Monday, December 15, 2008

For goodness sake, who is next? Schnackenberg?

Everyone has been out there, yapping to the media.

Everyone under the sun, literally -- despite non-disclosure agreements to the contrary -- and to a person, they are ready, willing and available for media interviews.

Even with marginal media, like online sites.

Well, these may be online, certainly. But today, online is where the news is.

Peter Montgomery (NZL), the great Kiwi yachting journalist and commentator, recently lamented the fact that new yachting journalists aren't being minted.

He overlooks the fact that everyone today is a journalist. 

If you don't believe that, just take a cruise through America's Cup Anarchy, a forum of Sailing Anarchy.com.

Insight, commentary, and observation today are for everyone who can put fingertip to keyboard. And you don't need a degree in journalism or communication to do that, as we know.

But we digress.

Grant Simmer (AUS) and Brad Butterworth (NZL) have been out there, you'd expect that. 

So have Pedro Perello (ESP) of Ayre Challenge and Sir Keith Mills (GBR) of TeamOrigin.

Both these latter individuals affirm that they have been in constant communication with Larry Ellison (USA), chief of BMWOracle, or Russell Coutts (NZL), team chief executive, in order to persuade them to abandon principle and enter AC33, the Alinghi Cup, currently being organized.

Sadly, without success.

As friends of the Alpine nation busy themselves with meetings, committees and class rules, Golden Gate Yacht Club (USA) and the entire BMWOracle team are focused on something else.

The America's Cup.

The real one.






1 comment:

David Fuller said...

I believe Peter's comments were made during a panel at the World Yacht Racing Forum that was addressing the topic of how sailing becomes relevant in the mainstream media. To that end, mainstrean press do not employ full time sailing journalists. Compare this to a 'proper' sport - where networks and newspapers dedicate huge teams of reporters and pundits to sports and as a result, the message gets out there.

Yes a couple of people bash away at a keyboard - though according to Compete, even sailing anarchy has seen a massive decrease in visitors since the beginning of 2008.

Mind you. Signing up to sailing journalism should be about wind in your hair and salt on your skin. Who wants to cover a court case?