Paul Lewis: Press conferences set to keep winners and losers apart

Russell Coutts. Photo / Ben Ainslie Racing

It's a sad thing when rivalry in sport spills over so much that teams can't sit in the same room together.

When the 34th America's Cup is eventually decided, there will follow those odd things - the winners' press conference and the losers' press conference.

In days past, America's Cup press conferences were conducted with both teams together in the spirit of sportsmanship that says you are bitter enemies on the field (or water) but mates off it. But it seems the winners' and losers' split is here to stay.

This will be the third America's Cup in a row to employ this regrettable stance.

The official reasoning is that if two teams are combined, one looks miserable and trapped and sits idly by while most questions are directed to the winners.

The unofficial story is that the increasingly vituperative rivalry in the Cup seems to have cemented this dubious practice in place.

Organisers in San Francisco have planned the "runners-up" conference first (scheduled for 20 minutes) and then the "America's Cup winner" for the next 20 minutes.

The first time unpleasantry surfaced around this concept was in Valencia in 2007 when Alinghi successfully defended the Cup against Emirates Team NZ's challenge.

That was when the winners' and losers' press conferences were first mooted.

The 2007 Cup was dominated by Alinghi's control and even micro-management of proceedings. Many believed Alinghi strayed well beyond even the Cup-holder's usual province of arranging matters to help the defence of the Cup - and had wandered into territory better described as dictatorship.

Certainly, the self-serving protocol for the 32nd Cup that Alinghi served up led to the 30-month, bitter court action by Oracle and billionaire owner Larry Ellison.

That ended in Oracle Racing claiming the Cup after a one-on-one deed of gift challenge in 2010.

Ellison refused to appear at an opening news conference saying Alinghi had barred his CEO, Russell Coutts, from attending.

They denied that Coutts had been excluded but pointed out that the news conference was meant for team owners.

After the Cup had been won by Oracle, separate press conferences were scheduled then too.

In Valencia in 2007, the New Zealanders were also offended at being shunted down to another dock at the prizegiving, while Alinghi and fans celebrated on a different dock.

There is a note of respect in saluting an opponent, respect which seemed to be missing at the end of the 32nd America's Cup. The loser should not be ignominiously sent to the far end of the port, nor be told to go to a losers' press conference.

In San Francisco, that will not happen - the teams will mingle at the presentation which will be good to see.

But the two press conferences will be held and, if we are all honest, what we really want to see is Coutts, Grant Dalton, Larry Ellison, Jimmy Spithill, Dean Barker et al all in one room and all putting forth their point of view.

Because that, too, is sport.