35th America's Cup

Louis Vuitton cup starts today. Americans win again?

Watch this at the 5:40 mark.

 

Starts tomorrow. Postponed because of weather.

U.S. wins going away this time, but really, the sport just isn't what it once was. Better product for fans, which makes money, but there no longer are any real rivalries like there were during its peak in the 1980s.

If you asked sports fans who Jimmy Spithill is, 1 percent answers it right. If you ask them what the biggest comeback (in a best-of) series is, zero percent gets it.

 

ESPN's coverage was great in 1992 and 1995. Live races every day. The "other" Koch brother won a Cup and played captain.

 

The year in the 70s when Ted Turner won, he got banned from every bar on Thames St. in Newport during the competition. That is seriously harder to do than winning the Cup.

 

I think 1988 was broadcast by ESPN, too, when the Kiwis thought that ridiculous 90-foot megayacht would compete against a catamaran.

 

Wow its been 4 years already? Have to admit I was very skeptical when it was here in SF in '13; but turned out to be compelling theatre and the venue with sightlines was spectacular.

 

The Kiwis didn't think they could compete with a catamaran. It was a ploy to take the Cup knowing Conner didn't have the financial backing to build a 90-foot monohull. Conner seems to be an ass, but he was right to tell the Kiwis to f***themselves.

 

Forget horse racing and boxing. Who exhumed this sport?

 

Larry Ellison.

 

The Deed of Gift to modern-day sailors is what certain aspects of the Constitution is to people living today. A lot of times, it was written for those who were alive long, long ago.

 

Problem with the Kiwis approach was they were as unsportsmanlike as much as they thought Conner was. There was a good system in place that specified race intervals and the types of boats they could be sailed. They tried to play constitutional scholar with the Deed of Gift and got burned, just like Alinghi did in 2010. Those who want to ditch whatever consensus system is in place find themselves on the short end of the stick. The lesson seems to be the New York courts are consistent in an "originalist" interpretation if some syndicate tries to be clever in their interpretation of the rules.