On the night of the three-way collaboration announcement, the volume of online discussion exploded to a staggering figure.
On Twitter, the hashtag #LiWei×LV shot to the number one trending topic in the United States in less than six hours, with over 100 million views.
Some marveled that Li Wei's business empire was expanding faster than his rushing yards on the field. Others questioned why a rookie player who hadn't even won a Super Bowl deserved a collaboration with a top luxury brand. And some were just there for the show.
But regardless of the different opinions, everyone had to admit one fact: Li Wei was no longer just an athlete.
He was transforming himself into a cross-industry commercial icon at an unprecedented speed.
But what truly caused the incident's impact to spill over from the sports world into the financial world was another piece of news.
