In America, the winner takes all.

Chapter 328 Crown

The whirling grass clippings were accompanied by splashing beads of sweat, and the rapid breathing was mixed with the cheers of the scene. After rushing for the seventh time, Ethan had reached the limit of his body. He felt that the world was spinning in front of him, and he could no longer support it. Fell to the ground.

The football in my hand rolled down...

At that moment, there was a brief silence on the scene. At this moment, everyone forgot to breathe and lost the ability to think.

The Cowboys players on the field, and even the Broncos players, stood stunned.

Time seems to stand still.

On the huge electronic screen in the distance surrounded by stands, the Cowboys' score quietly changed.

33-33.

Ethan, who fell to the ground, took off his helmet with some difficulty and showed a happy smile.

Head coach Dave Campo cheered, and all the players on the sidelines rushed into the field excitedly.

The entire audience was in an uproar, and countless people and their friends, lovers, and relatives around them embraced and celebrated.

In the end, Richie Cunningham made a quick PAT and the Cowboys took the lead at the last minute.

As the Broncos' final drive ended. The Cowboys are officially crowned Super Bowl XXXIII champions.

"He did it, Ethan O'Connor did it!"

"Tonight, all of us witnessed history. Ethan single-handedly created the most exciting game in football history! This is a miracle that belongs to Miami, this is a fairy tale that belongs to the Cowboys, and this is a great victory that belongs to all spectators!" Madden shouted at the top of his lungs.

Today's game is worthy of being recorded in history, and it is the participants of the 1958 NFL Championship who are invited as guests of the coin toss this year. Decades later, Ethan would have been similarly invited to commemorate this great game, had he still been alive.

However, Ethan, who was at the center of the attention vortex, was in poor health. He fell to the ground and was unable to stand. He was quickly transported off-site by a security vehicle and received medical treatment.

Lying on the golf cart, Ethan raised his hand to greet the audience. Judging from his expression, the injury was not serious.

He temporarily left the court amid chants of "Ethan" from all the fans.

Countless spectators cheered loudly and whistled in front of the TV. At Lisa's home, the three women also embraced and celebrated. Mia burst into tears, and even Lisa was infected, with red eyes and nose.

"Ethan is injured, I have to go over and take care of him." Mia was worried about Ethan's injury and decided to go to Miami immediately.

"If you want to arrive quickly, it's best to take a small business jet." Lisa nodded. She couldn't wait to see Ethan and congratulate him.

"I'll make arrangements right away." Susan immediately picked up her phone.

At the same time, in a Los Angeles mansion, Hollywood's former top boss, Michael Ovitz, couldn't help but spread his arms and screamed with excitement like a baboon.

In Maine, in a private property called Walker's Point on the northeastern coast of the United States, George Herbert Walker III from the BDW family looked at Ethan on the TV and nodded involuntarily.

This scene was seen by his son, George Herbert Walker IV. Knowing that the family had made up his mind, a trace of displeasure appeared on the face of this young man working on Wall Street.

·

Meanwhile, Cape Cod Arena on East Stanford Street in South Yarmouth, Massachusetts.

Vince McMahon, 53, is sitting in his office. The walls of the office are hung with photos of classic wrestling scenes from various periods, including the scene when he first participated in a WWF match as a commentator twenty years ago. There are also various trophies and several exaggerated and luxurious gold belts on the desk. On the desk is a photo of him and his daughter Stephanie.

This photo was taken last year when her daughter was graduating in communications from Boston University. In the picture, Stephanie is wearing a bachelor's degree uniform and holding her father's arm. They look like thousands of fathers and daughters.

But in the WWF wrestling ring, the father and daughter's appearance is completely different from that in the photos.

As the current "number one villain" in the WWF, Vince McMahon presents himself as a tyrant and has done many things in front of the camera that destroy the world's outlook. Including making the defeated female wrestler take off her clothes in humiliation, kissing the female wrestler passionately in front of his wife, and he always lingered with other women in front of the camera.

As for his daughter, she was forcibly kissed by a male wrestler no less than ten times, there were love triangles, father-daughter antagonisms, husband-wife antagonisms, mother-daughter antagonisms, insults, slaps, and fights.

All in all, there is no best horse, only more horses.

Under the guidance of the CEO and his family, who worked together to implement entertainment to the end, WWF spent ten years of rapid growth.

Vince McMahon has decided to add more horse grabbing and more swear words to his matches in the future. Currently, the two major direct competitors in the industry are facing financial constraints. In a few years, WWF will monopolize the entire entertainment wrestling industry.

A familiar knock on the door sounded, and a female secretary wearing a suit and skirt walked into the office.

"Mr. McMahon, according to the ratings data just returned by USA Network, the average ratings of the "WWF Sunday Night Heat" special program "Halftime Heat" that debuted during the Super Bowl halftime period were only half of what was expected. If not, the other party said it would suspend ordering any WWF public television programs next year."

Football in a dog's day! He cursed in his mind.

As the president of WWF, he regards American football and the NFL as a thorn in his side. After all, the mainstream audiences of the two sports are highly overlapping.

He has imagined a world without rugby more than once, but repeated failures have proven that rugby will not weaken at all in the foreseeable future, but will become more and more popular.

If you can't beat it, then join.

He has been in contact with the CFL in the north since the second half of last year, hoping to use acquisitions to move the CFL south. But the other party rejected his acquisition plan.

WWF is expected to complete its listing in the second half of this year, and will have sufficient funds by then. Thinking of this, Vince McMahon decided to use a backup plan.

"Call NBC and tell them I agreed. The two companies will join forces to form a new football sports league to fill the gap left by the NFL season." McMahon leaned back and put his hands on the back of his head with great interest. He looked at his secretary carefully. He loved those dark lines on the secretary's stockings.

This football sports league, jointly created by McMahon and Viacom's NBC, was the short-lived "XFL" in the future.

In McMahon's vision, the XFL will have looser rules, more violent confrontations, and cheerleaders with more revealing clothing and sexier words and deeds. All in all, the XFL's serious football games will be more entertaining than the NFL's.

However, it is not easy to prepare a new sports league from scratch. From now on, it will take at least two years...

"Okay, sir." The secretary turned around and prepared to leave.

"Where are you going? Honey, go take out the box at the bottom of the cabinet." McMahon directed.

The female secretary looked back and seemed hesitant.

"Don't ask me to give you orders a second time," McMahon said with a wicked grin.

The female secretary finally obeyed his instructions and took out a box from the cabinet.

McMahon asked his secretary to come over and said, "Open this box."

As the box was opened, there was a large toy inside.

"I named it Triple H, I think the name is very appropriate." McMahon said.

Triple H is currently the most famous wrestler under the WWF.

"Go and lock the door. Also..." McMahon licked his lips and began to loosen his pants: "I need to use the bathroom."

In front of the camera, he is indeed crazy and absurd, but in private, he is actually not much different, even crazier than in front of the camera...

·

"I should have stood there!" Ethan, who was lying on the bed, couldn't help complaining as he watched Emmitt Smith, as a representative, lift the Vince Lombardi Trophy, which symbolizes the highest honor, on the TV.

Madden's voice came from the TV: "Unfortunately, Ethan cannot return to the game for the time being due to injury. Please pray for this young man and pray that he can recover as soon as possible. May God bless him."

"If you had the choice, Old Jones would definitely not let you stand in the spotlight." Catherine, who was sitting on the right side of Ethan, said the key to the problem in one sentence.

Theoretically, Ethan could walk onto the podium with a cane after simple treatment, but the Cowboys' team doctor insisted that Ethan not get out of bed.

It is hard not to suspect that old Jones was behind all this.

"This bastard! So vicious." Kelsey, who was sitting on the left side of Ethan, looked furious.

The two of them had just watched the entire game in the family box. After the third quarter of the game, even the two of them thought of giving up. However, in the fourth quarter, with Ethan's magical reversal of the entire game, the two Individuals fell into ecstasy and embraced each other to celebrate. Then they saw Ethan lying on the ground. The two of them immediately left the box and stayed with Ethan for the first time. At this moment, the two of them held Ethan's hands tightly, and their palms were sweaty.

"Let's not talk about him for now. Next time, we can't use self-destruction to score a touchdown." Catherine said particularly distressed.

"Yes, I was scared to death in the last two minutes. Instead of winning the game, I hope you don't get hurt." Kelsey looked worried.

It's not that she is too cautious, the main reason is that rugby does a lot of damage to players' bodies, because there are not many people who suffer concussions and turn into dementia. And the buzzing in Ethan's head at this moment has not dissipated.

His own body has the most say. Ethan can feel that compared with the last serious injury, the problem at this time is not big and he can recover within a few days.

"Ethan, look at it!" Catherine caught a glimpse of the scene on the TV and couldn't help laughing.

The team members found a sign of Ethan from somewhere and moved it over and placed it in the middle position C.

"According to the Cowboys' official team doctor, Ethan is in good spirits and just needs a short rest! This is good news for everyone." Maddon breathed a sigh of relief. Judging from Ethan's performance today, he will undoubtedly become a business card for the entire NFL next season.

The stand-up version of Ethan did not wear a helmet, and his blond hair and handsome face were also exposed in front of the camera. It was not until this time that many female viewers discovered that this player turned out to be quite handsome.

The male audience appreciated Ethan's impactful sports style of hard bridge and hard horse, while the female audience was intoxicated by Ethan's face. It seems that audiences across the United States remember this young man.

Catherine's cell phone rang at this time.

"It's George Herbert Walker III." Catherine glanced at the phone, raised her head and said to Ethan.

She answered the phone, and soon Ethan's cell phone started ringing. His cell phone was at Kelsey's.

"Hello, Mr. Michael Ovitz. Ethan is fine. He just has some trauma to his leg." Kelsey answered the phone at Ethan's instruction.

Almost three minutes later, the two women put down their phones one after another.

The two phone calls were actually about the same thing.

"The family is willing to help Michael Ovitz complete the bid. The only requirement is that Ethan you must be a part of the new club. In addition, George Herbert Walker III will come to Miami the day after tomorrow to interview Jerry Jones and handle it personally. It’s your business.” Catherine said.

The family sent a representative to contact Old Jones. Firstly, it was to help Ethan and Old Jones terminate the contract. Secondly, it was also a warning to him not to play tricks in the future.

"Michael Ovitz is asking for much the same thing."

Ethan breathed a sigh of relief, the matter he cared about most was finally settled.

At the league's expansion meeting next month, all team owners will be present to formally vote on the ownership of the franchise.

Now that the two powerful companies have joined forces, it can be said that it is certain to obtain the franchise rights.

By then, he will be the third person in the new club, behind only Michael Ovitz and his family. In this way, the reward for this Super Bowl can be considered extremely generous.

And the impact of this Super Bowl goes far beyond that.

There are dozens of media stationed outside the high-end medical service institution where Ethan is located. For comparison, this number is no less than the number of media attending the Cowboys' post-game press conference.

This includes newspapers, magazines, television, and the emerging online media, covering all communication channels. Although there is the blessing of the Super Bowl, it cannot be denied that Ethan relies on this game to become the hottest football player nowadays, and can even be said to be the hottest athlete. This kind of attention alone will bring huge rewards to Ethan.

Although Ethan was not present at the press conference led by Jerry Jones, 80% of the questions were related to Ethan. The media paid as much attention to Ethan as the Cowboys themselves, which made the old Jones look very ugly on the stage. .

I am also grateful for the decision I made before, otherwise if this trend continues, it will be hard to say who the "King" of the Cowboys will be in a few years.

After the press conference, Jones Sr. immediately called his daughter and sternly warned Charlotte not to have any more contact with Ethan.

Then he looked at his eldest son beside him.

"Father, are you going to contact other teams tomorrow to promote Ethan's transfer?" Stephen Jones asked. As the team's personnel director, he was the first person to know his father's thoughts.

Although Ethan will no longer play for the Cowboys, his transfer will bring additional substantial income to the Cowboys. The youngest Super Bowl champion quarterback in history is definitely a player that other teams are coveted and eager to acquire. Not only does the Cowboys have to collect a transfer fee, but they also have to get this year's draft picks.

"We must not let up on the conditions. The worst we can do is let Ethan sit on the bench for a year." Old Jones said with a smile.

For a young player who is in hot form, sitting on the bench for a whole year is extremely scary. It is hard to say whether he can return to his previous state after one year.

·

Late that night, there were three uninvited guests in Ethan's ward, none other than Mia, who had just landed in Miami.

"I received a call from GM staff just after I got off the plane. Cadillac wants to invite you as its official brand spokesperson." Lisa told Ethan the good news.

You made a phone call the night after the race. Is it because you were afraid that other car companies would take the lead?

Ethan originally thought that with the fermentation of public opinion, it would take some time for brands to come to him, but he did not expect that a sponsor would come to his door just a few hours after the game ended.

Ethan tentatively asked about the endorsement price and immediately nodded in agreement.

It was too much to give. He had shot a Cadillac commercial before, and this time the other party showed full sincerity.

"As for the media, Susan's phone number is about to be overwhelmed. Now media across the United States want to interview you, including mainstream talk shows on TV stations." Lisa continued.

For most players, the Super Bowl means the end of a season. There is a gap of half a year before the start of the next season, which can be regarded as a vacation.

For Ethan, the end of the Super Bowl is the beginning of a new round of work.

Lisa meant to let Ethan use all his firepower, get all the announcements he could get, and get all the endorsements he could. She wanted to split Ethan in half and use them.

Ethan was a little resistant to this. Originally, this year would be much busier than expected because of the establishment of the club. He also wanted to find some time to relax, buy a yacht, take Catherine and the others with him, and go out to sea to relax for a while.

"I just want to hold a Shanghai Banking Party. Can you afford to support a few more pregnancies? You must earn more money for milk powder this year!" Lisa ruthlessly exposed Ethan's thoughts.

To be honest, Ethan has only won one Super Bowl championship. There is still a huge gap between his income and the top rich. However, these women spend their money mercilessly, and their credit card bills are getting higher and higher. Comes longer and longer.

The pressure to support a family is still there.

"Besides, you can't do everything yourself in the club. Grace has been doing similar work, so you can ask her to help you." Lisa then suggested.

Ethan nodded, that was exactly what he meant, but...

Ethan looked up at this moment to see Katherine and Kelsey's reactions.

Kelsey had met Grace before and immediately expressed her support.

As for Catherine, she couldn't help but shake her head: "We will meet in the future anyway, and now we urgently need someone we can trust. As long as I can help you, I have no problem."

"I'll go too. I'll probably be a chef and cook for you." Mia also said eagerly.

I never expected that the fate of almost everyone would be intertwined because of a club.

"That's it." Ethan said.

The three of Lisa decided to stay with Ethan for a while. Everyone left, leaving only Catherine to take care of Ethan for the night.

Ethan discussed with Catherine in the evening. This time he returned to Los Angeles to establish a new club and would not leave for a short time. Ethan was planning to buy a luxury home on the top of Beverly Hills in Los Angeles...

Early the next morning, a group of Ethan's teammates came to visit. Due to the large number of people, the corridor outside was almost filled.

"Ethan, there's no way the Cowboys would have won this game without you this time," Emmett said from the bottom of his heart.

The first touchdown in the last quarter relied entirely on Ethan's personal ability, and the subsequent key interception was also because Ethan predicted John Elway's next step in advance. The third quick touchdown was inseparable from the tactics Ethan thought of, not to mention the last touchdown.

"I brought you a gift." Emmett showed the handbag, which actually contained the Vince Lombardi Trophy. He secretly brought it out so that Ethan could touch the trophy with his own hands.

Obviously, teammates also know that Ethan is unlikely to play for the Cowboys next season.

"Hey, it would be great if there weren't those things." Dave Campo looked at Ethan holding the trophy with special cherishment, and was quite emotional for a moment.

"Dave, it's not like we have no chance to continue to cooperate." Ethan put down the heavy silver trophy and said suddenly.

Michael Ovitz doesn't understand football at all, and his family will not interfere in operations. In the future, all matters of the new club will need to be handled by themselves, the most important of which is recruiting players and coaches.

As for players, the NFL will give new teams compensatory draft picks, but coaches will have to find them themselves.

Ethan thought Dave Campo would be a good fit.

However, Dave Campo hopes to stay in Dallas for retirement and has no plans to move.

But he still promised to introduce some coaches to Ethan.

Then he looked around, seemingly looking for someone.

"Why haven't you seen Richie Cunningham?" Ethan asked.

Teammates eventually found Rich outside the house.

The Cowboys have many outstanding players, such as Emmitt Smith.

However, most of the capable players are worth a lot of money. Although there are two major financial backers behind Ethan, the financial conditions this year must not be very sufficient, but building a stadium requires a large amount of funds.

With limited funds, the players of the new club must be of high quality and low price.

Looking at it this way, Richie Cunningham, the Cowboys' most cost-effective kicker, became Eason's target.

Ethan said he wanted to go out for a walk, and asked Richie to accompany him alone. After leaving his teammates, Ethan conducted a test in a subtle way.

Eason promised to give Rich two to three times his salary increase.

Even if the salary increases to this extent, it is still a bargain for a player with Rich's performance.

But Ricci still agreed because his contract still had two years left until it expired.

Before joining the Cowboys, Rich had been abandoned by two teams. Under the pressure of unemployment, he had to sign a five-year contract with the Cowboys at a bargain price. Although he performed well in the future, his salary did not increase much. Ethan's plan was always better than Dallas.

"In addition, I only sign a two-year contract. As long as old Jones nods, I am willing to let you go at any time." Rich Cunningham continued.

The former is easy to say, but the latter is extremely difficult. When it comes to transfer negotiations, Old Jones is a famously tough guy in the league and will never let go without getting actual benefits.

The next day, Catherine's father came to Miami. Ethan's injury was almost healed, and the two went to the hotel where old Jones was staying.

"Mr. Walker, I wonder why you want to see me for an interview? Okay, of course it's convenient. I have time now!"

In the quiet car, Ethan heard Old Jones' voice from the receiver of Walker III's mobile phone, which sounded earnest. Old Jones had asked for help from his family before, but this time he probably thought that Walker III, as the family representative, would continue to promote the investment in the stadium, so he seemed particularly enthusiastic.

In order to express his welcome, Old Jones even sent his son to stand outside the hotel to greet the two. When Stephen Jones saw that Ethan was actually following Walker III, he was stunned.

He couldn't imagine how Ethan could establish contact with the family behind Walker.

As a member of the BDW family, Walker is very low-key. Catherine has a special status. Not to mention outsiders, even within the family, Catherine's identity has not been fully disclosed. Of course the Jones family is even less likely to know.

When Old Jones saw Ethan, his expression was similar to that of his son, but his reaction was much faster. During the conversation, he asked about the relationship between Walker III and Ethan.

"We also don't hide it. Since the Cowboys intend to give up Ethan O'Connor, it happens that we are interested in participating in Michael Ovitz's bidding plan for the franchise. Ethan will become the core player of the new club in the future. Jones, you will not embarrass him. Right?" Walker III said directly, more like an order than a request.

"This..." Old Jones immediately smiled after a brief moment of surprise.

"Since your family is willing to invest in the rugby club, of course I very much welcome it. However, the financial pressure of each club has been relatively high in the past two years. Since your family is investing... I don't know what conditions Michael Ovitz promised, but these conditions The Cowboys can also agree." Old Jones said earnestly.

Walker III shook his head: "The specific details need to be kept secret. I came here today more for Ethan. I heard that there were some misunderstandings between him and you?"

"There is no misunderstanding. Ethan's contribution is obvious to all. I watched him grow up. My feelings for him are like those of an elder. Since the family needs Ethan's help, I can only reluctantly part with him. If necessary, the rookie contract It can be transferred to your club unconditionally, and I will not have any interference with Ethan from now on. What happened before is in the past." After his self-recommendation was rejected, Old Jones said very simply.

Ethan didn't expect Old Jones to let go so easily. Perhaps it was because the family was at its peak now, and Old Jones was betraying the family to save face.

"Thank you, but we won't let you get nothing. We will give you Ethan's transfer fee according to the market price. In addition, I think you also know that many people in the league currently support the Houston plan..." Walker III added.

"You can rest assured that at the expansion meeting, I will do my best to support the franchise settling in Los Angeles." Old Jones continued to promise.

Walker nodded, but heard Ethan suddenly speak, meaningfully.

"Of course Mr. Jones will support us. The franchise's settlement in Los Angeles has given the Cowboys a benefit in vain. There will no longer be competitors in the state to share the cake. It can even be said that apart from ourselves, you are the one who most hopes to establish a new franchise in Los Angeles. People on the team.”

Old Jones smiled naively and did not deny it.

"So the new club has encountered problems, can the Cowboys also provide some help?" Ethan turned.

"What kind of help do you want?" Old Jones was stunned. Even though Walker was on the opposite side, his tone became somewhat cold.

You traitor, you just contacted your family secretly, but now you actually want me to help you in turn?

It’s simply gangster logic!

"It's nothing big. I just want to take away head coach Dave Campo. Excellent coaches are rare creatures in the league. The Cowboys are full of talents and there is no shortage of him as a coach. Am I right? Mr. Jones ." Only then did Ethan show his intention.

Old Jones immediately shook his head: "It was with the help of Coach Dave that the Cowboys won this year's Super Bowl championship. He is of extremely high value to the Cowboys. I'm sorry that I can't agree. Except for him, you can do whatever you want with everyone else." Take it as my congratulations."

"In that case, Chi Cunningham can always be there, right?" Ethan spread his hands.

Old Jones once wondered whether Ethan had planned to have him from the beginning.

Do you know how valuable Richie Cunningham is?

In Jones' mind, Richie Cunningham's preciousness is definitely ranked in the top five, or even the top three, on the team.

Seeing that Jones was hesitant, Ethan immediately followed and said:

"He's just a kicker. Doesn't Mr. Jones have any courage at all? Or does Mr. Jones think it doesn't matter whether he helps the family or not?"

"How could this happen? It's my honor to be able to help the family." Old Jones said with a smile.

I have greeted Ethan eight hundred times in my heart. But Ethan now has a big backer, and he can't move no matter what.

Forget it, just go. How can Michael Ovitz, a Hollywood agent, run the club well? Even if the family invested ten times as much, it would be useless. It is absolutely impossible for a poorly run club to achieve good results.

Thinking of this, Old Jones became more balanced and sent the two of them off with a smile on his face, as if he had seen the day when the new club was put up for sale due to poor management...

"Thank you Mr. Walker for your help." Ethan took the initiative to say to Catherine's father while riding in the elevator.

At this time, he had more or less realized that if the Walker family did not come forward, even if he could break away from the Cowboys, he would still have to lose his skin.

Walker III had no reaction in the face of Ethan's overtures.

"I just do it for Catherine. If she hadn't begged me in the first place, I wouldn't have bothered to come here. And the more I feel I owe her, the more I hate you, Ethan O'Connor!" He made no secret of his feelings for Ethan. disgust.

"There are many people who hate me. But don't forget who brought her back and raised her when you abandoned her. You are just a scumbag who abandoned her for your own future and status. And now You are just using Catherine as a marriage tool." Ethan said without hesitation.

When Ethan mentioned some past events that he was unwilling to face, Walker III immediately became furious, but in the end he suppressed it and left in the same vehicle, leaving only Ethan standing there...

(End of this chapter)