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Forum Index: DISCUSSION: Dock Talk: 34th America's Cup - Management changes

The Publisher ***** Nov 23, 2011, 4:26 PM Post #1 of 7 (5418 views) Shortcut 34th America's Cup - Management changes Log-In to Post/Reply The America’s Cup Event Authority has extended the role of Richard Worth to include Chief Executive Officer along with Chairman. In this expanded role, Richard will be responsible for the commercial interests of the 34th America’s Cup, adding marketing and partnerships to his purview. A 30-year sports marketing executive with extensive global broadcasting and leadership experience, we believe Richard’s hands-on engagement will allow us to significantly enhance the growth of our commercial efforts in support of fulfilling the vision for the 34th America’s Cup. Overall management of the events will move to America’s Cup Race Management, who will now lead both the on- and off-the-water components of the events, as well as serve as liaison to the teams. Building upon their proven success with event management, led by ACRM CEO and Regatta Director Iain Murray, we believe that centralizing management of the events under ACRM ensures an even smoother road to success. With this realignment of responsibilities, Craig Thompson has decided to leave the Event Authority. Craig has played an important role over the past year in helping to build the foundation of our future, and we appreciate his significant contributions.

sailor44 ** Nov 24, 2011, 10:39 AM Post #2 of 7 (5076 views) Shortcut Re: [The Publisher] 34th America's Cup - Management changes [In reply to] Log-In to Post/Reply This seems to further the commercialization of the Cup, and the resulting bastardization of the sport, solely to make it easier for the non sailing public to "understand" what is going on. All this does is make the Cup event more of a spectacle than a sport. A sad thing to watch.. Russell Painton

Mal ***** Nov 25, 2011, 3:13 PM Post #3 of 7 (4938 views) Shortcut Re: [sailor44] 34th America's Cup - Management changes [In reply to] Log-In to Post/Reply I might ask why the pinnacle of sailing shouldn't be commercialized like most all other sports. Bastardization? Was it better when it was pure billionaires competing for pickle bowls? The public's understanding is not a bad thing. And finally, the America's Cup has always been and I hope will always be a spectacle. I, for one, would be pleased to see the AC as much a spectacle as other professional sports. Cheer up, no need to be sad ... don't worry, be happy... Check Six .......Mal

sailor44 ** Nov 27, 2011, 12:09 PM Post #4 of 7 (4855 views) Shortcut Re: [Mal] 34th America's Cup - Management changes [In reply to] Log-In to Post/Reply No, Mal, you must have a very selective memory! Sailing has never (at least not in modern times) been just a sport of billionaires competing for a pickle bowl. it has been, and still is, a sport of hundreds of thousands of dedicated, average guys, competing in lightnings, thistles , and thousands of other one design dinghys, for pickle bowls. And, with the commercialization of the Am Cup, it can soon become a sport (spectacle) of just the type you lament, for all the subtleties and challenges, which attract the typical sailboat racer, will have been eliminated in the dumbing down process. But no worry, the remaining pros will have a large, ignorant, audience to pay to watch them! I am worried, and, happy (kinda)! Russell Painton

Mal ***** Nov 28, 2011, 8:09 AM Post #5 of 7 (4663 views) Shortcut Re: [sailor44] 34th America's Cup - Management changes [In reply to] Log-In to Post/Reply Very selective, I'm not sure what you mean by modern times, until it was dumbed down with the little plastic boats, it was the leading edge of the sport. The America's Cup has never been the sport of average guys just as major league baseball hasn't been, but just because the top of the sport is quite commercialized doesn't detract one bit from the thousands that play sand lot, little league and so on; in fact, I suspect it enhances it. I don't lament anything. I was being factitious in both posts. I enjoyed the 12's and the 24's tremendously. Just as major league ball is out of my reach, the AC 45's are as well but I'm not going to give up sailing either a beach cat or a lead hauler because the 45's or the 72's are beyond me. On the contrary, I'm going sailing today and likely would have already poured in the antifreeze if I hadn't just returned from San Diego. The subtleties and challenges are all there just multiplied times 2 If you haven't already, go out and race a Hobie 16... Don't think for one minute that if the big cats catch on, the audience will remain ignorant even if they never sail. Just talk to fans of any major sport, you'll find them not so ignorant as you might think, some despite never having played the game. Imagine what can happen if they discover they can actually play, not just be fans of sailing. Just look at all the bikes out during the Tour De France. I'm worried too Russell, but really happy and hopeful that the AC in particular and sailing in general will get a boost from the new format. I just hope the sailing community will give it the chance it deserves. Things are looking up a bit but it still takes 3 sailors to change a bulb, I just wish the other two would give the new bulb a chance rather than just bragging about how good the old one was. Check Six .......Mal

sailor44 ** Nov 28, 2011, 12:45 PM Post #6 of 7 (4611 views) Shortcut Re: [Mal] 34th America's Cup - Management changes [In reply to] Log-In to Post/Reply I certainly share your wish for the success of the cup. Unfortunately, many of my sailing friends are fully "turned off" by the new format. I have watched a couple ofthe match races and, due to the speed of the boats now, and their abiity to quickly accelerate in a small puff, the tactics of the match race are left behind and all we have left is to watch for capsizes, and a lot of spray coming over the bow(s). All this is reflected in the new course, which is nothing but a reach (a drag race, really) to the first mark. Good grief, this eliminates most of the interesting pre race maneuvering, which is most of match racing! (but then, the non sailor would not understand this subtlety would he?) But then, we have cats here, and they don't turn too well. Another example of restructuring for the spectacle rather than the sport. In any evet, time will tell... Russell Painton

Mal ***** Nov 29, 2011, 5:02 AM Post #7 of 7 (4550 views) Shortcut Re: [sailor44] 34th America's Cup - Management changes [In reply to] Log-In to Post/Reply I would respectfully suggest you and your friends have not watched enough to understand. Close cover is alive and well. A puff will not get you by a close cover in the cats any more than it will an mono. Have you watched a start? The reaching leg is not the start, it's the first leg after the start. The pre race maneuvering is still there. Being rewarded for finding wind is not unique to cats, just, like most everything else, magnified. On the other hand, it's perfectly all right to be "turned off". I can't imagine why mono hull sailors are unless they just don't get it, however. It's still sailing, still match racing, still the pinnacle of the sport, still so much better than most other sports, but you certainly won't get it by watching "a couple of the match races". This bias against the new format is like a college football fan being "fully turned off" to the NFL. I'm sure it happens but if it does, it's because a fan is not really a fan of football, just college football. You and your friends may well not really be fans of sailing, just mono hull sailing. I don't mean that as a criticism as there is nothing wrong with it, I just feel like it's your loss and unfortunate. Incidentally, don't sell the non sailing fans short. I like explaining match racing like a combination chess and sailing and just explain the port starboard, windward leeward and start timing rules. It's best done on a sail boat but even talking with your hands works. Often their interest will be piqued and I see the beginnings of a fan. Having said that, I fear sailing will not become a mainstream spectator sport like, say, NASCAR because it is complex and the complexities are clearly visible and need to be understood. Even if the worst happens and the AC goes back to a little basically one design mono hull like the 12's or 24's, the new format will have been not only a breath of fresh air but a very interesting experiment. Check Six .......Mal

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