Christopher Clarey (NYT): For the Kiwis, a win could mean rewriting rules for the next America's

HAMILTON, BER – The public faces matter most in generating a connection in sports. And it does not seem coincidental that the teams that generated the most interest at home in this Cup — Team New Zealand and LandRover BAR — also had crews full of New Zealanders and Brits. “I honestly don’t think the types of boats matter anywhere near as much as a nationality rule matters,” said Tom Ehman, the former rules adviser to Oracle who helped draft the nationality rule in 1980. “If we don’t put a strong nationality rule back in, this thing is doomed, because the general public really doesn’t care if it’s in a monohull or a multihull.” The Kiwis apparently agree. And for now, if only for now, they are the team with the wind very much at their backs. –Christopher Clarey, the popular and prescient international sports columnist for the New York Times who has covered the Cup for decades, writing in today's NYT with a quote from SAILING ILLUSTRATED's editor. Full story, and a very interesting piece about the potential future of the sailing's pinnacle event.

Tom Slingsby of Australia after winning the gold medal in men’s laser sailing at the 2012 Olympic Games. He is a member of Oracle Team USA. Photo: Clive Mason/Getty Images via the New York Times.