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Larry Ellison On America's Cup: 'It Has To Be A Little Bit Risky'

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(ome-b/Flickr)
Larry Ellison (ome-b/Flickr)

Local tech titan Larry Ellison took to "CBS This Morning" to defend changes to the America's Cup race.

Ellison's Oracle Team USA is the Cup's defending champion, which means Ellison was able to set the parameters in this year's race. He decided to hold it in San Francisco Bay as opposed to the open sea, and also chose the AC72 catamaran, a boat that critics say is too expensive and dangerous.

In May, when the Artemis Racing boat from Sweden capsized during a training, British sailor Andrew "Bart" Simpson died.

Ellison was shaken by the incident, but thinks he made the right decisions.

“To make this an economically viable sport, we have to have fast, modern boats,” he said to CBS' Charlie Rose. “It has to be a popular TV sport. It has to be attractive to kids.” And, "it has to be a little bit risky."

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