BRAINTEASER: what do chicken wings and tennis have in common? Give up? Well, Marcos Baghdatis of course. Still stumped? Bear with me for a second.
Drive around Limassol these days and you’ll see posters of the prodigal Baghdatis plastered everywhere. The island is riding on the wave of the euphoria from Marcos’ stunning success. And businesses have reacted with lightning speed to capitalise on the greatest sporting achievement ever achieved by a Cypriot. No doubt about it: Marcos has definitely put Cyprus on the map for all the right reasons.
It’s all a bit too much for Marcos’ family who live in a backwater village outside Limassol called Paramytha. They’re still coming to terms with what their son did last Sunday, let alone the impact it’s had on the public.
“To be honest, all this hype is understandable,” says Marcos’ father Christos.
He has no trouble with the enthusiasm – but he’s incensed at the rampant exploitation of Marcos’ name and image.
“You have pictures of Marcos splashed all over shops, billboards, T-shirts…you name it. The other day I was driving along a country road and saw an advertisement outside a chicken farm with Marcos’ face on it.
“It was a sales pitch – ‘buy from us because we’re neighbours with his family’. Unbelievable.”
Trademark and copyright protection was never big in Cyprus. But what has been happening over the past couple of weeks almost defies belief. Commercialism is all well and dandy, but you need to get permission.
In the wake of Marcos’ appearance in the final of the Australian Open, kids from a high-school in Limassol released a musical CD dedicated to him. “Oh, that’s sweet,” is your first reaction; but on second thoughts, did anyone ever ask Marcos’ family?
“No. Everyone’s doing their own thing with impunity. We’re very annoyed. They’re using Marcos as an instrument for profit. This has got to stop,” Christos told the Sunday Mail.
“We’re collecting a lot of evidence and will get a lawyer to look at this. We’re contemplating taking people to court, but we’re waiting for Marcos and his manager to come to Cyprus first.”
That aside, the Baghdatis family are being swamped with legitimate sponsorship proposals. Christos said they’d already been approached by banks and car dealerships, but he was understandably reluctant to go into details.
“Marcos has huge marketing potential, and it’s all coming out now. But these things take time to study,” he said.
On the local scene, unconfirmed reports say the Laiki bank is one of the first to get on the Baghdatis bandwagon. It’s been reported that Marcos might wear the bank’s logo on his sleeve while he’s swinging that racquet.
But a Popular Bank marketing officer told the Mail that no decision had yet been made.
Speaking of racquets, it’s also rumored that tennis gear giants Babolat are hot for a sponsorship deal, although their offer to Baghdatis came before the Australian Open. Marcos’ current racquet of choice is Fischer, by the way.
And although the bandana-adorned Cypriot is seen wearing Adidas shirts, this is not a promotion – yet.
It doesn’t take much talking to Christos to figure out he’s a down-to-earth man. His son’s success hasn’t gone to his head.
It’s hard not to take to the grinning, spontaneous Marcos and his emotional relatives back home whose outbursts of joy were seen on TV by an entire nation. The Baghdatises have become a household name.
But the likeable family do not want to be taken for dills.
“We really appreciate all the congratulations and show of support from ordinary folk,” says Christos.
But he’s disillusioned with the attitude of people in public life.
“What we don’t like is when certain public figures try to take advantage of Marcos and his achievements. You have people who didn’t know anything or care about tennis suddenly coming out of the woodwork with patriotic speeches and whatnot.
“They’re acting as if Marcos is their own creation. Where were they all those years he was struggling, during all those difficult times?”
The family’s disgruntlement over Marcos’ military service has been well-documented. Much has been written about deferments, exemption from duty and so on. This week it was suggested that Marcos be given an honorary military rank, as was the case with a number of Greek Olympic champions.
But Christos wants to set the record straight: “We want Marcos to be exempted from serving in the army, period. The possibility of military service is hanging over his head like the sword of Damocles. Please tell me, how can a professional athlete concentrate on his career when he has these things to worry about?”
Christos said the Defence Ministry was giving out mixed signals, but hoped the matter would clear up once and for all after Baghdatis meets with President Papadopoulos this weekend.
“It’s disruptive. All we want is to know whether he’ll be granted an exemption or not. That’s all. Whatever the answer is, we’ll accept it. But this uncertainty is killing us.”
At the time of writing this article, I was distracted by a tune playing on CyBC radio. Listening closely, it turned out to be a remake of a well-known patriotic song, usually reserved for national holidays. Its chorus went something like “Marcos, our beloved hero…”
Overkill? You be the judge.
Sidebar: Tony Spanos
Remember the guy in the Greek peasant costume and white bandana who kept dancing for Baghdatis? His name is Tony Spanos, and he’s of Cypriot extraction, born in Sydney. Turns out Mr Spanos ran for President back in 2003. Small world, huh?
Here’s what the Mail reported on January 18 2003:
Candidates upstaged by the love machine
By George Psyllides
TEN presidential hopefuls yesterday submitted their candidacies, but the highlight of the day was a colourful 48-year-old man who was turned away because he was not a Cypriot national.
The elections are due to take place on Sunday, February 16, with a runoff, if necessary, the following Sunday, February 23.
Eight of the candidates, including President Glafcos Clerides, registered as independents, while the other two stood as leaders of their political parties.
But an Australian Cypriot, Tony Spanos, was not allowed in because he was not a Cypriot national.
Spanos arrived at the Hilton in a pink and baby blue camper van called the Love Machine.
Spanos danced to the tunes of music from the Love Machine while his dog strolled around the area.
He said he liked children and that he was the champion of the world, something police cared little for when they stopped him from entering the hotel.
Election Officer Kyriacos Tryantafillides said Spanos was not allowed to submit his candidacy because he was not a Cypriot citizen and he was forcibly ejected from the premises.
??
??
??
??
