July 16, 2007

Game gets exposure in ad for VitaminWater

By BARRY WILNER
Associated Press writer

RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil — You won't hear Howard Bach badmouthing Brian Urlacher and David Ortiz. He loves the way they, uh, embraced his sport.

Bach, a 2005 world champion in badminton with partner Tony Gunawan, is featured in the VitaminWater commercial as one of the "opponents" of Urlacher and Ortiz. He's the one flinching in fear as the Chicago Bears All-Pro linebacker dives toward the net.

The first American to make an impact on the international level, Bach is thrilled by the attention the ad has brought his sport.

"A lot of people love it, a lot of people hate it," he said before practice for a match with current partner Bob Malaythong at the Pan American Games. "I love it; it did it's job. It grabbed attention. Now people know what badminton is, that it's not a pastime, not a sissy sport you play only when you're drinking beer.

"We need more of that, with two celebrities, to reach TV and the media. I look at it from an inside perspective. For VitaminWater, it's funny and will catch attention and they hope you'll buy their product. For the sport, it gives a look at real-time badminton. It has to be more positive than negative."

Real badminton, Bach says, is the fast-paced, powerful indoor game so popular in much of Asia, and in Indonesia, Malaysia and Denmark. It's not that backyard game on a lazy summer afternoon during the family picnic.

The 28-year-old Bach trains five hours a day around a part-time job. He's also needed to balance a heavy workout schedule with pursuing a bachelor's degree in finance, which he received earlier this year from Cal State-Fullerton near his home in Orange, Calif.

Plus traveling the world to events, which he's been doing regularly throughout the decade.

In 2004, Bach and Kevin Han teamed to make the round of 16 at the Athens Olympics. When they split, Bach joined with Gunawan and, at Anaheim, Calif., in 2005, they won the doubles competition at the world championships. It didn't bring them much renown in the United States, but the U.S. Olympic Committee chose Bach-Gunawan as the team of the year.

They split in part because Gunawan was having trouble getting U.S. citizenship and Bach — who was born in Vietnam and came to America when he was 3 years old — was concerned about having to search for a new partner too close to the Olympics.

And the Olympics certainly are on Bach's mind, but not just for the pursuit of gold.

"I try to be an ambassador for the sport at all events," he said. "We lack TV and sponsorship, and I want to be a person to take it and show the American public how badminton is played properly. Getting the world championships and Olympics on TV would be a start. Then, hopefully if we win a medal, it gets things rolling.

"It's a constant struggle. I don't expect us to be like basketball, or even to get halfway to tennis' popularity. But if sponsors are not in the sport, we have no chance. How do we get sponsors? Air time."

And he doesn't mean in comical commercials. He means in significant competitions.

Bach believes in the next two years there will be a high-level badminton event staged in the United States that offers meaningful prize money. And a million dollar tournament in Dubai is in the planning. He notes that the loyal sponsors in the sport have been able to raise purses to a level where "you can break even and not have to give up the sport."

For now, he would like to win medals in men's and mixed doubles (with Eva Lee) at the Pan Ams before he begins concentrating on Beijing.

"This is an important event and a good warmup for upcoming tournaments," Bach said. "And with new partners, I can help two younger kids get better, so then after I am done playing, they can continue what I have done."