In America, the winner takes all.

Chapter 356 Epstein
"Welcome."

When Ethan entered the conference room of the NFL headquarters in New York, several NFL players, including Dan Rooney and Mrs. Rahm, took the initiative to come over and greet Ethan.

Last time Ethan appeared on a similar occasion, he was a transparent person in the absolute sense, following behind Michael Ovitz, but this time it was different. No one cared that Michael Ovitz was the real owner of the Angels. .

"He doesn't care about the Angels. He rarely visits the stadium. We all know what his purpose is."

"But you, Ethan O'Connor, are different. You quickly built a new team's reputation in an unexpected way. We were just discussing whether we should let the New York Giants and It’s time for the Steelers to reintroduce their cheerleading squad.”

"But I think the Steelers and Giants should continue to focus on football itself." Dan Rooney said.

Although the Angels cheerleading team is in full swing and has a lot of followers, that's not the right fit for some teams.

"You're right. Not every team in the NFL has cheerleaders. Women will only hinder the audience from enjoying the game. This market should be left to the Angels." Ethan nodded.

These words caused several team owners present to chuckle.

How Ethan led the Angels to quickly build a reputation in the league was something that other clubs saw. When they discovered that this young man had achieved in less than half a year what it took other teams several years to achieve. As a result, he naturally had a high opinion of Ethan.

Lamar Hunter, who arrived later, also showed interest in Ethan.

The man who single-handedly founded the original AFL and became one of the leaders of the AFL and NFL also nodded slightly towards Ethan. This year, Lamar Hunter is nearly 70 years old, but he still travels a lot to come to New York. Obviously, this group of owners attaches great importance to the XFL, even more than the expansion of the league.

“Gentlemen and ladies, the following is a closed-door meeting. Except for the owners of each team and authorized agents, everyone else please leave as soon as possible, and please turn off the communication facilities you carry with you. "League Commissioner Paul Tagliabue stepped onto the stage to serve as moderator of the closed-door meeting.

Ethan was alone, but the others were crowding in front of him. A large group of people followed the secretary as they walked out, and soon the conference room became quiet.

Various information about the XFL began to be projected on the big screen behind Paul Tagliabue.

"Currently, according to some sources within NBC, some information about the XFL has been confirmed. This is an 11-man outdoor football league that will serve as a supplement to the NFL offseason. The game will adopt more relaxed rules. Each team will have a more provocative cheerleading squad, this is all the information currently known.”

"What is still unknown is how many teams the XFL will have in its first season, which cities the special training franchise will be set up in, and whether the game will be mixed with the hate and kayfabe elements that McMahon is good at. These are The key to WWF defeating its main competitors.”

"How many teams are there? I don't think there will be more than ten, or eight." Lamar Hunter looked at the crowd and was the first to speak.

When it comes to establishing a new sports league, I'm afraid no one in the world has more experience than Lamar Hunt.

"If there are no surprises, in the next three years, the NFL will still dominate the draft market, unless the XFL focuses on a limited number of star players. In short, in terms of player quality, the XFL will not have any players in the next few years. Any competitiveness. To me, it looks like mediocre high school football meets tacky clubbing." Dan Rooney also echoed Lamar Hunt's sentiments, saying, It once again caused everyone to smile.

Ethan also said: "As for the hatred and kayfabe elements, this may be useful in wrestling matches, but in football matches, it is like a disaster. At that time, we can definitely unite some media with good relations. For this point Criticism. Accusing the XFL of deliberately manipulating the game to cater to the audience will never involve them in a game that is full of 'performance'. They feel like they are being treated like monkeys."

"And the most important thing is that the other party positions the XFL as a supplement to the NFL. The schedule starts after the Super Bowl and ends before the start of the NFL season. At least for now, they do not pose any threat to us. In a sense, even It will help the NFL to a certain extent," Bob Harlan from Green Bay also said.

Paul nodded: "I received a call from McMahon yesterday. He did follow what I said. He said he had no hostility and that XLF and the NFL are not even close to each other."

"Don't believe his nonsense, as long as the XFL exists, it will have a negative impact on us and it will hurt our draft system." Dan Rooney said.

Although the NFL has essentially monopolized the sport of professional American football, in name, the NFL does not dare to admit that, and the youth training system of American football is linked to higher education in the United States. In the foreseeable future, the NFL will not be able to do so. Refers to youth training in any sense.

The most important reason why the AFL was willing to join the NFL and why the NFL also nodded was because the two leagues were in direct competition in the draft and could only introduce new blood by raising each other's prices. This was something no one wanted. See the situation.

It can be said that the annual draft is the foundation of the NFL and the source of this ocean, and the existence of the XFL will increase the cost of the NFL draft anyway, even if it is only one dollar more.

"The XFL must die, die as soon as possible." Mrs. Lamm nodded.

This was quickly agreed upon by all team owners.

League Commissioner Paul nodded: "Then we will now begin to discuss specific responses."

"We cannot nominally interfere with the emergence of the XFL, nor can we allow players who have retired or been abandoned to block the XFL. This would constitute a de facto monopoly. What we can currently do is more strategic defense."

"We want what the XFL doesn't have, and what the XFL has, we want even more." Dan Rooney said.

"The Rules Committee explores the possibility of adjusting some rules to make the confrontation more intense."

"In addition, we also need to make the league's cheerleading teams more competitive. This requires slight adjustments to the current model. As for positioning, I think every cheerleading team is different. This is your own decision. In short, there is less fabric on the body. No matter whether it is more famous or not, we need to make the cheerleading team more important and have more opportunities to perform." When Lamar Hunter spoke, he looked at Ethan who was sitting not far away, and then looked at a few more. Looking at old Jones sitting opposite.

The implication is that in order to cope with the potential impact of the XFL, the NFL wants to give more resources to the cheerleaders to make them more important and gain more exposure, and the Angels cheerleaders and DCC will undoubtedly be the key to this change. The biggest beneficiary.

The owners of other teams also expressed support at this time. As for the six teams without cheerleaders, they did not make any comments on the matter.

Next comes a series of specific details. Many teams said that they would upgrade the image of their cheerleading teams after returning home, and said that in the club’s official news, more cheerleading teams will appear in the future, and the treatment and selection standards of cheerleading teams also need to be improve.

"In addition, I would like to suggest that the cheerleading team cannot be purely a non-profit organization. We must explore the possibility of commercialization. This is the key to ensuring the competitiveness of the NFL cheerleading team." Ethan said tentatively.

But this point was immediately refuted by many people.

Some people are worried that this will have an impact on the team's operations.

Some people lack confidence and feel that this is an unnecessary investment and that the team is just a club, not an entertainment company.

"The traditions of the past cannot be abandoned, but we also have to look forward and adapt to changes in society. Have you seen that the Angels have a complete official website? This time I am on the side of young people, who are often interested in new things. Keep your instincts sharp." Lamar Hunt unequivocally supported Ethan.

"I also agree with Ethan. We can definitely use the Angel Cheerleaders and DCC as pilots. What do you think?" Old Jones also said at this time. He was more motivated by his own interests. After all, DCC is still the most popular. Cheerleading.

Other team owners can no longer refute at this time.

Through this meeting, Ethan undoubtedly gained more authority, and the last bit of confinement was lifted.

After the meeting, Ethan took the initiative to come to Lamar Hunt and thank him. "Young man, I know that the Angels are just the beginning for you. Your ambitions are far beyond that. I don't know if you have ever been interested in MLS. English football is absolutely undervalued in the American market. NFL owners can Unrestricted investment in an English football club, you should know more about it.” Lamar Hunt said something else.

MLS, which started in 1996, was also created by the Hunter family. In addition, the Hunter family also owns the Wizards MLB baseball team in Kansas City.

"If there is a chance, I will consider it this way." Ethan said casually.

Next, Ethan, who had not yet walked out of the conference room, received another invitation from Dan Rooney. The other party invited Ethan to stay in New York for a few more days and visit the Giants. In his words, the other party was prepared to treat Ethan warmly.

Ethan stated that he was going to Ohio and also avoided the other party.

Between Hunter and the Rooney family, Ethan never thought of taking sides.

·
That afternoon, Ethan departed from the private airport in New York and headed to Columbus, the capital of Ohio.

It was already night when he landed, and as soon as possible, Ethan called Gisele Bundchen.

Gisele Bundchen and her twin sister Patricia arrived in Columbus early, and tomorrow is the day to officially sign a contract with Victoria’s Secret.

But tonight, Giselle encountered an uninvited guest.

"I am in the hotel lobby, interviewing a self-proclaimed Victoria's Secret insider, and he came to the hotel in person." Gisele said on the phone.

"Who is it?" Ethan asked.

When he heard the name Giselle said, Ethan said he would arrive as soon as possible.

On the other side, when Gisele Bundchen put down her phone, the man sitting opposite inadvertently started asking.

Giselle didn't say the person on the other end of the phone was Ethan.

"What did I just say..." The man thought about it. He had gray hair and looked quite human-like.

"Your identity." Patricia reminded Giselle.

"Yes, that's right. I have a very good personal relationship with Wexner. I am his financial advisor and I handle all the investment businesses under his name. In addition, I have also had a relationship with him for many years." The man. Narrowing his eyes, he looked at Gisele Bundchen's face.

The Wexner he mentioned is the owner of Victoria's parent company L Brands, and Wexner himself is also an American billionaire.

"This time I am responsible for selecting models for Victoria's Secret. We have a very huge plan. This will be a miracle in the history of marketing. Victoria's Secret Angels will also soar to the sky! And this opportunity is not available to everyone. How old are you Giselle?" the other party then asked.

Giselle and Patricia looked at each other, but did not answer.

"Don't think too much. I know your relationship with the football player. I just asked casually. I have to consider specific candidates, don't I? Don't forget, I have veto power on this matter." He Reiterate again and again how critical you are to this project.

"Sir, you know, the more you lack something, the more you wish you had something." Gisele Bundchen revealed the other person quietly. She had never heard of this person before, and he had no idea. Not a Victoria's Secret executive.

The man was not irritated, but laughed: "I guess the football player must have taught you this."

He then turned to Patricia and was also disappointed. Just as Giselle stood up and said she wanted to go back to the room, a familiar voice came.

"This gentleman is a rare visitor." Ethan appeared at the scene.

At this time, the man adjusted his suit and took the initiative to stand up and shake hands with Ethan.

"Let me introduce myself. My name is Jeffrey Epstein. You may not know me, but I've been waiting for you for a long time." He held out his hand.

Ethan had no intention of shaking hands with him.

"Are you waiting for me?" Ethan frowned slightly.

"Yes, young man, you and I are both people who ignore the rules. I have wanted to get to know you for a long time." Epstein smiled.

Coming from his mouth, these words did not sound good.

"I'm sorry, I'm afraid you'll be disappointed. I don't have Wexner's hobbies and I'm not interested in male pets." Ethan smiled.

How could Ethan not recognize him? He was a well-known pimp who later died in prison under mysterious circumstances. His social relationships were quite complicated. From Russian models to famous scientists to former commanders, there was no one he didn’t recognize.

Ethan’s words didn’t give him any face at all.

Cute Perstein was only surprised for a moment, but quickly adjusted back and continued to smile.

"You may have misunderstood me, but what you said is not true." Epstein immediately shook his head and explained patiently.

"Really? Let's talk about other facts. Ghislaine Maxwell must have done a lot for you over the years. As well as the billionaire's daughter Eva Anderson-Dubin, and your former colleagues at Bear Stearns , current Hollywood producer, Paula Hale Fisher, these three are all your long-term girlfriends, right?”

"You may think that you are a mysterious figure like Gatsby, with a financial background who suddenly appears in various circles, but you don't have much mystery in front of me. You must be grateful to Steve for what you are today. Vin Hoffenberg, he didn’t confess you in the Towers Financial case, otherwise you would still be in jail.”

Ethan directly exposed him completely.

At this moment, Epstein's face finally changed. Although these things were indeed public and not difficult to find out, the young man's understanding of himself was still beyond imagination.

Could it be that he has already started investigating me? At this moment, Epstein felt a little more panic deep inside.

(End of this chapter)