Contenders for the 34th America’s Cup have filled miles of prized San Francisco waterfront property with their yachts and tents and built villages of stores and cafes for a summer of racing that has been heralded as a boon to the local economy.
Now, four days before the competition starts, visitors hoping to mingle with the world’s top sailors may instead rub shoulders with an inflatable 14-foot-tall fat cat erected by the local carpenter’s union in the middle of regatta real estate to protest that members have been given fewer jobs than promised.
The big grey rubbery animal holds a blow-up construction worker by the neck and stands next to a sign that reads: “America’s Cup hurts workers, family and community. Shame of them.”
The message may be lost on passing tourists. But many San Franciscans have expressed mixed feelings about the America’s Cup.
Some, including union workers, are drawn by the promise of thousands of new jobs. But the world’s premier sailing event also comes off as exclusive affair for billionaires, like Oracle’s Larry Ellison, who won the prize in 2010 and brought it to the United States for the first time since 1995.
Teams from Italy, New Zealand and Sweden will challenge Ellison for the world’s oldest sporting trophy in races scheduled to start Sunday.