FANS....of Sailing? Part 1

There seems to be a lot of talk lately about how to get more people involved in sailing. How do we make it more exciting? How do we create spectators, fan frenzy, cheering, excitement and an overall emotional experience for someone who may have never even been on a boat.

My gut instinct tells me to look at another sport that I love, but have never ACTUALLY competed in....Football. As a girl, I was obviously never involved in the game on a personal level, and my high school and college didn’t even have a team, however I LOVE the sport. From the coaching, to the crowds and the players themselves, we all get excited. We can be at the game, in our homes, listening in our cars, or checking mobil updates, and when a touchdown happens, we get stoked! I personally have been known to yell, scream, laugh, and cry, all through out the course of a game, that I have never actually taken part in. I’m a life long Chicago Bears fan, and my WI plates on my car say “DITKA”, I own a Gould jersey (yes, he is a kicker), I rock Navy and Orange whenever I can on game day, and I’ve been known to lose my voice at games. I’m completely passionate....about something I’ve never even done?!?!? I am in one simple word, above all, a FAN.

So what does it take to create a sailing fan? What do we as sailors, have to do to create Fans? Do we want them? (I know I do). Do we need them? (Hell YES, our sport is overly expensive and DYING). Where do they come from, and how do we take advantage of them as a way to build and grow our sport? It’s a complicated question, and even after I just wrote it, I’m struggling to grasp an answer in my head. Sailing has so very many outlets, between dinghy, big boats, fast high performance skiffs, AC sailing, the Volvo, and then you get into cruising and adventure cruising. Where do we as a sport start? Are the options to vast? So then why do I like football...

the team aspect
the hometown pride
the waiting 7 months for it to come back every year
the passion of the players (I just saw Tom Brady BLOW UP last night during his game against the Steelers...it was intense)
the passion of the coaches
the strategy
the epic noise a good hit makes
the strength
the fineness
and because I’m a girl....the fit men in tight pants

Solid list....and I’m sure I’ll think of more. So why do I like sailing? Actually for almost all the same reasons! So what are people so afraid of? Is sailing too complicated to understand? Hmmmmm have you ever seen a play book for football, or watched the game with someone who has played? There is a TON that I don’t know about football, it is a complicated game, and while I understand the very basics....I can still barely tell why there was a holding call until I see the instant replay. I’ve always heard the excuse that sailboat racing is too complicated, but I just don’t buy into that. It’s a lame excuse coming from people who have given up.

Next I'll take a look at a true sailing Fan....how did it all begin, where is it headed, and how can we take lessons from this case, and apply it to our sport at a larger level?