American winner takes all

Chapter 224 A sudden turn of events (12)

Shreveport, Riverside District, Hilton Hotel, the most grand and luxurious conference hall in the hotel.

The spotlight was focused on the main stage, and around the podium, all media outlets were ready.

ESPN, CBS Sports, NBC Sports, ABC Sports, Fox Sports, Sports Illustrated, American Football Magazine, Sporting News Magazine, Sports Weekly, The New York Times, Washington Post, Chicago Tribune, Associated Press, National Public Radio...most of them The entire sports media circle was present.

Under the camera, it is Grace who is well-dressed. Today she is wearing a lake blue suit, with a white silk scarf tied around her neck and red flowers on her chest. These three colors match the The theme color of the independent bowl is the same. It is elegant and elegant without losing the charm of women. Under the delicate makeup is a confident smile, coupled with the blond hair pulled up in a bun, it adds a bit of mature female charm.

No matter what others think, at least it suits Ethan's taste very well. He likes to wear his hair in a bun.

In addition to Ethan, he also won praise from other people.

"This is such a beautiful lady." The man next to Ethan sighed subconsciously at this moment.

Wearing glasses and also in formal attire, his name is Robert Carlson, an experienced "tourism expert" who was appointed head of the tourism department two years ago by Mayor Bo Williams. director.

In the past two years, he has made many effective attempts to develop cultural tourism in Shreveport.

Promote the renovation and beautification of the riverfront area, and strive to hold the 1996 Miss USA Pageant in Shreveport, with Tyler, Texas and Hope, Arkansas The city (Hope) jointly launched a tourist route called the "American Rose Trail"...and today, he will add a new chapter to his rich resume-the Independence Bowl football game.

During the time when Ashkenazy was selling high-priced tickets through private third-party channels, Ethan kept in touch with Robert Carlson privately, not only in the work area, but also having dinner and wine tasting together in the evening. In addition to waiting for basic sex in the nightclub, she also introduced Robert Carlson's eldest daughter to Hollywood. For Lisa, it was just an extra actor under her command, but it did Robert Carlson a big favor.

"This morning, my wife took her little son to get his braces removed. She complained to me on the phone a lot about the long queues blocking the exit of the apartment." Robert Carlson laughed.

It's not that he is blaming, but simply sighing that the popularity of the Independence Bowl was beyond his expectation.There is a clear gap with the competition in previous years.

If this momentum can be maintained in the next few years, Robert Carlson can be considered a great contribution to the city of Shreveport.

“Don’t ignore the potential that comes with any game of rugby,” Ethan responded with a smile.

"Maybe the economic boost of this bowl game can match MISS USA at the beginning of this year." Robert Carlson proposed a bold idea.

You know, it took him a lot of thought to get MISS USA to settle in Shreveport, not to mention the economic price paid by the city council. The debt of the new conference center will not be scheduled until 50 years from now.

In comparison, the Independence Bowl is so cost-effective, with the cost equal to approximately 0. Robert Carlson can't wait to play this kind of game once a month.

"As a reward for my friends, I will fully help you advance the privatization of the Independence Bowl Tournament Committee." Robert Carlson pursed his lips and said with a smile.

"Thank you from the bottom of my heart." Ethan breathed a sigh of relief.

This year's Independence Bowl is nominally just that the tournament committee outsourced the organization of the game to an education group from Los Angeles. With the withdrawal of investment from the education group, Grace personally took over.In other words, Grace and herself are just wage earners this year.

Ethan's purpose is also very simple, to completely privatize the Independence Bowl tournament committee.In addition to facilitating long-term operations, more importantly... the committee is a non-profit organization.

It seems that the efforts of the past few days have been in vain. At least Robert Carlson is a smart man who knows how to measure and advance and retreat, and can conduct further cooperation.

But he is just a tourism director. After passing this level, there is another key person that I have to talk about...

"Let us invite the distinguished Mr. Bo Williams to come to the stage to speak." Grace, who was on the podium, took the lead in applauding.

I saw a middle-aged man with gray sideburns and a good-looking appearance walking onto the stage. After nodding with Grace, he held the podium with both hands:
"Dear friends from the media who have come from afar, as the Independence Bowl declared when it was established, the vision of the game is to promote the American spirit, education and community service through the game of football. We are committed to creating a grand game. This is Shri As part of our Vision 2000 plan... let the pure game of rugby add a new touch of color to this historic city."

Ethan yawned subconsciously.

"A former entrepreneur, he founded a company called 'Williams Energy', specializing in oil and natural gas extraction. Except for a brief period as a city councilman, he was a complete amateur..." Robert Carlson introduced his boss like this .

On the stage, Bo Williams finished his speech and immediately entered the question-and-answer session of reporters.

"Sir, you just mentioned that the Independence Bowl is a pure football game. What do you think of Ethan O'Connor's behavior as an intermediary for bribing players, which was revealed by the NCAA yesterday?" The National Public Radio reporter was the first to raise the question. Hand asked.

"We only focus on the game itself. In fact, at the time when we invited the University of Alabama, we didn't know what Ethan O'Connor had done." Bo Williams frowned slightly and then responded. "In other words, the invitation to Alabama still stands, and you will not interfere with him playing on the field as a player?" the reporter then asked.

This question is digging a hole.

Bo Williams frowned even more: "As the venue of the event, we cannot interfere with the team's internal choices. Everything is decided by the team and the fans."

"In other words, considering the ratings, the Independence Bowl will allow Ethan to appear on the field as a player in order to get more attention?"

"This assumption is not valid. I have just said that the venue where the event is held has no right to interfere with the team's internal arrangements." Bo Williams seemed a little unhappy.

"Then if the Independence Bowl could interfere with it, would you allow Ethan to be a player!" a reporter from National Public Radio asked quickly.

"That assumption doesn't hold up...I refuse to answer that question." Bo Williams began to realize that something was not right.

"On the same day that the Independence Bowl announced the game date, the University of Alabama issued a statement to participate. It seems that the two are related in some way. How do you explain this?" Sure enough, the reporter changed the topic and started to involve Deeper question.

"This... maybe it's just a coincidence. We encounter coincidences every day in our lives, don't we?" Bo Williams laughed.

He wanted to make a joke, but found that no one present could laugh.

At this moment, he showed a little panic, and this expression was clearly captured by multiple lenses at the scene.

Grace, who was standing in the audience, immediately realized something was wrong and raised her hand to call the security personnel.

"Am I allowed to assume that you were involved?" The reporter finally pointed the finger at Bo Williams and was immediately surrounded by several security personnel.

"Why should I be expelled? Is it because I discovered the shady story of the game? The facts are completely contrary to what Mr. Bo Williams said. This is a tarnishment of a pure sports event. The local sports management department should investigate it!" As they were being taken out, the reporter shouted loudly.

The originally relaxed atmosphere reached a low point with this series of questions. FOX reporter Penny who participated in the press conference began to ask questions about the game, trying to draw attention back to the game.

"My answer is over." Bo Williams walked off the stage directly.

Within 1 minute, the situation took a turn for the worse.

"Ao, it seems we have encountered some problems..." Robert Carlson also realized that something was wrong.

·
Ethan and tourism director Robert Carlson, who were standing in the backfield, immediately found Mr. Mayor.

"Sir, all preparations for the game are being carried out in an orderly manner. Tickets for the game are hard to find in the market. I assure you that this will be an extremely exciting game and will bring huge economic benefits to the local community. It allows you to fulfill your promise to voters!" Robert Carlson reiterated immediately.

Bo Williams looked at the tall Ethan: "Listen, young man. Shreveport does not host the Independence Bowl to be riddled with scandals. If you can't handle your own affairs, we can only stop the game. ."

"Sir, sir..." Robert Carlson could only helplessly watch Bo Williams' back fade away.

"Ethan, there is a big omission in your media invitation list! I can't help you with this kind of thing." Robert Carlson sighed and said, he felt it was a pity.

Ethan did not forget to take care of the media. He prepared a series of reception activities for the arriving media.

"In fact, National Public Radio (NPR) was not even on the invitation list," Ethan said.

Did the NCAA give the order?Ethan doesn't think so. If the NCAA is really prepared to deal with him, it only needs to issue corresponding punishments, and there is no need to use such small tricks.

Then who could be causing trouble behind it?

"If you cannot properly resolve this matter, the cooperation between us can only be terminated. I'm sorry, I have to get off the ship." Robert Carlson shook his head and began to pave the way for his own escape.Now even the competition has problems, not to mention the subsequent privatization of the organizing committee.

"Robert, this little storm scares you?" Ethan still looked calm and unhurried.

(End of this chapter)