For 173 years, Britain has treated the America's Cup as a social gathering while the rest of the world treated it as industrial warfare. A radical shift in leadership and technology suggests the drought might finally end, but can a new culture of data-driven grit overcome the nearly perfect Kiwis?

The shadows of the America’s Cup have been illuminated by the Joint Reconnaissance Programme, but is this transparency helping or hurting the sport's elite teams? While safety and fan engagement are soaring, a massive gap in technical expertise and working conditions for recon scouts threatens the quality of intelligence. I break down whether this central spying game deserves a place in the next Cup or if it’s time to return to private surveillance.