America's Cup Gets Interesting... [J. Mark English]

...well, at least thats what Christopher Clarey of the New York Times wants you to believe:

Now the America’s Cup gets really interesting, even if the sailing is not guaranteed to do the same.

What continues to separate the Cup from other sports spectaculars is that the winner takes possession of much more than the trophy. The winner takes control of the event itself.

Imagine if Italy now had the power to name the terms of engagement for soccer’s next World Cup, including the rules, the number of teams and the host country (presumably Italy). Imagine Rafael Nadal winning a third straight French Open and deciding to airlift the entire tournament to Majorca next May.

The closest equivalent, and it is not terribly close, is an Olympic bidding process. The moment when Jacques Rogge opened the envelope in 2005 to decide between Paris and London provided the same sort of unambiguous turning point that an America’s Cup match provides.

Like hockey, I haven't the foggiest notion of what channel to watch the race for the cup on, but if I ever find it, I'll at least give it a chance. If you get a chance to read the whole article, make the time to do so.