And Now for Something Completely Different

So Mr. Mahomes and Mr. Brady are all set to face each other come February 7 down in sunny Tampa, Florida in Super Bowl LV. Most of America, if past years are any indicator, will tune in for at least some of the game if for no other reason than to check out the commercials. This year though, some top advertisers are opting out feeling that a football game is perhaps not the right note in a country plagued by the coronavirus pandemic, social and political unrest and record unemployment. Budweiser, along with other Super Bowl commercial giants such as Coke, Pepsi,  Ford and Hyundai will take a hiatus from advertising during this year’s game. Pepsi will however be the flagship sponsor for the Halftime Show. No worries though - you'll still see ads from Doritos, Cheetos, Chipotle and online used car retailer Vroom. Cost for a 30 second spot: $5.5 million, about what it cost last year.

My hometown Denver Broncos didn't even come close to the playoffs this year finishing with a 5 and 11 season which I think qualifies as dismal. I'll probably still tune into the big game to watch what should be a pretty good matchup between Patrick and Tom under the Florida sun. Game time temps expected to be around 75 degrees with a chance of rain. Given that as I write this its 30 degrees and cloudy in Denver 75 and showers (rain, not snow) sounds pretty good to me. 

Candidly, I haven't paid that much attention to this year's NFL season. Instead my attention has wandered about 7,300 miles to the southwest across that immense puddle called the South Pacific. To Aotearoa - the Land of the Long White Cloud - otherwise known as New Zealand. This being summer down under the weather in Auckland, New Zealand's largest city (population of about 1.5 million), isn't much different from Tampa with highs in the 70's and winds in the range of 13-19 mph. Hmmm, sounds like good weather to go sailing and that's just what's going on there right now. Auckland is hosting the America's Cup Yacht Race which starts in March. Right now several countries, England, Italy, and the U.S. are competing on the waters of the Hauraki Gulf to see who will have the pleasure of taking on the Kiwis who are the defenders of the Cup having defeated Team USA back in 2017 in the warm waters of Bermuda.

While the Vince Lombardi Trophy has been awarded to the winner of the Super Bowl for more than 50 years, the America's Cup has been awarded since 1851. And while the race is named after the winner of that first race - the schooner America - the race is of British origin and started as the Royal Yacht Squadron 100 Pound Cup ( 'R.Y.S. £100 Cup'). Today, the America's Cup is the oldest international sporting trophy.

https://www.americascup.com/en/home

Your eyes may be glazing over at the mention of Yacht Racing but make no mistake, this year's event is not your father's sailboat race. The 2021 edition of this storied event features what are called AC75 boats, 75 feet long boats that don't sedately sail through the water but fly above it on hydrofoils at highway speeds. These boats are so efficient that they can triple or quadruple the wind speed so even in 15 mph winds these boats can easily reach 40 plus mph. If you've never seen one sail, you won't believe your eyes (which is why I have a video featuring one of the recent races below). Manned by a crew of eleven, these boats are 16 feet wide and weigh 16,800 lbs. and feature two movable hydrofoils (one on each side) that can be raised and lowered to keep the boat 'foiling' above the waves.

Sponsored by Prada, the Italian luxury brand that specializes in women's and men's fashion, every Match and race of the 36th America’s Cup is being streamed live on Youtube, Facebook and americascup.com and features some of the best sports videography I've ever seen allowing viewers to literally race on board these amazing boats. I sometimes find myself ducking when the spray hits the camera the action feels so live. 

https://www.americascup.com/en/home

As I mentioned above, New Zealand (or more accurately the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron), having won the Cup four years ago is the defender and host of this year's race. The challengers include teams from Italy (LUNA ROSSA PRADA PIRELLI TEAM), the U.S. (NEW YORK YACHT CLUB AMERICAN MAGIC), and the United Kingdom (INEOS TEAM UK). Come March, it will be one challenger facing New Zealand in a 13-race Match. The first team to score seven points will become the Defender of the 37th America’s Cup. 

https://www.americascup.com/en/home

Team USA has had a rough go of it so far in the qualifying Prada Cup series of races but still has a chance to reclaim the trophy. After a horrendous capsize a week ago they have their work cut out for them to get their boat AMERICAN MAGIC back on the water. The UK team and their boat BRITANNIA have been dominant thus far in their races but the Italians have been staying in the hunt and anything could happen. So while I'll be tuning in on February 7th to watch some pigskin my heart and my mind will be far south of the equator thrilling to the sight of these magical craft flying over the windswept waters of the Hauraki Gulf.