KEY POINTS:
Here is an earlier selection of Your Views:
Steve
This is not sport it is the indulgence of the rich and a government with some pretty flaky arguments for spending huge sums of tax payer dollars for a seat at the table. Whilst Butterworth and co are obviously extraordinarily good at what they do they are mercenaries whose only allegiance is to the mighty $. Nothing wrong with that but let's not pretend they are Kiwi sportsmen. They are extremely highly skilled tradesmen for sale to the highest bidder. The sad thing is the incompetents who ran our previous campaigns significantly contributed to this unfortunate situation.
Lionking (Palmerston North)
My impressions are that Alinghi have cheated their way to the retain the cup. I still can't understand why the jury did not find that they have broken the rules in race four. The rules states that "Mainsails shall be able to be lowered to the deck without the necessity of a crew member going aloft". Whatever the reasons Alinghi have given however valid should be irrelevant since they were unable to comply with the rule, and that should be the end of the story, and a resail of race four should have been ordered. Television footage also show very clearly Alinghi sending someone up at the end of race five to 'assist' with the dropping of the mainsail. Are there different rules for the challengers and the defender? Their win was a hollow one and without honour. They displayed bad sportmanship on and off the race course, and Brad Butterworth have also shown his true colours by his arrogance by referring to the vast majority of us as uneducated. ETNZ are the true winners.
Ben (Auckland)
Brad Butterworth is definitely in my view not even close to being an athlete, he is so overweight that I'm surprised he didn't cause Alinghi to sink. The only thing he has is a good head on those fat shoulders of his. We need to look at someone who is a true kiwi such as Dean Barker as our best sportsperson.
Dan (switzerland)
Oh dear, to me its just another example that life isnt fair! If luck and the ref is not on your side there is no way to win anything at all.
Bloom
Interesting to see everyone is duped into thinking team NZ is some sort of representative team for NZ. Excellent marketing on their part. The teams in the Americas cup are private clubs who can hire whoever they want, no different to how english football clubs can hire overseas players Country of the team is symbolic, Alinghi being Swiss is a joke in my opinion Swiss owner and a few swiss sailors but majority from elsewhere. People need to get over this whole betrayal of NZ thing. Butterworth can do what he wants and is one of the greatest.
Jean paul,
I am from Lausanne in Switzerland and I am disgusted that you should invoke memories of the holocaust in relation to what is just a boat race. I had heard good things about New Zealand and was planning to take my family for a holiday there this winter, but if this is what I am to expect, then I will choose elsewhere. Let me say that I think you are a disgrace to your country in saying these outrageous things.
gisborne
Yep, whose afraid of the big bad Berti? Not only were TNZ more popular than Alingi but they were the good guys who represent everything that Berti hates. TNZ isnt just that, a syndicate sponsored by NZ representing NZ. If Berti is so against one nation, one boat, then why did he call on the Swiss to support him, why was he giving away Alinghi clothing to get the fans behind him? And why was he so against NZ when he bought the auld mug using our very best.If anything, I just wonder whether Russell saw what was going on behind the scenes with Bertis propaganda and media control so tight that he was brainwashing the world into making him the good guy. As a result I have more respect for Coutts even if he did take the money and run. As for Butterworth he helped win the cup, defend it, win it for another syndicate, defend it, and if he joins Orcale, win it again. result: good sportsman, fair weather NZer, even better employee who does as he is told. I feel sure that if Berti said jump", Butterworth would reply, how high?"
tnz fan (Ponsonby)
I want Dean to remain the next helmsman for Team NZ! Hes really developing his talent in that position and over time can only become the best helmsman there is. Sure someone of Russells or Brads calibre and experience would be an advanatage to the NZ team in getting some points on the board. But when it boils down to basic characteristics like sportsmanship, loyalty to their homeland, and personality, Id rather Dean resumed that lead role any day! I can see Team NZ winning the next Americas Cup with Dean at the helm. He never once left the team in the lurch like Brad or Russell did, and credit to Dalton who helped keep the team together. Its what is in the sailors hearts that give the winning or losing result any deeper meaning to fans.
Scott, (Kiwi in London)
I am bitter that Coutts and Butterworth and others joined Alinghi but they did what was right for them. How loyal would anyone be to the company they work for if the opposition company offered them a much higher salary, after all it is just a job. No one hates Chris Dickson for sailing for other countries. And everyone was grateful when Irene van Dyk started playing for the Silver Ferns. And calling Alinghi a NZ team anyway is incorrect, they just happen to have 6 kiwis on board (likewise Team NZ had Americans on board). More accurately they are a multinational team. Be proud of Team NZ for winning the Louis Vuitton Cup against great teams such as Luna Rossa and BMW Oracle. I am gutted the Americas Cup is not returning to NZ, and yes, I think the best team won. There are not many times when the best team doesnt win! I would like to congratulate Team NZ for doing as well as they did, and share their pain after their loss to Alinghi. I hope Team NZ challenge again as NZ have a long and colourful history in the Americas Cup and it would be a shame to see that come to an end. I also hope that Dean Barker remains as skipper as he an 84 per cent success rate.
Brian
Brad Butterworth may be from NZ originally, but he is not one of us. He should not qualify as NZs best sportsman. He made his bed,now he should lie in it. Hes one of the other guys now,so the best of Swiss luck to him.
Mark
Brad is the best NZ sports person in New Zealand at the moment. I believe that the best team won. Additionally I also feel that the competition was fantastic except for the Dennis Connor like protest. I am proud to be a Kiwi. However, I do not understand how a sporting contest that someone had nothing to with can make anyone make anyone proud to be a kiwi. To use someone else's achievement to make a person proud is scary and a sure sign of a fragile existence.
Arron
Butterworth is great and full marks for going over to the Swiss. All the people calling him a mercenary should realise that the personal tax rate in Switzerland is around 15 per cent. Maybe Butterworth was sick of contributing so much to the bludgers under this Labour regime. Now he can come back and buy up half of Waiheke island. Smart man, misguided patriotism to sinking ship NZ would have cost him millions.
Julio (Valencia, Spain)
You guys have done a great job. Of course, people here in Valencia were interested in an Anlinghi's victory in order to retain the organization of the event, but I would dare to say that in my opinion "the kiwis" have become far more popular (even though you eliminated us Spaniards). If the next edition is going to be here, we would be delighted to have you with us.
DW
Team Alinghi were the best team unfortunately, we lost. I am sure there are more tragic events happening everyday in New Zealand, as for tax payers funding the next cup challenge? Trevor Mallard should step aside the pure arrogance of this government! Remember this government is spending your money, yes you who spends 60 hours a week working to support your family,pay your mortgage,and just keep your head above water, this is a government that has to have numerous taxpayer funded enquires before committing much need funds into essential services like health and then with out a second thought is ready to commit millions of dollars of our money to another cup challenge, This government is so out of touch with the everyday hardworking New Zealander it's a joke it's time to stand up for yourselves New Zealand.
strifemit
They did fantastic despite the 20 cent bullet hole created by Alinghi especially as most people didn't think they would get anywhere. But it isn't a New Zealand national representative team so I assume Dick Hubbard will pay out of his own pocket to entertain them. He wasn't voted in to spend our money on his whims.
Good Sport
We all know a good sport when we see them, we try to instill these behaviours into our kids; good effort, congratulations on making it to the finals, with practice you will get them next time, you played really well but they played better...So why do we forget this when its adults playing? And why is it ok for you or me to skip to a better paid job, but not Butterworth? (OK so he burnt his bridges behind him, who hasn't done that before?)I think they all played the game well. Maybe next time the cup will come home, preferably with an experienced team that know how to race and learn from their mistakes.
Wellington (currently Germany)
Taxmoney well spent! - ETNZ (although the 'E' in the name doesn't really belong there) has been an excellent messenger of Kiwi values and behaviour to the world throughout the series. IMHO no other 'market NZ' tourism board campaign could have done anywhere near as good.Another TNZ campaign: Yes, please! With ETNZ we have seen an excellent team that stuck to their horses. They came in a nose length behind - but for that reason you don't shoot a horse.Dean: Should stay with the team! He controlled 6 out of 7 pre-starts and helming was good. If you talk change, talk Terry Hutchinson. Butterworth: I was not impressed. He was playing risky games that paid in the end. Nonetheless, congratulations, he was in the winning team.
Envy (Wellington)
Brad Butterworth is a great tactician however his sportsmanship is something to be desired. He swears at his team and has a gutter mouth which is not the attributes of a great sports person. My heart goes out to ETNZ they tried and luck just was not on their side. Lets be honest they made some marginal calls which you cannot afford to do with Alinghi. This once again shows the little ole NZ can be at the top of the world even if we dont win. I am so proud of the guys and my country. The interesting thing will be in the next few weeks/months to see if Butterworth is all about the money and jumps to Oracle. That will show his true motivation and will be a haha to Bertarelli. Swiss Sailors win the Americas cup.... Yeah Right!!
truebluekiwi
Did the best team win the America's Cup?Well, obviously, on the day Alinghi did win...but the scoreline doesn't indicate how close the racing was and how easily the tables could have been turned, if it were not for the spinnaker failure for the Kiwi's in race 5 (I think)and if not for us having picked up a penalty in Race 7, the scoreline could have showed a very different story.Team New Zealand are a team supported by a whole Nation of 4,000,000 Kiwis, so we can consider ourslves as a National team! Alinghi are spurred by one multi millionaire, who obviously has more money to spend than New Zealand does on a competition of this scale, but our team is a team supported by the whole of New Zealand and they took a whole nation's hopes to The America's Cup.The Kiwi Dream is still alive and our hopes stay with our sailors and not the likes of Brad Butterworth, Russel Coutts and their followers who abandoned ship and forgot who gave them their start in this competition.I for one would never support any of the Kiwi sailors who deserted Team New Zealand being recognised as sports person of the year...that would be rubbing salt into the wound.
Ivona (Parnell)
Reading some of the comments it seems that a small number of us are still bad losers. Insulting Brad won't help TeamNZ. When one of our teams loses, parts of public, no doubt fuelled by pockets of media, try to find scapegoats for our team's short-comings. It's easier to blame Butterworth than to accept that our sailors, though they put in a tremendous effort, didn't do enough to win. Being a "True Kiwi" isn't about hardcore national pride - it's about being a humble winner/gracious loser. It's hard to change our psyche, but our association of sport to national identity is a little over the top. In isolated cases in 2003, we proved to be very bad hosts to people who came to Auckland to support their team and spend their money in our city.AC is a sport where sailing club entities compete against each other - nothing should stop a New Zealander joining a Swiss club... nothing wrong about it either. What about the American tactician who is a member of the RNZYS? I do agree that having a few more Swiss people on the Alinghi boat would look better.Why should land-locked countries not be able to compete? Does anyone need to be reminded of Jamaica competing in Calgary Winter Olympics?
Martin
Ridiculous notion: Butterworth best NZ sportsman: the renegade should be stripped of his NZ citizenship instead and apply for refugee status in the Swiss country.
WH
Yes we should mount another challenge. However if the rumour is true we must secure Coutts along with Dean (who is a must). Coutts is very influential and as we all know a better friend than foe, in regard to getting this Auld Mug back. Then we have the worlds 2 best skippers. That does not mean however it is done at the expense of Grant Dalton as he is an absolute vital part of this new team, he is what this new team is built on. They must all work together for the sake of reclaiming this 'thing'. Am sure they are all sensitive, committed and mature enough to do that.
Jonas (Switzerland)
For me, this was not a match between Switzerland and NZ, but between Alinghi and Emirates NZ. Both had the best sailors of the world on their boats most of them are Kiwis. I don't like this "game" of good/poor (Kiwis) against evil (Bertarelli). Bertarelli is just a symbol of how global sports events and marketing activities have been changed in recent years. You will find this type of business man all around the world. One can regret that, but probabely not change it.Kiwis should not valuate themselves just on their achievements at sporting events. You and your country have many more qualities and you should not denigrate yourselves by only defining your strengths an values on the success of your rugby and sailing teams. NZ is one of the greatest Countries in the world: the incredible beauty and even more important the spirit created by its inhabitants are incomparable. NZ would not be any better or worse, had ETNZ won the AC!Doubtlessly, NZ is the best sailing Nation in the world. Maybe, there are just too many good sailors around there, so they need to get jobs on other boats! Or you create a new AC Boatclass with 500 crew members.Go for the next challenge.
Enzo
Thanks Alinghi and TNZ for the great spectacle. You're all winners. The losers are all the enviers in here who discredit their own country. Pity comes without charge, envy wants to be earnd. Therefore Brad,Russell etc, be proud on what you've reached. Someone who earned so many eviers must do everything right.
Team NZ Fan
Could you please discuss or investigate why the NZ Government needs to come up with $10 million dollars immediately to pay the current America's Cup Team NZ before they get snapped up by another syndicate. No-one can question the team's commitment to winning and the fact that they have done New Zealand proud, but why the urgency for cash? Is it conceivable after this year's Rugby World Cup that again the Government will have to quickly donate millions to stop Richie McCaw and the others going to play overseas? Not likely. Yes our top All Blacks could be earning more with clubs in Europe or Japan, and some take the retirement package option overseas at the end of their short careers; but the majority of top players spend a considerable amount of time playing in New Zealand and forfeit higher salaries simply because they are loyal to New Zealand, and many are satisfied with the relatively high salaries they earn here. Why don't our professional sailors act the same way? Is work really that hard to come by? Are they really that poorly paid that they simply have to go with any team who will pay them?It was ironic after the 'Loyal' campaign of last America's Cup that it appears in sailing it is money over loyalty that counts. Where is the loyalty and national pride? After the ticker-tape parade how many will remain loyal to New Zealand unless we pay them a down-payment now?
Frank McIvor
Having moved to NZ just before the last Americas Cup and after reading these postings berating Brad Butterwoth and his team, I can honestly say that many Kiwis are one-eyed, bad losers with chips on their shoulders.ETNZ probaly lost the AC this time (as last time) due to attitude.I've always supported Alinghi for the simple reason that before the 2003 campaign they opened the doors of their Viaduct base to the public where the team were welcoming and enthusiastic. Team NZ, on the other hand, launched their black boat in the dark with a black cover over it and named it "Black Magic". Geeeez!From that, you really have to stop and ask yourself, what can we expect if our national colour is black and our national bird is a near extinct, octurnal, flightless one. As a nation we really need to get our heads out of our backsides!
Caroline Purcell
Yes the better team did win the AC but uncharacteristic handling errors and a couple of wrong tactical moves in earlier races were their downfall in my opinion
Yes NZ should mount a challenge for the next AC as we have some wonderful sailors currently and we need this level of competition for future competitors.Brad Butterworth should not be considered as one of NZ's greatest sportsman as he is representing another country and competing against NZ. He forfeited that position when he signed for a key competitor after the 2000 series.
nns
As a Swiss I would like to congratulate TNZ and all the kiwi fans in Valencia for they part in this splendid edition of the America's Cup.Don't know (obviously) about Bertarelli's future intentions but hope TNZ will be back as challanger and reach the finals. May they loose once againg by the narrowest of margins. :-)Honestly, I was afraid Alinghi would have lost 5-0 as TNZ did last time around. Luckily it wasn't so. Hope you guys will take the opportunity of visiting Europe to support your favourite boat in 2009 (?) and if you do so, come to Switzerland. You've got plenty of sheep, we've got plenty of cows. We'll get along just fine. ;-)
Vhyse
Why should Brad join Coutts? He just proved that he can win the cup without him. It's not because Russell claps his hands that all the Kiwis have to follow him.
Auckland
I think it would be madness for Team NZ to not embark on another Cup campaign. This years America's Cup regatta has provided some of the best marketing and publicity our country has had in a long time. Europe is an enormous market and we all know the importance of the tourism industry to NZ. As a proud Kiwi I am quite to support another campaign and we can be assured that our talented yachties have the ability to regain the Auld mug. As far as Brad Butterworth being NZ's top sports person - no. I held no ill will towards any of the Kiwis who jumped ship, it was understandable - 21mill with Alingi v.s. 1.5 mill (MAX) with Team NZ. However, he is not competing for NZ and that alone should be a sufficient reason not to award Butterworth the accolade.
Swiss Kiwi
Both teams are winners. Let's be proud about Team New Zealand, which was a true challenge for Alinghi. Let's hope that at the next America's cup the same teams will sail against each other and then with a bit more luck the truly better sailing team will win. In 2009 the Kiwis bring it home!Swiss Beat L. from Bern Switzerland, but "home" in NZ next year again
Brian Wanden (Vancouver Canada)
There is only one thing worse than a sore loser and that is a sore winner.Bertarelli has shown himself to be just that, a sore winner. By not allowing Team ENZ to appear at the press conference it shows the poor attitude and character of the man.Butterworth and the others are in good company.
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