SENIOR SPORTS CORRESPONDENT
First, Formula One got hot in the U.S. and beyond. Then came the pickleball craze, which started during the pandemic and hasn’t lost much momentum. What niche sport will break out next?
Russell Coutts, the CEO of the upstart professional racing organization SailGP, is making his case for sailing, that genteel, elitist country-club pastime, which is indeed gaining some momentum in the U.S. Coutts, the five-time America’s Cup winner, 1984 Olympic gold medalist, and two-time World Sailor of the Year, co-founded SailGP in 2018, along with Oracle founder and chairman Larry Ellison.
Coutts met with TIME in New York City in mid-January to discuss the trajectory of SailGP, the circuit’s high-tech catamarans, and the challenges facing the sport.
This interview has been condensed and edited for clarity.
For those who are not familiar, what is SailGP? Sailing did notS have a regular annual championship that was professionally televised and marketed before SailGP. We have fast, hydrofoiling boats. Other people have referred to it as a Formula One–style championship on water.
Why do you have faith thatW SailGP can become the next Formula One?Audience growth is the first thing. Second, the commercial model is strong. We started selling teams between $5 million and $10 million. Now you can’t buy a team without $35 million.
Sorry to introduce some skepticism to the Formula Onescomparison, but why would ac fan prefer watching SailGP catamarans topping out at speeds of 60 m.p.h. on water, when F1 cars exceed 200 m.p.h.?It’s the same people watching. The learning we’re having is that as long as it
