down the wine glass, he calmed down, recovered his calm side, and said:

"Ronan, I don't understand what you mean."

Zhang Yu put down the napkin and said:

"I mean, Adam Silver is no longer suitable to be the president of this league. Are you interested in leading the league to move forward?"

Mark Tatum stared into Zhang Yu's eyes for a while, as if trying to see his true thoughts, Zhang Yu didn't evade, and also looked into Mark Tatum's eyes with a solemn expression.

"Haha..." Mark Tatum suddenly smiled, "Ronan, are you kidding me? Adam was elected by the board of directors and was approved by most of the directors. It is impossible for me to replace him."

"Then let the board of directors vote again to elect a new president." Zhang Yu said.

Mark Tatum shook his head and laughed:
"How is it possible? The board of directors will not easily replace the president. You have seen Adam's achievements. First, he signed the largest broadcast contract in history, and then introduced a gaming company, which brought huge benefits to all teams in the league. As long as he wants, he Just stay in charge of the league, just like David."

"Really?" Zhang Yu smiled, "What if I have a way to make him lose the support of the board of directors?"

Mark Tatum stared:
"any solution?"

Zhang Yu avoided talking and asked instead:
"So, you really want to take Adam Silver's place?"

Mark Tatum was silent for a moment, then said:
"What do you think? If you can be the president, who wants to be the vice president?"

Zhang Yu nodded and said slowly:

"Indeed, no one wants to be inferior to others... But when the board of directors voted for the next president in 2012, I also participated and voted for you, but you didn't contact me in advance to solicit votes. Why? "

Mark Tatum leaned back, leaned on the back of the chair, and said with a wry smile:
"David appointed Adam as his successor. Those team owners also agreed with Adam's development strategy of introducing the gaming company. I objected to this. How could they vote for me? Before the voting started, I knew that I didn't It’s impossible to win, so it’s not a waste of effort.”

"So..." Zhang Yu was stunned, and then reminded, "Mark, once the legalization of gambling is promoted, it will be impossible to reverse it. This is the general trend. If you still oppose it..."

Mark Tatum sighed:

"I have already recognized the situation. The legalization of gambling is inevitable. Those gaming companies make a lot of money from football. How can they let basketball go? They are willing to spend a lot of money to promote this process. The boss will not be tempted, and I am not against bookmakers at all now."

"That's good……"

"But——" Mark Baum narrowed his eyes and looked at Zhang Yu with scrutiny. "Adam has a closer relationship with the gaming company. Even if I can accept the legalization of gambling, there is no advantage. You said you want to help me get The position of president, how are you going to impress the owners of other teams and let them vote for me?"

Zhang Yu smiled slightly:
"If you want to impress them, you have to rely on real money, either to make them make money, or to have the ability to make them lose money. You support the legalization of gambling to make them make money, and what I am responsible for is to make them less Making money—that’s the equivalent of losing money.”

Mark Tatum became interested and asked:

"What can you do?"

"The Chinese market!" Zhang Yu said in a deep voice, "I have a huge influence in China, and you are in charge of the operation of the league. We cooperate to focus on developing the NBA's market in China, so that the league's revenue in China will increase. High, until it reaches a point that the board of directors dare not ignore, after a few years, the contract between Xiao Hua and the alliance expires, and you make a move again, run for president, and catch Xiao Hua by surprise!"

Zhang Yu spoke very carefully, and Mark Tatum listened very carefully. After Zhang Yu finished speaking, he thought carefully for a while, frowned and said:

"Ronan, I believe in your influence in China, but after the alliance's share of China's revenue has increased, it is impossible to reduce it. How can we use China's revenue to coerce the board of directors?"

(End of this chapter)