Rivalries

[SBoydW]

What makes two teams rivals?  Is it the length of time that teams have competed against each other?  Is it that one team may have dominated another over a period of time?  Combination of the two?  Some act one player of one team commits against another?  Combo of some or all those factors?  Anything else that may contribute to a rivalry?

[Ashaman DeRouge]

Its definately a combo.

 

Liverpool vs Man U has seen a club rise to ascendency, get complacent, not win a title in 18 years and watch as the young upstarts DOMITATE the league, to reach them level on 18-18 league titles a peice. To reflect recent form, the 'modern era' started with man u on 7 titles, and liverpool on 18. They have caught up this year.

 

Good save Reina! 20:40

[Majsju]

All really big rivalries have aspects outside the pitch. In the case of United - Liverpool, we are talking about the leagues two giants, historically speaking. There has been a number of classical clashes over the years.

But there is also the aspect of this being a game between the cities Manchester and Liverpool. The cities themselves have for a long time competed about being the "capital" of the north. Two classical working class cities, two teams who represented the working class (as opposed to their local rivals City and everton, who rather represents the middle class).

 

And if we go into political aspects, look at Real Madrid vs Barcelona. One of the most hateful rivalries in the world, with Reals history of being Francos team, and Barcelona representing opposition towards his regime. It does not matter that Francos regime ended decades ago, his ghost still floats over El Clasico.

[SinisterDeath]

Can't forget Proximity.

 

Packers & Bears have a rivalry, And to a lesser extent the Vikings and Packers.

 

Why? Probably cause the fans in those stadiums, watching the games, aren't 1 sided. At Vikings vs GB, the stadium is packed with fans from each side, 50/50. But if its say, Vikings vs Giants in NY, your going to see far fewer Vikings fans.

 

That really helps with the 'rivalries'.

Also, having the team dominate the other one year, and vice versa the next.

Or in the vikings case, Them dominating the Packers, but the packers go on to win the superbowl. ;)

[Alea iacta est]

I'd definitely agree that proximity plays a part. The huskies have their rivalry with the ducks, and all the seattle sounders fans are preparing for rivalries with the vancouver and portland expansion teams that are upcoming.

[TheBeerPatriot]

Rivalries can certainly be defined by proximity.  Look at the 3 biggest rivalries in baseball: Red Sox-Yankees, Cardinals-Cubs, and Dodgers-Giants.  However, rivalries are also dependent on how often teams meet, and the importance of those meetings, be it in the regular season or playoffs.

 

Having said that, here are the best rivalries in the 4 major pro sports (IMHO, of course):

 

Baseball: Red Sox-Yankees

Basketball: Celtics-Lakers

Hockey: Black Hawks-Red Wings

Football: Bears-Packers

 

Feel free to disagree ;)

[Emperor]

Here are the biggest sports teams rivalries.  They are are on a tier above all other US rivalries.

 

Carolina - Duke

Yankees - Red Sox

Ohio State - Michigan

[Kivam]

What makes two teams rivals?  Is it the length of time that teams have competed against each other?  Is it that one team may have dominated another over a period of time?  Combination of the two?  Some act one player of one team commits against another?  Combo of some or all those factors?  Anything else that may contribute to a rivalry?

 

Geographical rivalry, too.  New York-Boston and NY-Philly come to mind, Duke-UNC, etc.  Bottom line, any time you have two teams repeatedly going against each other for the same thing - championships, players, coaches, you'll develop a rivalry.  And if there's a geographical dimension as well, it will be epic.

[Kivam]

Rivalries can certainly be defined by proximity.  Look at the 3 biggest rivalries in baseball: Red Sox-Yankees, Cardinals-Cubs, and Dodgers-Giants.  However, rivalries are also dependent on how often teams meet, and the importance of those meetings, be it in the regular season or playoffs.

 

Having said that, here are the best rivalries in the 4 major pro sports (IMHO, of course):

 

Baseball: Red Sox-Yankees

Basketball: Celtics-Lakers

Hockey: Black Hawks-Red Wings

Football: Bears-Packers

 

Feel free to disagree ;)

 

That about covers it, though I'd put Rangers-Islanders up there for pure hatred by the fans (hell, when you're still chanting about a player who's been retired for 20 years, its a rivalry.  Half the folks in the Garden probably don't know who Potvin was or why he sucks).  And in football, Cowboys-Redskins has to get the nod over Bears-Packers, if only because Chi and GB have both been so bad for much of the last quarter century, and with one up while the other was down.

 

For a while there in the 90s, it was Cowboys-Niners or Giants-Niners

[Kivam]

Here are the biggest sports teams rivalries.  They are are on a tier above all other US rivalries.

 

Carolina - Duke

Yankees - Red Sox

Ohio State - Michigan

 

Yankees-Red Sox is in a class by itself.  Recently, a sports talk station up here asked if Yankee fans would give up a World Championship to have won that series in 2004, even if it meant they would lose the 2004 World Series.  Most of the fans who called in said yes.

 

When you're willing to give up your own accomplishment to prevent your rival from achieving success . . . that's a whole other level.

[SinisterDeath]

I still say vikings and Packers have a rivalry, but not nearly as 'intense' as that Packesr And Bears one.

It really makes things interesting this year now that vikings got the packers most famous 'QB'. ;)

 

Course it don't matter how good the Packers are one season or how bad the vikings are, both teams almost always seem to have a 1:1 win/loss ratio against each other. ;)

I don't think i've ever seen the vikings lose to the bears though. But I, unlike Kivam haven't lived in the time before rocks were hard. :P

[SBoydW]

I think the Vikings-Packers rivalry is much more intense this year because of Mr. Indecisive (no. 4).

[Emperor]

The three I listed are all in a class by themselves.  No other rivalries compare (in the US).  I would not say the Yankees - Bosox rivalry is more intense than the OSU - Mich rivalry or the Carolina - Duke Rivarly.

 

Here are ESPN's top rivarlries...

 

10. Giants vs. Dodgers

A rivalry spawned in New York transferred to the West Coast in 1958. It reached its most famous moment in 1951, when Bobby Thomson's home run beat the Dodgers to win the pennant. When the clubs fought for National League pennants in the '60s, they were also constantly fighting on the field, including the infamous episode when Juan Marichal attacked Johnny Roseboro with a bat. Giants fans loved it when Joe Morgan's homer knocked the Dodgers out on the final day in 1982; Dodgers fans loved it when their team knocked out the Giants in 1993.

 

9. Redskins vs. Cowboys

The intense loyalty of these teams' fans helped this rivalry hit a peak in the '70s and early '80s. Redskins fans hated Tom Landry, the shotgun offense and the Dallas Cowboys cheerleaders. Cowboys fans hated George Allen, Joe Theismann and that ridiculous logo. When they played on Thanksgiving, there were more than a few turkey legs thrown at the TV in disgust.

 

 

8. Auburn vs. Alabama

The "Iron Bowl" is the quintessential intrastate football rivalry. In fact, the series was discontinued from 1908 to 1948 because of a long-standing dispute over a referee and per diem pay for players. When the schools finally agreed to play again, the game had to be held in Birmingham, a neutral site with tickets split equally. Auburn finally hosted Alabama for the first time in 1989 and set a stadium attendance record. The most famous meeting came in 1972. Both teams entered with one loss. 'Bama led 16-0 entering the fourth quarter, but Auburn returned two blocked punts for touchdowns and won 17-16. "Punt, 'Bama, Punt," became a famous slogan.

 

7. Red Sox vs. Yankees

Some say this is merely a media creation, and it's somewhat true, since the two teams have rarely battled head-to-head for the pennant. But, remember this: the Red Sox were the American League's dominant franchise until selling Babe Ruth to the Yankees. Red Sox fans have yet to fully recover. The rivalry has seen the DiMaggio vs. Williams debate, Bucky F****** Dent's home run and Roger Clemens' return to Fenway.

 

6. Arnold Palmer vs. Jack Nicklaus

Palmer was the fan favorite, the chain-smoking golfer built like a linebacker. Nicklaus was chubby but more talented, the young kid knocking the champ off his pedestal. The rivalry was respectful, with Nicklaus envying Palmer's popularity and Palmer envying Nicklaus' skill. As televised golf became popular in the early '60s, it was this matchup that brought golf to the masses.

 

5. Maple Leafs vs. Canadiens

When the NHL consisted of six teams, that meant everybody played each other all the time. And no game was as intense as this one. It pitted French Canada vs. English Canada, making it a symbol of hockey's and Canada's history. They've met five times in the Stanley Cup Finals, with Montreal winning in 1959 and '60 and Toronto winning in '45, '51 and '67. Last year, Toronto was moved back into the Eastern Conference to rebuild the rivalry. Visiting fans often drown out the locals in each arena, so you never can tell who's the home team, and even when either team is terrible, players get revved up for regular-season games.

 

4. Wilt Chamberlain vs. Bill Russell

There were only nine NBA teams for most of the 1960s, meaning Chamberlain and Russell squared off nine to 12 times per season. And since defenses weren't as sophisticated as now, when these two battled it was often without weakside help or double-teaming. Of course, Russell's Celtics always won, which helped build Russell's reputation and depicted Chamberlain as a selfish player who didn't make his teammates better. For example, in 1961-62, Wilt averaged 50.4 points per game, but the Celtics beat the Philadelphia Warriors eight of 12 games. The next season, Wilt averaged 44.8 points per game, but the Celtics beat Chamberlain's San Francisco Warriors eight out of nine. Who was more valuable? It's what made this a classic rivalry.

 

3. North Carolina vs. Duke

Dean Smith. Coach K. Jordan. Hill. Tobacco Road. Cameron Crazies. The fans are passionate, the teams successful, the games almost always down to the buzzer. Two of the four winningest teams in history, going at it twice a year (and once more in the ACC tournament if we're lucky). This is what college hoops is all about.

 

2. Muhammad Ali vs. Joe Frazier

They fought three times with two of the brawls considered among the greatest fights in history. Many say their first fight at Madison Square Garden in 1971 is the most signficant boxing match in history. When they met for the third time in 1975 -- "The Thrilla in Manila" -- Ali verbally assaulted Frazier to such a degree in the months leading up to the fight that Frazier remains psychologically damaged to this day.

 

 

1. Michigan vs. Ohio State

When Ohio Stadium opened in 1922, Michigan spoiled the party with a 22-0 victory. The rivalry was heated in the early days as both have been long-time college football powers. But it got even hotter in 1969, when Bo Schembechler took over as Michigan's coach and upset Woody Hayes' No. 1-ranked, undefeated Buckeyes. Four times in the next six years, both teams were ranked in the top five when they met. In 1970 and 1973, both were undefeated (they tied 10-10 in '73). From 1970 through 1975, Michigan entered without a loss every year. The Wolverines won just once. Ohio State was 9-0-1 in 1993, 11-0 in 1995 and 10-0 in 1996. The Buckeyes lost each time. That is rivalry.

[Locke]

Packers and Bears.  Not only have they played more times than any two teams, but both of these have a lot of history in a lot of aspects.

[Emperor]

Packers and Bears.  Not only have they played more times than any two teams, but both of these have a lot of history in a lot of aspects.

 

Cough...err... what?

 

Bears and Packers have played 183 games.

Carolina and Duke have played 227 games.

Giants and Dodgers have played 2325 games.

Yankees and Red Sox have played 2066 games.

[SBoydW]

Think he meant in the NFL...

[Emperor]

Oh then I can get down with that.  I still think the Cowboys/Redskins are the more nationally well known NFL rivalry.  To be honest I wasn't that aware of that Bears/Packers one....

[SBoydW]

Yeah, I think it was Mike McCarthy, when he first became the Packers head coach that said one of his qualifiers for a good season was to just beat the Bears.

[Emperor]

Speaking of Rivalries... who was your college rival?

 

I went to Charlotte and my rival was Cincinnati.  I would camp out for tickets for those games and sat down front.  When I lived in Cincy I would go to the the games all decked out my Charlotte gear... then have to sneak out.  Unfortunately that rivalry died when both teams left Conf USA... now I am not sure who my college rival is.

[bigWalt]

What no mention of Chargers vs Raiders?  Particularly being that this week is what we in San Diego call raider week becuase they are coming to town to play the Chargers.  The Bolts currently have a twelve game win streak vs the raiders, and the feeling is this weekend will see the streak grow to Thirteen.  I wonder if Darth Raider will show up in San Diego for this game?

[bigWalt]

Chargers vs Raiders, 'nuff said.

[Kivam]

What no mention of Chargers vs Raiders?  Particularly being that this week is what we in San Diego call raider week becuase they are coming to town to play the Chargers.  The Bolts currently have a twelve game win streak vs the raiders, and the feeling is this weekend will see the streak grow to Thirteen.  I wonder if Darth Raider will show up in San Diego for this game?

 

The Raiders have been awful for nearly a decade.  While they were decent, the chargers were awful.  You have to go back to the early 80s to find a time when that rivalry meant anything.

 

Hell, if the Raiders had a serious rival lately it would have been the Broncos, if only because of the bad blood between Crazy Al and Mike Shanahan.

 

Seriously, its hard to have a rivalry with a team so pitiable.

[Locke]

Considering that the Chargers have beaten the Raiders 12 consecutive times and are still 10 games back in the overall series, that says that those teams haven't been good at the same time more than for a couple years. 

[bigWalt]

Considering that the Chargers have beaten the Raiders 12 consecutive times and are still 10 games back in the overall series, that says that those teams haven't been good at the same time more than for a couple years.  

Good point!  That just means a minimum of five more years of Chargers domination just to even the score, and then another five years to swing it into the Chargers side.  I could go for a 33 game win streak over the raiders!

This commercial from a local bail bond best shows the feeling about the raiders and their fans in San Diego:

[WWWwombat]

The best rivalries are a result of a struggle between a team that is an embodiment of all that is good e.g. the Boston Red Sox and one that is the embodiment of pure evil e.g. the New York Yankees.