Chapter 741 - 666: This Viewership Rating Is a Bit Exaggerated

Chapter 741: Chapter 666: This Viewership Rating Is a Bit Exaggerated

In the VIP box.

As Batty scored, Chen Yu couldn’t help but rise to his feet and applaud with the entire stadium.

He was surrounded by cheering fans.

The name of the War God echoed throughout Worker’s Stadium.

Beside him, Yang Zuwu and the others also clapped along.

Even though this was Guo’an’s home ground, and it was their own goal that had just been breached, he figured that the fans who bought tickets today weren’t all here just to support the home team. Many more had come simply to support legendary stars like Batty and to enjoy the match itself.

Some grandstanding media outlets had previously claimed this match wasn’t pure enough, that it was too commercialized and treated the fans like suckers.

But at this moment, Yang Zuwu felt that today’s match was far purer than any before.

’I like the star players. I like watching them play on the field. I’m happy when they score. It’s that simple.’

Chen Yu sat down. Watching the excited fans below who refused to take their seats, he couldn’t help but remark, "Manager Yang, you may not have the best players or the best league, but you have some of the most wonderful fans in the world."

Yang Zuwu nodded.

’They’ve sold a ton of authentic Crespo jerseys. Of course they’re wonderful.’

After a moment’s hesitation, however, Yang Zuwu said, "Actually, many of our players are quite good."

"Is that so?"

Chen Yu glanced at him but didn’t press the issue.

Having spent a good amount of time in China, Chen Yu had a very clear picture of the state of its major leagues.

Of course, there were numerous external factors like outdated training philosophies, poor training conditions, and an underdeveloped economy. But when it came to the players themselves, Chen Yu felt their biggest problem was a lack of professional attitude.

To put it simply, they weren’t dedicated enough.

The principle of loving what you do applies to professional sports as well.

In professional sports, it’s even more about doing what you love, and then loving it even more deeply.

Furthermore, this is a profession. You need ambition and the drive to constantly improve.

But Chen Yu didn’t see that in the players on many Chinese teams.

If he had to pinpoint the reasons, Chen Yu could summarize them in two points.

First, money!

Money is a powerful motivator for self-improvement.

Take Guo’an, for example. There were still players on the first team earning a fixed salary of two thousand yuan a month.

It’s a bit higher than what an average worker makes, but imagine playing for so many years, carrying a body full of injuries, and only earning that much. It’s easy to just choose to lie flat.

Because that was the salary level across the entire league.

Second, there wasn’t enough competition.

For those players who were truly talented and capable of going further, they were already earning the league’s top salaries. With little competitive pressure, they might as well just play casually and earn enough to support their families.

So, in the end, it all came down to money.

It was the same for the clubs. Under the old system, there was this mentality that "our city just needs to have a team."

The clubs themselves weren’t thinking about making a profit; they were just getting by. Naturally, there was no incentive to push players to improve, scout for better talent, or provide more exciting matches for the fans.

A commercialized professional league should be run with the mindset of a business.

Fortunately, things were now starting to change.

By the end of this season, many teams would probably realize that they had a chance to earn a profit.

And to earn it legitimately—the kind of money that doesn’t land you in prison.

A gasp from the crowd pulled Chen Yu from his reverie.

It was Crespo.

’It’s true I’m just playing for the money, but the fans are calling this the Argentine derby. I can’t be a total letdown. Especially since I used to be the kid who played as Batty’s substitute.’

So, after Batty’s goal, Crespo became much more proactive. He took the ball upfield by himself and threw the Pioneer defense into complete disarray.

Even with Nadal there, it was no use.

At Nadal’s current age, he wouldn’t be able to stop a young Crespo even in the Champions League.

Besides, defense is a team effort. With three deadweights around him, Nadal was willing but powerless.

Fortunately, when it came to the shot, Crespo went for too fine an angle, and the ball flew just wide of the far post.

But this brilliant display still sent the Guo’an fans in the stands into a frenzy.

In the main stand were the club members, all dressed in identical Crespo jerseys, with designated people beating drums and gongs to build up the atmosphere.

For those accustomed to watching Guo’an’s usual matches, Crespo’s performance felt like being served a gourmet meal after a diet of plain fare.

After all, watching a match live in the stadium is a completely different experience from watching it on TV.

It was unclear who started it, but that section of the crowd began to chant in unison for Crespo to stay.

More and more people joined in, and the calls for him to stay echoed throughout the stadium.

Afraid that Crespo wouldn’t understand, they were even thoughtfully chanting in English.

On the pitch, Crespo understood. He was momentarily stunned, then quickly waved in response.

For a moment, as a player, he felt a genuine urge to stay for these wonderful fans.

In the VIP box, listening to the stadium-wide chant for Crespo to stay, Yang Zuwu was surprised but couldn’t help leaning over to ask, "Dr. Chen, is there really no way? We can renegotiate the salary."

Chen Yu just shook his head.

’If he stays and plays until the winter break, that hot-tempered Mourinho will never let me hear the end of it.’

’Still, these fans are really something.’

Chen Yu looked toward the fans who were shouting with excitement.

They weren’t asking for much, only to see more exciting matches.

The two commentators in the CCTV studio also heard the chants.

"It sounds like the fans are chanting for someone to stay. Are they talking about Crespo?" Huang Jianxiang asked, surprised.

Beside him, Liu Jianhong listened carefully before confirming, "They really are chanting for him to stay."

His expression was complicated.

Everyone knew that Crespo would only be playing two matches for Guo’an.

At that moment, Liu Jianhong suddenly felt an impulse to say something.

He had been in the football world for so many years, and as a media personality, he had seen and knew far too much.

He was utterly disgusted by all the messy, underhanded things, and at this moment, he felt an inexplicable urge to let it all out.

But the words reached his lips, and he forced them back down.

There were some things he didn’t dare to say.

The two commentators continued their broadcast. Meanwhile, in the control room, the person in charge was ecstatic.

He had just received the viewership ratings for the first hour.

5.9!

In other words, 5.9 out of every 100 people with a TV on were watching this match on the sports channel.

’The data can’t be wrong, can it? This number is a bit exaggerated, isn’t it? It’s almost catching up to the ratings for the weather forecast! When did domestic fans become so passionate?’

"Director Liang, if the Chinese Super League continues on its current trajectory, the ratings could really keep climbing," the program director beside him said tentatively.

The Football Association’s lack of punishment was tantamount to tacit approval. This kind of thing would only become more common in the future.

The attention and ratings for the Chinese Super League could genuinely continue to rise.

Director Liang glanced at him and retorted, "What are you trying to say?"

The program director, observing the director’s changing expression, said cautiously, "You know that after we stopped broadcasting the Chinese Super League, some of the station’s shows were really affected."

Shows like *Football Night* and *Total Soccer*, for instance.

We can’t just report on the Five Major Leagues all the time, can we?

"Anyway, Wenguang is willing to sell the broadcasting rights, so why don’t we..."

He didn’t finish his sentence, but Director Liang understood his meaning.

He glanced again at the data in his hand.

’Higher ratings mean higher advertising revenue.’

At this moment, he was actually starting to feel a little regret.

’Before, we gave the Football Association the cold shoulder. And now, this one guy, Chen Yu, comes along, turns the Chinese Super League upside down, and actually manages to stir up all this hype again.’