OPINION: Emirates Team New Zealand's top brass should consider very carefully any attempt to hold New Zealanders and the Government to ransom over the hosting of the next America's Cup.
They risk losing the groundswell of goodwill and nationalistic pride built up over more than 20 years if they get greedy over their demands to hold the regatta in Auckland.
This is not the way to cash in on victory in Bermuda.
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The problem for Team NZ is that while the economic benefits of hosting the Cup in Auckland are enormous for this country, any attempt to grab public money out of this exercise will not go down well with Kiwis or a Labour-led Government. The spin doctors for both sides will be hard at work, but this is a PR battle Team NZ will never win.
The Government holds the emotional upper hand in this situation.
There's already a large chunk of our society that believes these rich sailors shouldn't get a cent of public money. They believe that money can be far better spent elsewhere on things that really matter to New Zealanders. Frankly, most of them are Labour supporters. You'll have a hard time convincing those people that the money to be made from building the infrastructure to host the event more than justifies the investment.
Emotion fuels the basis of why the rest of us back Team NZ - because they want to see the cup brought home. That doesn't mean having the Auld Mug sat in a glass cabinet at the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron, but hosting the next regatta on our shores. We want a repeat of the successful cup defence of 2000, which holds great memories for Kiwis and left a lasting legacy for Auckland.
If Grant Dalton and co choose to host this regatta elsewhere, then Team NZ will lose the one thing that separates them from the other syndicates that contest the cup. The pride, interest and support from Kiwis that ensures 'Team New Zealand' isn't just a hollow, meaningless name attached to give this team some semblance of a national team. They ARE our national team.
But if they go international for the next regatta over a wharf extension that doesn't go their way, or a hosting fee that doesn't go meet their expectations, then they will lose that overnight. It will no longer be New Zealand's team, and it will become a business instead.
What would be the point of our support? And for many of the Kiwis who race for the syndicate, what would be the point of being involved?
Andrew Gourdie is a Newshub sports reporter/presenter and host of RadioLIVE's Sunday Sport from 2pm.
