Avast, Ye Scurvy Dogs! America's Cup Hijacked By Lawyers, Billionaires

The 33rd America's Cup taking place this week in Valencia, Spain, already seems destined to be remembered as one of the most vicious and brutal sporting events in history. For 30 months, competitors Ernesto Bertarelli and Oracle (ORCL) CEO Larry Ellison have duked it out in court and the media, battling over every detail of the contest and dragging each other through the mud. In the process, they have driven away sponsors and fans: The 2007 race attracted more than $200 million in sponsorship money, but the 2010 has pulled in just $11 million.