OPINION: Do I care where the next America's Cup is held? Too bloody right I do.
We haven't poured hundreds of millions into combined campaigns to suddenly hand it over to some European or Middle Eastern country so they can benefit from it.
No way - this is our team right? Maybe I'm a bit naive but this is something I think we should be fighting for. Granted we don't know all the financial details, but in many ways nor should we.
All I know is we have handed out cash for years now and on that basis when we win it, we expect to host it.
But I think it's our perk and we put on a damn fine little regatta.
Sure we bitch and moan and groan about who's paying for what and whether this is just for the rich elite, even Grant Dalton gets that part
But when the racing starts we all get in behind it.
Now I hate the word entitlement at the best of times, but hosting it in our waters is our entitlement for winning the America's Cup.
And as you saw, us Kiwis flocked to the beaches, boats and sat on top of extinct volcanoes to watch these things rip through or sail over the water at breakneck speeds.
If Dalton takes this thing overseas he better have a good sales pitch to us. I'm not sure it's brinkmanship anymore.
But read the room Grant carefully. Are you sure you can't make this happen here?
I think there will be a backlash.
The last cup was truncated here in Auckland. It was fun, but we still got kinda short-changed and want it back.
It's also a chance, don't forget, to finally finish Auckland's waterfront. So many reasons to keep it
But if they go offshore to sail this, we stop the taxpayers' cash immediately.
The team of five million in my view would have been shafted.
Duncan Garner hosts The AM Show.
