“So instead of sailors such as Dennis Connor and Russell Coutts, both 3 time Cup winners, running the event, its billionairs like Larry Ellison (Oracle) and Ernesto Bertarelli, of Swiss pharmaceutical giant Serono. "In many ways, today's Cup looks more like an international corporate convention than a sporting event. For starters, Bertarelli and Ellison embraced the contining trend to deemphasize nationalities. While each boat still flys the flags of a home country and home yacht club, sailors are from everywhere. Ten regulars on Ellison's boat are from New Zealand; Alinghi's team is from everywhere. They've shortened the course, from 21 to 10-12 miles, to make it fit into a 1.5 hour tv time slot and put video cameras all over the boat. Sails and hull sides are slathered with corporate logos. It's not NASCAR yet, but its not too far off....Eleven challengers from nine nations are here, spending from $25 to $200M each for the chance to sail against Alinghi for the Cup after two months of elimination rounds. "I wonder how TV got to be in charge of America's Cup?" wonders Connor. Connor is no fan of multinational crews either. when he won the cup in Austrailia in 87, "It was an American team and it was Americans trying to win the cup back for America."// ”
