What is "america's cup"

Trophy \Tro"phy\, n.; pl. Trophies. [F. troph['e]e (cf. It. & Sp. trofeo), L. tropaeum, trophaeum, Gr. ?, strictly, a monument of the enemy's defeat, fr.? a turn, especially, a turning about of the enemy, a putting to flight or routing him, fr. ? to turn. See Trope.]

1. (Gr. & Rom. Antiq.) A sign or memorial of a victory raised on the field of battle, or, in case of a naval victory, on the nearest land. Sometimes trophies were erected in the chief city of the conquered people.

   Note: A trophy consisted originally of some of the armor, weapons, etc., of the defeated enemy fixed to the trunk of a tree or to a post erected on an elevated site, with an inscription, and a dedication to a divinity. The Romans often erected their trophies in the Capitol.

2. The representation of such a memorial, as on a medal; esp. (Arch.), an ornament representing a group of arms and military weapons, offensive and defensive.

3. Anything taken from an enemy and preserved as a memorial of victory, as arms, flags, standards, etc.

   Around the posts hung helmets, darts, and spears, And captive chariots, axes, shields, and bars, And broken beaks of ships, the trophies of their wars.
   --Dryden.

4. Any evidence or memorial of victory or conquest; as, every redeemed soul is a trophy of grace.

5. An object memorializing a victory in a sporting contest.

   Note: Some trophies(5) are unique, temporary possession of the same object passing to the new victors of some periodic contest in subsequent occurrences. Others are objects of little inherent worth, given by the authority sponsoring the contest to the victor. A trophy is sometimes shaped like a cup, and in such cases may be called a cup, as the America's Cup (in Yacht racing).
   -->

   Trophy money, a duty paid formerly in England, annually, by housekeepers, toward providing harness, drums, colors, and the like, for the militia.

n. 1 A sailing regatta between two yachts, usually held every three or four years. 2 the trophy awarded to the winner of the above regatta.

America's Cup is an international yachting competition.

America's Cup may also refer to:

• America Baseball Cup, an international baseball competition, see 2008 America Cup (Baseball)
• America's Cup (rugby league), an international rugby league football competition
• American Cup, a defunct United States soccer competition.
• American Cup (gymnastics), an international gymnastics competition held in the United States
• Volleyball America's Cup

The Americas Cup is an international rugby league football tournament to be contested by Canada, Jamaica and the USA. The tournament follows the success of the Americas region of the 2017 Rugby League World Cup qualifying.

The America's Cup, affectionately known as the "Auld Mug", is a trophy awarded to the winner of the America's Cup match races between two sailing yachts. One yacht, known as the defender, represents the yacht club that currently holds the America's Cup and the second yacht, known as the challenger, represents the yacht club that is challenging for the cup. The timing of each match is determined by an agreement between the defender and the challenger. The America's Cup is the oldest international sporting trophy.

The trophy was originally awarded in 1851 by the Royal Yacht Squadron for a race around the Isle of Wight in England, which was won by the schooner America. The trophy was renamed the America's Cup after the yacht and was donated to the New York Yacht Club (NYYC) under the terms of the Deed of Gift, which made the cup available for perpetual international competition.

Any yacht club that meets the requirements specified in the Deed of Gift has the right to challenge the yacht club that holds the Cup. If the challenging club wins the match, it gains stewardship of the cup.

The history and prestige associated with the America's Cup attracts not only the world's top sailors and yacht designers but also the involvement of wealthy entrepreneurs and sponsors. It is a test not only of sailing skill and boat and sail design, but also of fund-raising and management skills.

The trophy was held by the NYYC from 1857 (when the syndicate that won the Cup donated the trophy to the club) until 1983 when the Cup was won by the Royal Perth Yacht Club, represented by the yacht Australia II, ending the longest winning streak in the history of sport.

From the first defense of the Cup in 1870 through the twentieth defense in 1967, there was always only one challenger. In 1970, for the first time, there were multiple challengers, so the NYYC agreed that the challengers could run a selection series with the winner becoming the official challenger and competing against the defender in the America's Cup match. Since 1983, Louis Vuitton has sponsored the Louis Vuitton Cup as a prize for the winner of the challenger selection series.

Early matches for the Cup were raced between yachts on the waterline owned by wealthy sportsmen. This culminated with the J-Class regattas of the 1930s. After World War II and almost twenty years without a challenge, the NYYC made changes to the Deed of Gift to allow smaller, less expensive 12-metre class yachts to compete; this class was used until it was replaced in 1990 by the International America’s Cup Class which was used until 2007.

After a long legal battle, the 2010 America's Cup was raced in lwl multihull yachts in a best-of-three "deed-of-gift" match in Valencia, Spain. The victorious Golden Gate Yacht Club then elected to race the 34th America's Cup in AC72 foiling, wing-sail catamarans. Golden Gate Yacht Club successfully defended the Cup. The 35th America's Cup match will be sailed in 50 ft foiling catamarans.

The history of the America's Cup has included legal battles and disputes over rule changes including most recently over the rule changes for the 2017 America's Cup.