Sailing For the Gold

摘要

Earlier this year billionaire ernesto bertarelli pulled off the remarkable: He won the America's Cup on his first try, with a team based in landlocked Switzerland. Now he wants to do the incredible: Make the America's Cup pay. For most of its history, the 152-year-old yacht race has been anything but a profit center. Snooty traditionalists banned most forms of advertising until 1988. Since then a variety of sponsors, including Cadillac and Motorola, have poured millions of dollars into the event only to walk away, frustrated by disorganization, erratic television coverage and the constant threat that the boat they back won't even survive the semifinals of a race that is held every four years or so. This time it will be different. As a sponsorship vehicle, Cup racing already has big advantages over many sports: Companies can use the boats as floating billboards―technology and teamwork are the main messages―but they can also take customers and employees out for spins. The prestige and drama of the event make for good television, especially with new digital aids that help viewers understand what the sailors are doing.