[Chapter 724: The Sports Industry]
Standing on the lawn of the Rose Bowl in Los Angeles, one could still see the towering goalposts on both sides.
For this oddball of a soccer field, William White really couldn't find a way to criticize it. It's no wonder Baggio kicked his penalty shot so high; maybe the previous goals were just too high.
"George, America is so poor. Look at us, we don't even have a proper soccer field. Every time the hosts mention the Rose Bowl, they always say, 'Oh my God, that's where MJ sang!' Did you know, George, that the Super Bowl halftime show outranked the actual game in viewership?"
William White's sarcasm didn't seem to faze George Bush. To him, this field was quite nice; William was just being pretentious. If you played poorly, no amount of money would change that.
"William, the game's about to start; you aren't doubting these players, are you?"
Noticing that mocking look, William felt somewhat irked. This wasn't his fault. Honestly, the level of the Los Angeles Legends was pretty good; after all, national teams could have foreign players.
"Sigh, the time is too short, but after this World Cup, we'll make significant progress."
Bush chuckled silently; he actually didn't care much about the results. Like William said, as long as you played with passion, no one really cared about the score. Even if they got knocked out in the group stage, it would be a little embarrassing, but it wasn't the end of the world.
The embarrassment that American soccer brought to the world couldn't be summed up in just a couple of sentences. If it weren't for America's thick skin, they probably would have jumped into the sea by now.
"William, with oil prices this low, it truly presents a valuable investment opportunity."
William White eyed him skeptically, wondering if this guy was seeking comfort or just joking around.
"George, they're just pumping out dollars like crazy. Don't tell me you didn't notice that!"
"Damn, that's the strangest part. It should've gone up ages ago; why hasn't it moved yet? To be honest, I don't even get your position on shorting gold. That's just weird."
"What the hell? Are you serious? That Leo Wanta? Don't tell me you haven't heard of it. My intel suggests they've lost at least several hundred billion to a trillion dollars," William whispered to Bush.
"Is it really that exaggerated? Where did those Russians get so much money to screw things up?"
William looked at him disdainfully. Just because the Russians were broke didn't mean their citizens were.
"George, so much gold and foreign reserves vanished into thin air. Plus, the rich and middle-class are going broke. You can't honestly think that money just flies away. People regard them as one of the superpowers; you seriously think they're just beggars?"
"That money?"
"Don't dwell on it. I wouldn't even dare to look too closely; every intelligence agency worldwide has its eyes on it. Haha, our new president is going to be in real trouble."
The two of them chuckled maliciously. Money was certainly a good thing, but if you were reckless about reaching for it, the consequences could be dire.
"Filson, is there any way to install air conditioning in this scorching place?"
Everyone, including Bush, shook their heads in unison. How would you dare to think about AC in a stadium that could seat nearly a hundred thousand people?
"Oh my God, the opening ceremony should be at night, right? This is practically a barbecue competition!"
"Well, sir, it should be alright, but the final match might be quite a struggle," Filson said, somewhat dismissively regarding the boss's complaints. What he really cared about was how to use this World Cup to push American soccer forward.
The sports industry did occupy a small part of William White's asset list, but the owner really enjoyed it. Given the current situation, it seemed like he was planning to invest even more.
"George, it's great that no one came to rob the stadium. Otherwise, we'd all have to stand for the World Cup without those seats."
"Because those seats can't be traded for cash. If you had a supermarket in here, they'd have robbed it already; it's just common sense."
To be honest, it was a bit embarrassing for Los Angeles to be such an important venue. Don't you always brag about being the beacon of democracy? Why send in the troops instead? If you've got the guts, then don't send anyone in.
Haha, if something like this happened in any another country, America would whip out its sanctions like a club.
So, truth is, all talk about systems is nonsense; the nation's strength is what truly matters. If your country is powerful, others wouldn't dare to meddle. Had this sort of thing happened to the Russians, it would've turned into yet another bizarre Olympics scenario.
Whenever Americans host the World Cup, they always come up with some strange ideas. This time, to increase competitiveness, they banned goalkeepers from using their hands to receive backpasses.
To be honest, William White was extremely against this policy. American goalkeepers would instinctively reach out with their hands. What in the world were you organizing committee members thinking to implement such a ridiculous change?
With just about a year left until the World Cup, the players William White had sent to the Manchester United youth team were also returning to America. Today, he was there largely to give them a morale boost.
"Sigh, if all the lads from the Manchester United youth system returned to play here, predicting a championship would be tricky, but making the quarterfinals could definitely be on the table." Well, the rich man started daydreaming again. Don't even mention the youth academy; even if we brought Beckham and the Neville brothers over, the American team would certainly strengthen.
Of course, the current situation actually looked quite decent. If those kids played another year in the league, they'd likely start shaping up.
...
"Filson, has output in China's garment factories increased?"
"Sir, production capacity has indeed increased; quotas are a little tricky. If orders spike too high, there might be some issues. The sneaker factories are doing fine, though; progress has been very smooth."
"So, protecting American garment companies? What are they waiting for if these factories haven't gone under yet?"
Opening a clothing factory in America was such a foolish decision. You didn't even need to mention production costs; you just had to ask, who'd actually want to go to work?
"Let's set up a warehouse center in Hong Kong or Thailand, and finish the clothing brand and ironing there."
"Good, but we can't scale it too much. If you expand too abruptly, those guys will come snooping around."
"Let them snoop; those bored jerks will only waste taxpayer money. America doesn't even care about the steel industry anymore; why would they want the textile industry?"
William White's remarks left Filson speechless. He knew very well what was left of America's textile companies
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