By Kevin Wilkerson, PubClub.com Sports Editor
In a sad time for sailboat racing, the world’s most recognizable and famous regatta – the Olympics of sailboat races – will not have an American entry.
The next America’s Cup will be without American Magic of the USA. The team has announced it will not compete in the 2027 event, scheduled to take place in Naples, Italy. This marks the first time in the regatta’s 175-year history that there will be no team from the USA in the race.
“The present structure does not provide the framework for American Magic to operate a highly competitive and financially sustainable campaign,” the team stated in a press release.
Representing the New York Yacht Club, American Magic ends a tradition dating back to the start of the event. The United States had competed in every previous competition, won it a record 25 times and held the Auld Mug trophy continuously from 1851 until 1983.
“Ultimately it’s a sporting event, and it doesn’t matter whether we’re watching Alabama football or whether we’re watching the America’s Cup; there’s always politics behind the event and ins and outs and things that some teams believe in and other teams don’t believe in,” America Magic COO Tyson Lamond said.
Team Principal Doug DeVos said, “after extensive engagement with the Defender [Emirates Team New Zealand], Challenger of Record [Athena Racing], and fellow teams, we’ve concluded that the present structure does not provide the framework for American Magic to operate a highly competitive and financially sustainable campaign for the 38th America’s Cup.
“For a team committed to long-term excellence, alignment around financial viability and competitive performance is essential. At this time, we don’t believe those conditions are in place for American Magic to challenge.”
Words like that sounds to me like the team is abandoning ship before it starts to take on water. Then again, apparently teams from other countries feel the same way because as of this writing, there are only two official entries for America’s Cup with the deadline now closed. They are The Defender Emirates Team New Zealand and the Challenger of Record, Britain’s Athena Racing Team. Late entry is possible up to 31 January 2026 with payment of extra fees.
According to Yachting World, “citics of the ACP (America’s Cup Partnership) argue that commercialising the competition risks turning it into a world championship circuit, potentially making it harder for teams like American Magic to raise the necessary high-level finance by reducing the unique cachet of challenging for the Auld Mug.”
Scuttlebutt Sailing News wrote that the situation “marks a significant and sobering milestone.”
The 38th America’s Cup has been mired in controversy for a while. For starters, host New Zealand – as its its prerogative – moved the Cup from its waters to Italy. It put the location up to the highest bidder, going against tradition.
It’s my opinion that sports should be sports and not involve politics and politicking. But that’s what happens to every sport when big money is involved in it. Just look at college football as an example – it tosses tradition to the wind and leaves purists like myself shaking our heads.
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