NOVPUB
Chapter 111: MLS seeking investment?
Seven days passed quickly, and now it was time to seize the momentum. He needed to be fast.
Rather than letting these two smart guys take the initiative, it was better for him to be the first to offer a suggestion—after all, he was the one who needed the upper hand.
"Mr. Richard, thank you for taking the time to visit our company."
"What are you talking about? You’re underestimating your own efforts," Richard said, deciding to add a little sweetness to entice them further. "I believe I have a way to provide the company with a reliable source of revenue. How does that sound? Are you interested?"
"..."
"Mr. Richard, if your idea is truly viable, then perhaps we really do have a chance!" Both of them shared the same thought as their eyes locked with Richard’s in shared anticipation.
To create a comprehensive ecosystem like Yahoo using these services, you would essentially be building an integrated suite of online tools and platforms, each filling a different niche, but all working together to create value for the users and drive revenue for the company.
Of course, Richard didn’t reveal everything—this was his ace, his weapon. After all, this was Yahoo, a massive goldmine he had discovered first.
He knew that in the future, as the company sought more funding, his equity would inevitably be diluted. So the more leverage he could secure now, the better.
"Let’s skip the whole directory thing. What I mean is—the name. Let’s go with Yahoo! Just Yahoo! It’s simpler, catchier, and easier to remember. Now, second..."
Richard continued with a presentation outlining the general direction of Yahoo’s future. He laid out several growth strategies, ideas for web design, and a monetization plan centered around online advertising.
Some of the concepts were even borrowed from what would eventually become Google’s playbook—such as manipulating search results to prioritize certain companies. Businesses would gladly pay to gain an edge over their competitors, and Yahoo could capitalize on that demand directly.
Jerry looked confused. "Mr. Richard, but... in the end, it’s still just another search engine, right? I thought—"
"You were expecting something new?" Richard interrupted, already anticipating the question.
Both Jerry Yang and David Filo nodded before Richard explained, "A simple directory won’t cut it. Think of the internet as a growing city—every day, there are more roads, more buildings, more traffic. If we just organize links like a library, we’re already outdated. People don’t want to search—they want to find. Fast, smart, and tailored to them."
After all, what was to stop someone like Microsoft or AOL from simply creating their own directory?
Large companies wouldn’t hesitate to spend money to gain an edge over their competitors—and Yahoo could capitalize on that demand.
For the entire night, the trailer was filled with voices and endless whispers. Several old ideas were brought back to life, wrapped in polished words that earned Richard the admiration of everyone.
Honestly, it wasn’t too hard to win the two founders over. Not only did Richard paint a clearer picture of their company—as if he knew it better than they did—but he also offered them a glimpse of a bright future.
This led the two to start seeing Richard as a fellow "visionary," just like themselves. The founders eagerly joined the discussion, asking questions and absorbing new ideas as Richard shared his insights. Their conversation carried on deep into the night—right up until dawn—when the buzzing and vibrating of Richard’s phone on the table finally broke the flow.
ZZZZ~
Richard lazily reached over, grabbed his phone, and squinted at the screen. Vince McMahon.
He picked up the phone with sudden energy. "Mr. McMahon!"
Vince McMahon’s voice came through with a laugh. "Richard! Why are you still up at this hour? Or are you back in London already?"
"Haha, no Mr. McMahon. I’ve just got a bit of business to finish here."
"At this hour? So early in the morning?" Vince chuckled.
"I couldn’t help it," Richard sighed dramatically. "Since Maddox Capital isn’t as big as WWE yet, I have to work hard."
Vince burst out laughing. "You must be kidding me!" he shouted, his laughter filling the line. After a moment, he continued, "By the way, why did you leave so quickly? I thought you’d stick around until WrestleMania finished?"
Richard paused, a little awkward. "Ah, that... I didn’t want to bother you. I thought you’d be super busy since WrestleMania just wrapped up. But, what happened, Mr. McMahon? Did something go wrong with the event? Do you need my help?"
"No, no," Vince replied, his voice trailing off. There was a brief pause before he cleared his throat.
"Are you near a TV right now?"
"TV? Ah, that—" Richard quickly glanced toward Jerry and David, who nodded at him.
"Yeah, why?" he replied.
"Turn on ESPN. I want to hear what you think."
Thankfully, both future Yahoo founders had a quirky habit of keeping tabs on tech happenings around the world. And since Richard was about to become a key figure in their not-yet-official company, they naturally didn’t want anything jeopardizing it.
Without missing a beat, David Filo reached for his PCMCIA TV tuner card. With a few tweaks, some cables, and just enough tech wizardry, he managed to get the setup running. Moments later, a news anchor’s voice came through the laptop speakers—crackling but clear.
The rare and clunky setup had actually worked—and whatever was happening on that screen had just caught Richard full attention.
[... the United States Soccer Federation (USSF) has officially announced its plans to launch a new professional soccer league...] 𝔫𝖔𝔳𝔭𝔲𝔟.𝖈𝔬𝔪
Richard was dumbfounded by this. He then went back to his phone.
"Mr. McMahon, is it about the new American soccer league?" Richard asked.
In the United States, football was already well established as the name for American football. As American football grew in popularity and became the dominant sport, the term ’soccer’ was retained as the name for association football. This was mainly because ’football’ in America was associated with the gridiron game, so using ’soccer’ helped differentiate the two.
"That’s right. How is it?"
Hearing this, Richard was confused. What did he mean by "how is it"?
"Oh, that’s good. I thought the league would be just fine?"
Richard then heard a sigh from the other side before the other party spoke.
"You know what, to be honest with you, I’ve been following soccer for a long time, and I know exactly how bad things are for soccer in the U.S. I’ve seen the struggles they’ve had since the North American Soccer League’s brief period of popularity in the 1970s and 1980s. Soccer just never held lasting cultural significance here."
"..."
"But that damn Anschutz!" McMahon cursed before letting out a deep breath. "I don’t even know if I should invest in it or not."
As a businessman, of course, he understood the stakes. Soccer in the U.S. was a gamble, a risk he wasn’t sure he was ready to take. The market was unpredictable, and while the potential for growth was there, it was far from guaranteed.
Richard was surprised by this.
Invest in MLS?
His eyes lit up.
"Mr. McMahon, are you talking about investing in the new league?"
"What are you talking about? No, impossible. The core members of the league have already been set. What I mean is investing in one of the clubs owned by Anschutz Entertainment Group. Since their money is already being used to fund the league, they’re also looking to gather investors who would be interested in entering the clubs."
"Ah, so that’s how it is," Richard nodded.
Richard asked many questions before finally posing the most important one.
"Mr. McMahon, why not just reject them? Why call me?"
"If only it were that simple," McMahon sighed. "The problem is that almost all of the arenas currently used by WWF are owned by Anschutz Entertainment Group. To be honest with you, I’m not interested in investing in them. That’s why I called you—to ask about soccer, since you’re the expert. At least I know what to expect if I go down this road."
Anschutz Entertainment Group, Inc. (AEG), also known as AEG Worldwide, is a global leader in sports and live entertainment. It is the largest owner of sports teams and sporting events in the world.
AEG operates a variety of venues, sports teams, and entertainment properties. These include the Staples Center, home to the Los Angeles Lakers, and Pratt & Whitney Stadium at Rentschler Field, which hosts the American football team, the New England Patriots.
Richard thought for a moment.
"Mr. McMahon, I’m going to be frank with you—if you invest in one of the clubs, I can guarantee you’ll lose money for at least the next ten years," he said decisively.
And he wasn’t lying.
Since its founding, MLS had gone through several financial struggles. There was even a year when the league was at serious risk of folding. Richard didn’t know all the exact reasons, but he figured it probably had to do with competition from American football.
If he remembered correctly, one of the major turning points for MLS came with the announcement of the Designated Player Rule—also known as the "Beckham Rule." It allowed teams to sign high-profile international stars without breaching the salary cap, which significantly boosted the league’s visibility and revenue.
"Mr. McMahon, which team did Anschutz Group want you to invest in?"
"Oh, the Los Angeles one—I forgot the exact name. But since Anschutz Group is based in L.A., naturally, their club is too."
Richard nodded thoughtfully.
"Mr. McMahon, how about we join hands instead? Why don’t you bring me along the next time you meet with them?"
After all, there is no universal rule that outright bans someone from owning both a club in Europe and another in Major League Soccer, right?
