THE GREATEST OF ALL TIME
Offer of Agreement I

Wednesday, 8 May 2013.

**** ****

Zachary glanced at his watch and realized it was 08:30. So, she quickly finished her breakfast, brushed her teeth, and exited her apartment in all the haste she could muster. The night before, Emily, her agent, had told her over the phone that two companies were interested in making endorsement contracts with her. He was on his way to meet her and discuss the way forward.

However, she only realized that she was almost too late since she first took the time to do a stretching routine.

Despite his excitement over the prospect of winning a endorsement deal, his football career is still his priority. He needs to keep his muscles warm and be ready for the game tonight. He couldn't stop his pre-match conditioning routine just to make an appointment. So, he only managed to leave his apartment with only thirty minutes left for the scheduled meeting time.

He went down the stairs of his apartment like a breeze—and came out into the fresh air of the city in a matter of seconds. He noticed that the newly rising sun, shining softly in the streets, had brought with it a flurry of early morning activity to Trondheim. The morning traffic was crowded as if the streets were a playground that many cars and pedestrians came to.

Zachary did not continue to travel to the bus stop, as usual. Instead, he stopped by the side of the road, waiting for his taxi to arrive.

He called the taxi service before he left his apartment. He couldn't wait for the bus because he was too late.

He does not have to wait long because taxi companies in Norway are very efficient. Just two minutes later, a black Audi stopped beside him. Without delay, he went up and paid the cost. Moments later, she was on her way to Trondheim Square— to meet Emily.

The taxi driver used several shortcuts, avoiding the streets with heavy traffic that morning. Zachary managed to reach his goal in just twenty-five minutes. He strengthened his determination to buy a car as soon as possible after feeling the comfort of a private vehicle in Trondheim firsthand. He had long since begun to feel that using the bus was troublesome because of his busy schedule.

When he got off the taxi, he rushed over, pushing past another pedestrian on the street. He—towards the cafe, where he was supposed to meet Emily. After turning a few corners, he climbed a few steps and reached his destination on the second floor of a mall near Trondheim Square.

"You're late" was the first sentence that came out of Emily's mouth as Zachary sat in the chair opposite her.

"But, just a few minutes," Zachary replied with a timid smile. "I forgot about the passage of time when I was going through my stretching routine. That usually happens to me when I focus on training. Sorry about that."

"Don't worry," Emily replied, her expression slightly softened. "But it won't look good if we meet with a company representative and you arrive late. Watch it in the future." Her bright blue eyes scanned Zachary's face, waiting for an answer.

"I'll do it" Zachary replied earnestly, leaning back into his chair. He felt his emotions calm down as the cozy atmosphere of the cafe pulled his soul into his cocoon for a blessed moment. She smiled at Emily and said, "Good morning! Howwasyourjourney?"

"I'm fine, and the ride is as comfortable as possible" Emily said in a flat voice.

"About the endorsement offer: You said there were two companies that wanted to make an endorsement deal with me!" He said, straight to the core of the meeting. He wants to finish the endorsement deal as soon as possible— so he can go to Lerkendal to continue his pre-match conditioning.

"A orange juice is enough" Zachary replied with a grin. "I had a heavy breakfast in my apartment. I don't want to perform badly tonight just because I failed to regulate my food consumption. Imagine losing matches due to heartburn or flatulence. That's a shame."

Emily chuckles at hearing that. "Okay, then," he said, beaming. "Then, let's get you some orange juice." He then called a waiter and made an order before focusing on Zachary once again.

"We had two offers" he began, his voice taking a formal tone. "It seems that your performance last weekend caused a stir in Norway. It seems that you managed to increase your fan base, especially here in Trondheim. That should be the reason some companies here intend to get your signature and bet on your future. But don't expect much because you just started playing."

Zachary nodded, indicating that he understood his point as he waited for his agent to continue.

"One of the offerings from Red Bull, the company with the highest market share of all energy drinks in the world today," said Emily. "They offer 300,000 NOK per year, for five years, to get your signature as one of the athletes on their support marketing list for Norway. The money looks small, but they promise that they will increase requirements if you continue to perform well. at Tippeligaen."

"Three hundred thousand," Zachary murmured, frowning at Red Bull's offer. "That's 25,000 per month. Isn't the offer insincere?"

He knows very well that some of the biggest sports stars get most of their money without having to kick, bounce, or throw the ball at all. It all boils down to one magic word. Endorsement. Athletes can even receive tens of millions of dollars a year from endorsement contracts alone. Even athletes who are not so popular get offers worth tens of thousands of dollars from famous brands in their respective countries. However, Red Bull, the world's largest supplier of energy drinks, has given him an offer in Kroners, not even dollars or Euros. Zachary knows that they are not committed to securing his signature.

"Yes, the annual salary they offer is quite grim," Emily replied with a nod. "But there's a good point to the deal. For example, if you manage to become the top scorer at Tippeligaen in the years of the contract, the money you receive will be doubled by six. And, if you manage to become the best player in Tippeligaen, the money will be multiplied twelvefold. There are even more provisions for further achievement. But, I don't think it matters at the moment."

"So, that's a good deal, then?" Zachary asked, leaning his head to look at Emily.

"I think it's a good deal in the long run. What Red Bull is betting on is your potential to become popular. They hope to ride that wave to boost their energy drink sales here in Norway. If you work well with them, they could turn out to be long-term partners."

"Do you want to read their offer now?" Emily asks after seeing Zachary's doubt.

"Not now" said Zachary, shaking his head. "I don't want to add too much into my head right now. I have to play the game today. What about the other offers?"

"Oh," Emily said with a sigh. "The other "offer is a bit strange. It was from a betting company called BetNet International. They serve most of Europe—including the UK, Italy, Cyprus, and Austria. They're now expanding into Scandinavia." He paused for a moment as the waiter finally brought Zachary juice.

Zachary thanked the waiter as he picked up his juice. He then took a sip while waiting eagerly for his agent to continue.

"They offer 6 million Kroner per year as an initial salary for you to be their ambassador" he said after the waiter was not heard. "I don't know the reason, but my lawyer's instinct warned me not to consider the offer."

"Oh," said Zachary, raising an eyebrow. "Why is that? They seem to be more serious than the Red Bull guys."