The Rat
The event formerly known as the America’s Cup (now the Louis Vuitton 38th America’s Cup), has already been decided. Why they bother with the actual racing beats me. At its core, the Cup is a commercial enterprise, so the only success that matters is measured by how many sponsors the participants can muster.
By my count, the Italians have already won. Game over.
How so? ETNZ and Luna Rossa are test-sailing their AC75s so we can now count the logos. The Italians acknowledge 10 separate sponsors on their sails alone. Bravo! Bellissima!
At first look the Kiwis would seem to have matched that, also with 10 brand names plastered all over the hull and sails. But there’s a catch: Emirates, Omega and Toyota each appear three times on ETNZ, so that doesn’t count.
Of the others, to date we’ve only seen their AC40 livery, but it’s a fair guide.
The French effort (currently named Laroche-Posay) has managed to attract just five named sponsors. Not good enough, mes amis!
If he survives being sued, Sir Ben Ainslie’s GB1 campaign seems to have signed up only four backers (no wonder he’s been reduced to flogging branded T-shirts online).
Bringing up the rear are Tudor-Alinghi with a miserable three named sponsors. Then again, there’s no shortage of cash in Switzerland where most of the big bank accounts have numbers, not names.
The rest, including the last-minute Czech/US challenge, will have to settle for the scraps of corporate sponsorship. Bottom-of-the-barrel stuff. What a pity Elon Musk isn’t a sailor.
The Rat
