Americas cup

"Among all adults, the participant base halved (down 3 percentage points to 3%)" · Originally posted by Richard Gladwell

"Boffins"???  That sounds like you are just denigrating people who have spent years studying these issues because you don't like the answers they give.  The studies of the impact of major sports events on participation rates have been subject to a lot of examination and they are pretty well accepted these days.
Yes, I did look at the survey I quoted, and I did quote it correctly.  It says "Among all adults, the participant base halved (down 3 percentage points to 3%)" on page 16.  A participation rate that goes from 6% to 3% means that the participation rate in the sport has halved just like the report stated using that exact term.  It didn't lose 3% of those who actually sailed, it lost 50% of the 6% who had formerly sailed.

I have been studying fleet sizes for entry-level classes, and for other classes, for years.  However, that seems to show no link between the AC and fleet sizes, because the major English-speaking countries with no AC entry in recent years have got very strong entry level and teenager classes - about as strong as those that did have AC entries and regattas.  If kids were so inspired by the AC then why is the junior scene doing just as well (perhaps better) in the major English-speaking countries that HAVEN'T had a recent AC?

Sure, the kids would get a buzz from AC crews - they got a buzz from meetings we arranged where they got to meet Olympians, and when I was a kid I got a buzz from seeing AC boats around.   But where is the evidence that such a buzz actually retains people? Where is the evidence that the buzz has to be generated by the modern style of AC, rather than by a possible alternative model that made the sport look more accessible at the top level?  Even if seeing an AC boat and crew got kids into the sport, how effective is that given how few there are in the world? 

Yes, older people may drop out of sailing because of lack of time, and it's great to get them young (although whether that is vital is an open question) and use low-cost opportunities - so why put the emphasis on part of the sport that is extremely expensive and will be extremely taxing on the scarce free time they will have later in life?

There have been many studies on why people don't do sport.  There have also been two major surveys on why people don't sail.  The same answers keep on coming out - people are short of time and money, and sailing is seen as expensive, elitist and inaccessible. The current route of the AC certainly does not make the sport look economical and approachable.  

Anyway, I'll end it there because it seems to be confirmed that there is NO evidence that the AC is helping the sport as is claimed, and the sport seems to be unwilling to examine the abundance of evidence about the factors that are involved.

PS - I've been racing our large-ish and fast-ish off-the-beach cat recently (well, we weren't fast in drifters and 180 degree shifts the last few races, sadly) with youth and young adults from trap boats and all our kids started in Tornadoes, F16s windsurfers and skiff trainers.  I also created a youth board class that attracted about half of the top Aussie kids from skiff trainers for a while.  Just thought I'd mention it to ensure I wasn't seen as someone who is against high performance and multis, or someone who doesn't have contact with yoof.

Edited by Chris 249 - 02 Nov 15 at 2:43am