"The upheaval over adding a male crew member of Mighty
Mary's formerly all-female America's Cup crew appears to have
settled into business as usual," according to Barbara Lloyd in
this morning's N.Y. TIMES. Stephen McAvoy, a marketing manger
for Chevrolet, said he was "impressed by the women's resolve to
win the America's Cup": "They came here with the idea of winning
the America's Cup, and not to be just an all-women's team, thank
you very much." Chuck Townsend, publisher of GLAMOUR, another
America3 sponsor, said he thought it was smart to add someone as
experienced as Dave Dellenbaugh, the crew's new tactician.
Townsend: "If the women win the America's Cup, you'll find very
few of us sponsors criticizing this thing." However Lifetime
Television is re-evaluating its sponsorship. Lifetime President
Doug McCormick: "If they win, certainly the story will be one
that people will pay more attention to. But I wish, frankly,
that they could win in the original configuration that we
discussed. ... I guess you could call it a trimming of our own
sails as to the actual nuts and bolts of our contract" (N.Y.
TIMES, 3/22). Women's Sports Foundation Exec Dir Donna Lopiano:
"I have nothing but applause for Bill Koch. What other guy ever
gave women that chance in the America's Cup" (USA TODAY, 3/22).