#3 Media Day

[Tmoney6996]

Rookie Season

As soon as the offseason came, Delvecchio found himself front and center of a bidding war between companies, agents, and products alike. All had taken notice of the potential global star power of the budding Shanghai star, and felt that now was the time to strike and ink the future All-Star to a mega marketing deal. Standing in their way though? Tony's sister Angela, who Tony had quietly hired towards the end of his rookie season. 

The time apart between the twins had been tough for the two of them, and Tony felt that now was the right time to bring her aboard and share in the spotlight with the sister that had been there every step of the way on his journey to the SSL. It felt only natural, with her being the math forward of the two, be the one to handle the finances. It seems the timing was fortuitous as Tony could now easily direct all of the offers and conversations to his sister.

As the offseason shuffled along, some began to doubt that Delvecchio would sign with one of the bigger named Corporations. Agents from Adidas, Microsoft, Nike (really, the list goes on and on), but all were met with tentativeness from the Delvecchios, with none of them feeling that that the reception was warm enough to be invited into the lives of the twins. However, as the new seasons training began, word began to circle that Tony had found the right sponsor and one that he felt was perfect, given where he came from and what he stood for. 

It was none other than Humongous Entertainment, the original sponsors of the Backyard Soccer League, where Delvecchio began his career so long ago. It only felt right to Tony that he take the chance to work with the people who gave him his chance in the first place, to hopefully give back to that same community, and maybe, just maybe, this time, make a little more for he and his sister.

Approved

[Ghost]

Career PT2 - Rookie Season
973 Words and an apology. I based the entire task on an image I "fancied having a go at" and have no idea why it went the direction that it did.

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It is I, your formally critically endangered, beleaguered beat writer. This time I write to you from a place of calm following a much needed (enforced) break from my position as SSL’s James Asprey’s beat writer, and will surprise you with my findings since returning to this role.


In the events that immediately followed what I can only describe as a disastrous S20 Draft report that culminated in me missing Asprey’s name being called during the draft, missing the very first interesting development our Welsh shot stopper had offered through the academy season, and subsequent… “dressing down” given to me by my boss, I gladly accepted the (enforced) opportunity to revisit Port Royal for a break from my duties to hit the reset button. Oddly I feel the need to state that at no moment during the dressing down was I under the impression that refusal to take up this generous offer would result in the end of my career.


Port Royal was as welcoming the second time around as it was the first time last year, although I did note that it felt a little low despite its team’s recent success. I had heard from inside sources at the SSL that despite Port Royal’s successful season in winning the academy title, they would not be kept on for the coming season. Through my interactions with people in the area I could sense under the remnants of title-winning joy the underlying disappointment in the news. Weirdly all I could think about was how James Asprey would receive the news, even though he was very soon to be a Seoul player.


My contact in Jamaica, Kevon, who broke the news to me during the draft of Asprey’s unexpected and, until now, out of character commercial venture had hooked me up with a press pass for Asprey’s next promotional event. Oh, did I forget to mention my (enforced) holiday involved attending one of these? I must be so relaxed that it slipped my mind. I probably also neglected to mention that Asprey’s next promotional event was being held at the very hotel I was staying in too…


The next morning the hotel was abuzz with excitement. I opted to skip breakfast and headed straight for the event room in the hopes of of picking up a good seat, except every reporter in the country had the same idea so I found myself relegated to the back of the room with the small media and, if my eyes don’t deceive me, the hotel’s janitorial staff?


Before I could confirm my suspicions the room erupted in excited chatter and waves of camera flashes. Asprey had arrived and it was in this moment I realised he was no longer an academy name. It was only a small hotel event room, but everyone was here for a glimpse of him or a few words—he was now a known name.


I watched on as Asprey made his way to the front of the room, shaking hands and politely offering a few short words to those who were brazen enough to accost him from the aisles. He looked… almost natural at this, like the fame and attention were not new to him. He almost looked like he enjoyed it even. Something in me shifted, I felt an enormous weight lift. My mind was nowhere but here and focused solely on Asprey—something wasn’t quite right.

Up on stage he presented himself and his new business investment very well. He didn’t speak much but it was more than he offered during the entirety of the academy season with Port Royal, and it came across as oddly genuine in the World of PR-trained athletes. He spoke very highly of his time here in Jamaica, how thankful he was for the experience and for how welcome the people made him feel. It was this that inspired him to invest in a local distillery—his first earnings given straight back to the local community—“as well as his love of rum of course”. The room laughed with him, but I just took in what was refreshing to see after a year of following him and learning nothing. He was an actual human being.


The presentation wrapped up to applause and Asprey posed for a few photographs, smiling throughout. He looked to be enjoying himself but the weight that lifted inside me earlier had been replaced by an unexplained, tightly wound up ball of melancholy that had settled above my stomach. I couldn’t explain what I was feeling, nor could I explain my unexpected outburst at Asprey as he passed me in the aisle on his way out of the event.


“Are you really feeling okay, James?”


The unexplained outburst stopped us both in our tracks. I was dumbfounded, but he looked surprised and almost thankful for the question as he turned to face me. He took a moment, and with a telling nod and shy smile he turned back towards the door to leave the event.


I don’t know why I asked that question. Something within me blurted it out, but his nod revealed to me more than words could. That was probably the first time since stepping out into the SSL spotlights that anyone had asked him that, I imagine. And so I finish this article with a reminder to you, the readers, that in the World of sport and the entertaining spectacle that it is, we must not forget or take for granted that those in the spotlight are just like you or I with our feelings, our troubles and our lives. The only difference between us and those we idolise, criticise and watch closely under a microscope is that they are significantly better at kicking (or catching) a football.


Thank you for reading,
Your relaxed, reflective and thankful beat writer.

Approved - Hope to hear more from the beat writer as James career goes on!

[Voodooman]

CPT #2: https://forum.simulationsoccer.com/showt...9#pid79959
Coming off a strong opening season in Seoul, Pablo was getting excited for his sophomore season. With the media already swirling about a possible promotion to the majors in the near future, he started to receive some media attention about their future. Already with a popular YouTube series where he vlogs behind the scenes of his life in Seoul, he has made official his first official sponsor! Seems as though it was more for promotion on his YouTube channel, rather than for his play, but it is something!

We interrupt this post to let you know about RAID: Shadow Legends! The ever-popular mobile role-playing video game has now over 800 legendary heroes to where you can battle against some scary dragons, and demons from all the craziest dungeons. Use code “Pablo” to get bonus coins and 5 legendary heroes when you sign up using that code.

Back to the story, Pablo was excited to see that one of the most popularized games from around the world wanted to provide some ads in his videos, in return for improving his vlogging equipment, and to upgrade his living situation in the bustling city of Seoul. He is not much of a city person, but he has definitely tried to adapt to what has been a chaotic time there. However, with the crazy destinations on the schedules of various cities, he loves to just relax on the plane and play some games. So this is a great opening partnership which should hopefully open the doors for much more in the future for the now turned Central defender. When asked about his favourite game though, a dream game partnership would be a character in the game “Halo”. So we will have to see if there ever will be a partnership between Pablo and Halo similar to many famous football players, and Fortnite.

Approved - Those Raid ads are annoying LOL 

[TontoTut]

CPT#2: https://forum.simulationsoccer.com/showt...7#pid79377

I’ve had to hire two agents for the sole mission of identifying which brand to sign a deal with. I recently had a meeting with them both, licking my lips at the thought of which major sports brand will be sending me free football boots. As it turns out, they were all pharmaceutical companies. “Intriguing”, I said to them both, as they rustled through some of the contracts.

“We looking at a new nootropic, multivitamin, energy booster, what?”, I asked.

“Not quite, but it is something you will likely use often”, they responded.

“Ah, painkillers from all of my post-match war wounds?”, I asked.

“Nope. All offers are from companies that are industry leaders in stool hardener. They read about your time at Jakarta and your relationship with your father Roy Keane, and feel they can help your quality of life by having a lot less poos per day.”

Admittedly, it’s not the most glamorous list of offers, but I settled on a deal with Crackplug. It was the lowest monetary offer, but the only one giving me a lifetime supply of the their effective medication. So when I retire, and I’m placed in a care home, I’ll be swaggering around the place with the shiniest magnolia trousers.

They asked me to give a brief interview for Men’s Health magazine.

Interviewer: “So Tonto, how’s your arse?”

Tonto: “Like Fort Knox.”

Interviewer: “Haha, I’m happy our product is giving you a new lease of life.”

Tonto: “I know, thank you, life keeps on giving at the moment. I’ve been promoted from minor Krung Thep to major Tenochtitlan, I’m having weekly lunch with my father instead of a basic phone call every month, and I don’t need to be within 100 yards of a toilet at all times.”

Interviewer: “It’s important to be open about problems that men of all ages suffer from, what do you have to say to those that live with irritable bowel syndrome and struggle to face daily life?”

Tonto: “We all remember Pele being the face of erectile dysfunction, so if one of the greatest footballers ever can improve the mental health of men all over the world, then I hope to be the face of stool hardener for the same reason.”

Approved - I hope their product keeps you regular :-D

[JeffreyDaniels]

CPT 2

ECHOlive.ie - Cork News & Sport

Beamish and Crawford has announced a partnership with emerging football superstar Dáibhí Barr. Barr, born in Dublin, currently playing for SSL Minor League side Seoul Mythic FC, has signed a 3 year contract to serve as official brand ambassador for the Cork-based beer brewery. Steeped in almost 250 years of history, Beamish's stout and ale are a common sight on the Irish isle and with this partnership Beamish and Crawford hopes to gain a foothold in the rest of the world as well. The young footballer spoke to our reporter Elaine Whelan.

"Dáibhí, this marks your first major sponsorship; can you tell us how that feels?"

"Aye, I'm glad to be in the position that I am in and it is an honour to have my first sponsor be one from my homeland. Beamish is a true Irish cultural giant and I can't say how proud I am to be able to represent them" the young Irish SSL player told us with a smile.


While general reception of the sponsorship deal has been positive, criticism has also been levied against Barr, notably by The Alcohol Forum, a charity based in North-West Ireland focused on alleviating the growing number of alcohol abuse on the Isle.

"Some people aren't as happy with the sponsorship, such as charities like The Alcohol Forum and the Irish chapter of Alcoholics Anonymous. Can you give us your thoughts on that?"

"Well, growing up in Dublin I've seen my fair share of people losing themselves to the drink. I understand their concern, but like all things, I think there is nothing wrong with have a pint every now and then, as long as you do it in moderation." The young man says, his smile now turned into a serious look as he pushes one of his dreadlocks to the side. "I respect their cause and efforts but I don't feel I'm setting a wrong example. Beer brewing is a big part of our history as Irish people, and I think we can be proud of that while also encouraging people to practice moderation and get help when they or a loved one has problems with alcohol abuse."

The hard question out of the way, we asked Barr if there were any other brands he hopes to be sponsored by in the future. He takes some time to think, fiddling with the dreadlocks that loosely hang and cover parts of his face.

"Well, there are quite a few. I grew up with McDaid's drinks and McVities' candy, so those are two that come to mind. I also recently came across South Korean clothing brand NIVELCRACK and I really love their clothes, so if by chance they are reading this, get in touch with my agent" Barr told us with a smile.

Approved - Not me googling Beamish and Crawford to look into some new Ale....

[Dompatterson]

https://forum.simulationsoccer.com/showt...6#pid76476

Sponsorship offers fly in for Rookie of the Year nominee "Big Dom" Patterson. 

It has been a whirlwind year at Krung Thep for the lovingly nicknamed Big Dom, challenging for the Minor league's top scorer, guiding Krung Thep to a respectable 6th in the league in their inaugural seaon, and top of the form table in the second half of the season, this sort of thing doesn't go unnoticed.

The first sponsorship came in from Jacamo, and their "Big and Tall" range. Big Dom was seen rubbing shoulders with legend Andrew "Freddie" Flintoff who is no stranger to Jacamo, but upon arriving for his test shoot, photographers and executives were shocked to find the 5"9 striker not being who they expected.
"Who invited Kevin Hart?" one of the executives blurted out. The intern then tried to help the situation, "It's just like that episode of Father Ted with the cows, have Dom in the foreground, as he's small, and Freddie to stand right back, far away." but no matter how much they tried to manipulate the situation like some sort of funhouse mirror, eventually they gave up. 

Cadbury's came in with a big sponsorship deal, which Big Dom was extremely interested in. Big money and a big supply of chocolate are not something to sniff at, but the campaign was a flop on social media, with Big Dom, Jermaine Defoe and Warwick Davis being nicknamed the "Choco Munchkins" and sales plummeting from the younger generation. 

Nike stepped in to save the day, and the "Big Dom" nickname, with their release of the new Nike Air Max Max Max's. The triple soled shoes sent Dom to a towering 6"4, and gave Big Dom a wedge in his bank account. They are in the development stages of a new football boot that will have a similar sole, but the FA and SSL are currently in discussions about the legality of these as performance enhancing footwear. Having already scored multiple goals from headers even with his diminutive stature, the league are worried this would create an unstoppable force in the Minors league, which could then translate to a Techno team who all look like they're on stilts.

For now we may have to wait to see Big Dom grow into his nickname, but if he's still banging in the goals, neither Nike or the Krung Thep fans will care this season

Approved

[Daleks]

CPT 2

Voda is standing behind the curtains, his heart rapidly beating. He has got used to the stress and high stakes of football matches, but this? Public speaking?

It’s a big moment for Voda. He has been working with the Slovene home appliances giant Gorenje to be the face of a new product that they are launching in collaboration with local mobile phone manufacturers.

‘...today is a big day for...’ a speech continues on stage. Voda is still standing nervously behind the curtain. He takes this moment to relax, to think of more peaceful days, swimming in a lake he used to frequent as a child. He frequently returns to this memory in times of stress and anxiety.

As he is standing in silence,

‘...welcome to the...’

with peaceful thoughts in his mind,

‘...Voda!’

he jumps in fear as he suddenly realises; he has been just called on stage. Voda sprints to the stage in a hurry as he is suddenly welcomed by a big crowd of people, all of them excited to hear what he is about to stay.

‘...uh, welcome all and thank you for joining me tonight in what will be a very special announcement’ he says with a mildly trembling voice. The crowd is keenly listening to every single word.

Voda continues: ‘Sooo, phones, right? Everyone has them, probably. And you know what happens often with them? You are watching a video, or looking at some memes, and suddenly whoops! You drop your phone. Problem is, you are in a pool or bathtub or in the ocean. And now, boom! Phone is gone. Very common problem, right?’

The crowd stays silent with a perplexed look on their face.

Voda is equally confused looking at the perplexed look on the crowd’s faces ‘...uh, is it just my friends that often do that? Alright, well... okay, but how cool would it be to be able to safely use your phone no matter what environment you are in? Where you don’t have to worry about damaging your phone and you can reach your friends and look at your social media even while fully submerged underwater?

‘Introducing today is a brand-new flagship product, Voda-phone! Gorenje, with their expertise in waterproofing and insulation, gained from decades of experience creating high quality home appliances, have teamed up with many local phone manufacturers to create the first commercial fully water-proof phone! You heard that right, completely waterproof, not just water-resistant!’

The crowd stands up and gives a standing applause. The mix of a new novel design combined with the marketing power of Voda has left them excited and eager to try out this new phone. Despite having a very rough start, Voda managed to win the crowd back and deliver a great end to his speech. A wave of confidence rushes to him, and then he realises he has to say the release date.

‘Oh, and it releases uh... sometime in the future, I think. H-have a great evening!’.

The crowd keeps clapping, with the occasional cheer mixed in. The presentation was a success.

Backstage, Voda gets a call. As he answers it, he hears:

‘HALLO, WIE GEHT’S? How did ze presentation go?’ says Shanghai OM Thomas Hohenhahn on the other side of the phone.

‘Went well, I think. The crowd liked it, so I think it was good’ replies Voda.

Hohenhahn with extreme curiosity asks, ‘When will I be able to purchase dieses Produkt?’

Voda takes a few seconds to think and then finally replies ‘I... am not sure. I think they are keeping it as a prototype for now.’

‘Was about yours? They gave you one of zose prototypes, Did zey not?’ Hohenhahn asks, to which Voda replies:

‘You know, you make a good point actually...
I don’t know where I've left it.’

This mystery will be solved in the next 'A day in the life of Voda' article.

Special thanks to Zoone for giving me the Voda-Phone idea.

Approved - Bonus points if I can get a fully waterproof phone!

[homercrates]

CPT 2

Trick Johnson of the Shanghai Dragons took no time at all to even think about the endorsement.  He was approached in the off season at his home on The Isle of Man by the wizards of the coast.  Trick as an avid magician knows to never ever ignore the summons of wizards. Trick lives on the Isle of Man, he is very susceptible to anything doing with the coast, particularly a cabal of wizards of the coast.  The last thing Trick wants is to enrage a bunch of sea wizards. They could summon squalls at sea or cause flooding to Trick's house by the rise of the tide. They could summon nasty sea monsters like in ‘The Odyssey’ or send sirens out to call for Trick every night not allowing him to get a decent night's rest! These wizards of the coast showed up to his abode asking him to endorse their magic game. Although a funny lil peculiar game of magic, it seemed like a perfect fit.  Trick Johnson or ‘Magic Trick’ as some call him; mostly himself, knows magic. A real no brainer for Trick to become the new spokesman for the Magic Card game known as ‘Magic The Gathering’.  



They made Trick his own card as featured above, and all he has to do is show up to a couple events a year and endorse magic.  Trick loves endorsing magic, this is not a problem for him to show up to a convention center and perform a few magic tricks while talking about magic and gathering or something.  He even gets to sit around and play some card games as well.  Sign a few magic cards, shake hands with people and take selfies with them, a pretty easy gig for staying on the good side of coastal wizards. The crowds love his little coin tricks anyway.

Approved 

[jimi]

Career pt #2: https://forum.simulationsoccer.com/showt...2#pid82662

Damian DeSoto has acquired his first major sponsorship! Damian is partnering with Raid Insecticide to create Damian DeSoto's Double Deadly Destruction spray! Damian is incredibly excited, not only to get paid by his sponsor, but to be able to advertise a product that he readily uses. Insects, particularly flying ones, have always been a major fear of his, and Damian has always kept multiple variants of Raid spray in his home at once, in order to give himself a sense of peace. Damian has spoken about this in interviews, so when Raid contacted him about creating a new spray with his face on it, Damian jumped at the opportunity. The company asked him if he wanted the spray to be focused on anything particular, such as a specific type of insect or even a new design for the bottle. However, Damian had only one focus in mind: the annihilation of bugs. Damian loved Raid, but he didn't like how long a pesky roach would take to die after being sprayed by the stuff. Therefore, he asked the top scientists at Raid to design their most deadly and toxic spray to nearly instantly kill these bugs, and they created their most potent spray yet. While other athletes might be seen with water, Gatorade, or even coke products by their podium in post game interviews, the tall black spray can is seen next to Damian as he answers questions. When asked about any future Raid products he may help create, Damian stated that he was hoping to create a new product to deter bugs from running into him during his football matches, as this had been a problem at some points in his career, with him even swallowing a mosquito while making an attempt at a tackle. He also stated he one day hoped to be a part owner of Raid, but this may come after his playing days. Damian will continue to be selective about his sponsorship opportunities, as he wants to only represent brands he would actually use, but for now he will just be the mascot of Raid.

351 words

Approved - original choice!

[gaucho12]

Matias steps into the press room wearing a 1xBet t-shirt and approaches the microphone, unfortunately 1xBet, a gambling company, want to sign anyone possible stooping to even the likes of Matias Bottero. Bottero, an extremely unfunny comedian, could not make the press conference because he was giving the worst show imaginable to an audience of around 200 people, Xavier believes he is actually paying people to be there. The 1xBet Chief Communications Officer begins to speak into the microphone [translated from Spanish] "Today we have come here to present our biggest sponsor representative who you all know very well to be Matias Xavier, central defender for Montreal United". Matias takes the microphone and screams "Glory Montreal, Glory United", the CCO face begins to get red but he continues, "We thought Matias would be a fantastic representative of our brand on and off the pitch as people who look up to him are those who we want gambling! Now a few words from our new representative!". Matias is handed the microphone and takes a brief pause before looking at the CCO, "I am pleased to have joined with this company as the paycheck was large and I can't count that high!". Matias then looks into the crowd and no one laughs but he continues, "Right now there are thousands of unfunny comedians that are doing their bad crowd work with whatever poor souls have been unfortunate enough to be compelled to buy tickets to these bad shows, yet when I get a call from (he says this in the way a commercial would) 1xBet they tell me I can't make jokes, so tonight I will only make one". Matias looks at the cameras and then to the man behind one and points at it "You! Not those behind the screen, the cameraman, what do you call it when the goalkeeper for Catalunya makes a save with his feet?" He waits for a response and the cameraman asks what, "He saved it with his twinkle-toes!" Matias once again like he does every time blows hard into the mic causing it to freak out and then leaves. 1xBet still sponsors him to this day.

https://forum.simulationsoccer.com/showt...4#pid83184

Approved