Internet brings Cup to life

“I am sick of the America’s Cup.” Yes, we have heard this before, often when folks find that there is too much attention given to the event in Scuttlebutt. We admit that our interest wavers at times, and it doesn’t help when there is a lot of negative energy surrounding the event, i.e., the winds are bad, the city is a sewer, ACM is a pain, the national teams are full of foreigners, the event is elitist, the boat’s are ridiculous, match racing is boring… yada, yada, yada. However, the breeze is blowing again, the boats are racing, and admit it, any one of us would give our full kit of sailing gear to be turning the handles in an America’s Cup race.

What is saving this event, in our eyes, is the Internet. Live television isn’t yet available in the U.S., and that’s okay. Sailing is a slow game to watch, and following some of the Challenger series’ mismatches won’t heighten your interest. TV also has a bad habit of dumbing down the sport, and their on-air broadcasters are often too proper. But the Internet is changing this, bringing the fun back, and letting us appreciate the game. Reading the on-course updates by Mark Chisnell and James Boyd, and listening to the radio commentary by the team of Dee Smith, Geordie Shaver, Matthew Sheahan, and Peter Rusch is… entertaining. Races like the one between Luna Rosa and Emirates Team New Zealand on Thursday are coming alive online. Give it a chance. And, btw, if ACM legal counsel Ana Gil-Robles is offended by anything in this post, you know where to find us. -- Scuttleblog

Here is a list of the Internet links: www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/news/07/acup