To rebuild his muscles, Bill's daily bouncing and strengthening workouts are comparable to those of spring training. Under the action of adrenaline, the heart muscle contractilates more easily, the heart pumps blood quickly, and the sweat glands secrete a large amount of body fluid, allowing heat to escape from the pores of the body.

But this is not enough, and the body fluids and heat are blocked by the clothing on the body.

Here's the downside of the cotton short sleeves, where the sweat is absorbed until it soaks through the clothed part of the body, which makes Bill want to run to the bathroom and take a shower.

"Why don't we rugby players have those tight, quick-drying short sleeves?"

In the gym, Bill, who had temporarily finished training, chatted with his strength and conditioning coach Frank and a few teammates.

"Sports brands don't pay much attention to these, and professional and expensive shoes are what Adidas and Nike focus on. As far as our rugby equipment is concerned, it is mainly Douglas and Adidas that compete for the national market, and the small factory also serves local and nearby primary and secondary school teams, and university teams and professional teams generally cooperate with big brands. ”

Frank explained to the players.

Mr. Ferrari suddenly became interested, "If I start a sports brand and the main product is tight and quick-drying, will anyone buy it?" ”

According to his observation in the past two years, Nike has not yet come out of the track and field field, and there are not many items of sports goods and trendy sneakers for street teenagers. The first thing young people wear – sneakers – has not yet become a cultural trend.

In the 80s, there was a cultural trend in American society to express one's personality through brand positioning, and street culture's interest in sneakers was in line with this trend. Different shoe brands, styles, and colorways express different personalities, and because sneakers offer more possibilities for the wearer, this street style quickly became commercialized.

Quickly open up the market in the NFL with quick-drying clothes, then develop trendy sneakers, take advantage of the rise of sneaker culture in the 80s, and sign some of the biggest stars Bill knows to endorse products.

Mr. Ferrari has laid out a very clear vision for the company he envisions.

Since you are going to play for a few years, you might as well use the advantages of your sports star to create your own sporting goods company.

"If there is a T-shirt that doesn't stick to the body after a strenuous workout, even if it's a single style, I'll stock up on some at home, and the cotton underwear on the market now is too uncomfortable."

Cade Hill would have liked to have such a short-sleeved approach, he is a new recruit this year, a freshman at the start of the school year, and is currently following the training rhythm of the team and the close end with the old Bill Ferrari.

Frank shook his head and smiled, "For now, big brands probably won't design training clothes like this for us." The magic of us football players is that in the '60s, the top players in the NFL were paid $100,000 a year, and in the '70s there were millions of players, but today, the sports companies that provide us with the equipment still don't think about those details. Perhaps only our own brands will think about us and design some intimate clothing that meets our needs. ”

The magical reality made him a little emotional, in the eyes of ordinary fans, NFL stars are emperors on a baking tray. However, from the perspective of capitalists, the commercialization of rugby-related products is not high, only professional players and youth rugby players will be in demand, and the market outside the stadium is not large, so there is no need to invest heavily in research and development of new products.

"If Bill really founded a company like this, and designed products that take into account our needs, I will definitely promote it to you in the circle." Frank still hopes that someone can change that.

There is a demand and Mr. Ferrari has decided to start a sporting goods company in the near future, "maybe there will be good news this year, and as you know, the impact of our rugby game is not low." ”

In fact, since the sixties, football has become the most popular sport in the United States, and it has a very high bar in the hearts of young people.

During the day's training, Bill had been thinking about it. After driving the Volvo 760 back to his new home in Mountain View via King's Road, he decided to gather his family to discuss the matter.

"Starting a sporting equipment company? Bill, none of us understand this, running a company is too far away from us. ”

In the large living room of the new home, the uncle sat on the sofa, listening to the new ideas that came out of his nephew.

Of course, Mr. Ferrari did not expect his uncle, who had been a security guard for half his life, to understand the sporting goods market and the company, but he just wanted to involve his family in the process of negotiating the name so that the company could later promote the corporate culture.

The real name and trademark he had already figured out which one to copy.

"I need you to come up with a name for this company, it's the professional kind when it sounds."

Neo pushed his eldest cousin in a wheelchair to the living room area, where the whole family was all there except Dorothy.

"Named after our last name? Ferrari Conte is good. ”

Little brother Neo proposed.

"I remember that Bill wanted to open a sports car factory, so I'd better leave that name to the car factory!" Anthony, with a decrepit face, disagreed with his little cousin's suggestion.

"It's true that with the word Ferrari, any brand sounds like a car factory, a sporting goods company or a sporty fit." Bill covered his mouth and pretended to think for a moment, "Well, our brand is called under armour, which means close-fitting armor, and the name also matches the quality of the tight-fitting sweat-wicking short sleeves I designed." ”

Under Armour was founded in the 90s, and its current founder, Kevin Blank, was a kid who didn't become a football star.

“Under armour…… It doesn't feel like Nike and Adidas are smooth. What about trademarks, what are you going to use? "Big cousin doesn't like the name very much.

For a certain period of time, his quality of life was quite okay, and he knew a lot about clothing brands.

"The two halves overlap each other, with the openings facing up and down." Under Armour's ability to fight his way out of the siege of Nike Adi in the nineties naturally makes sense, and Bill decided to copy the full set.

"Sounds like Chanel's logo turned around, and this one isn't bad." Anthony applauded his cousin's vision.

In the background of the TV, a worried aunt listens to her nephew's plan, "Then who will run the company?" It's a big investment, your family doesn't know it, and you're busy training and playing. ”

"One step at a time! I first called Sophia Moritty and asked her to ask the manufacturer and find a few professional managers with experience in the garment industry. ”

Bill's promise of Sophia Moritty as his agent came to naught, and he didn't need a full-time assistant before, so Sophia used her advantage after graduation and entered the American Theater School in San Francisco Powell Street as a clerk.

This drama school is also a place where Italians gather, and Nicolas Cage, the king of bad movies, came to class in middle school to improve his acting skills.

"Is she reliable? I think it's better to get a manager or a factory manager from our family. The uncle turned his gaze from the TV to his nephew, "For example, your sister Dorothy, after going to college, she has a degree, and she is much better than outsiders. ”

Bill thought about it, and let the girl go to further education honestly.

"Our family is not short of money now, so there is no need for Dorothy to give up the opportunity to continue her studies and come to work. This Sophia is quite reliable, and she had the best relationship with me in college, except for my rugby friend who was a football player. ”

This wooden "big villa" in Mountain View is the property Sophia has found, compared to Palo Alto, where Stanford faculty and staff are clustered, the property prices in Mountain View to the east of Stanford University are much lower, and it is only a 10 to 20 minute drive from the school, and the local public transportation is not developed, which is in line with Bill's expectations.

PS: Ask for a recommendation ticket and ask for a monthly pass.

(End of chapter)