Yes, Alinghi tried to have a sock-puppet challenger that they controlled, and the remaining challengers were unhappy. But, I would be willing to bet that there are a whole lot of "sailing fans" worldwide, to say nothing of the AC-caliber sailors, who are MUCH more unhappy with BMWO right now, since the whole event is off-kilter and they have to sit out an entire cycle.
Larry may be right on principle, but that won't make him popular, regardless of any plans beyond this cycle.
Mike
Seriously? You think this is Larry's fault? Larry's saving the cup for an egomaniac lead sailing team that sought to turn the whole event into their own profit center (illegal for a charitable trust) and fix the rules so they could never lose.
I find it hard to believe that the majority of the sailing world is in favor of Alinghi. Though I would agree that nobody wants it to be like it is, nearly all of the traditional big America's Cup players side with BMWO. The only one I heard speak out publicly negatively about BMWO was Shashaloosha (sorry for murdering their name....no time to look up).
Time will tell if Larry brings the cup back to a traditional sense moreso than Bertarelli. I obviously don't know for sure but I do hope he will.
