Yankees-Red Sox, Arsenal-Tottenham, Raiders-Broncos, Lakers-Celtics, and Duke-North Carolina. These are some of the most famous and most vicious rivalries in all of sports. Rivalries like these are what make sport worth watching.
What makes these rivalries so fierce? Why are the fans so involved? I’ll take a look at some of the elements that go into creating a great sporting rivalry.
Geographic proximity
I’m talking natural rivalries here. Teams that have to fight for wins, respect, and fans on the same turf. These are rivalries born out of necessity, because each team needs to win in its own house to get that respect and those fans.
Having two sets of opposing supporters in such close proximity only serves to add fire to the rivalry. Even when the two teams involved are not facing each other, fans will be stoking the flames by talking-trash to anybody they see wearing enemy colors.
These fierce rivalries are prevalent, but not limited to, big cities and metropolitan areas. The East Midlands Derby, between Nottingham Forest and Derby County, is an intense geographical rivalry. David McVay of The Times summed it up best, “Derby is a passionate football town. Possibly more so than Nottingham...Even in Division Two, it's a reasonable bet that crowds at Pride Park would not fall far below 20,000. It's historical, it's geographical, it's in the blood. Some places have it, some don't.”
Aggressive action by one party
Sometimes an aggressive action by one team foments hatred between rivals. Teams and fans often view aggressiveness directed towards them as disrespectful.
My personal favorite example of this comes from the world of college football.
The Big-10 conference as we know it today was established in 1917, though it can trace its roots back as far as 1896. My school, the Michigan State Spartans, did not join the conference until 1950 and did not fully participate in conference activities until 1953. The Spartans are the last team to have joined the Big-10.
But that move almost didn’t happen.
Our lovely neighbors to the southeast attempted to block our move into the Big-10 conference. They apparently felt that MSU’s academic and athletic standards weren’t up to snuff with the rest of the conference. If that’s not a huge sign of disrespect, I don’t know what is.
Another very famous aggressive action was taken by Arsenal F.C. back in 1913. The club had an established home ground in southeast London but moved to the north side of London where Tottenham Hotspur had put down roots many years before.
To put it simply, Tottenham did not exactly roll out the welcome mat for their new neighbors.
The fact that the two teams are in close proximity and have spent a great deal of time in the same division means that the North London Derby is one of the oldest and most hotly-contested rivalries in all of sports.
Switching allegiances and backstabbing
Players change teams all the time; it’s a fact of sports. Free agency and greed mean that loyalty is a rare commodity these days. But while we expect players to move about during their careers, we always get upset if they move to a rival.
The finest and perhaps strangest example of this comes from the world of college basketball. Kentucky and Louisville have had a long-standing rivalry, but thanks to dominance from Rick Pitino and Tubby Smith, the rivalry was largely one-sided in the 1990s.
The climate of college basketball in the state of Kentucky changed drastically on Mar. 21, 2001. That’s the day that Pitino officially took over for Hall of Fame coach Denny Crum at Louisville. Before that coaching change, the state of Kentucky was fiercely Blue in their basketballing allegiances, aside from a small red patch around Louisville.
When Pitino moved to the Cardinals, many loyal UK fans, myself included, were confused. How could we hate the man who brought the UK program out of scandal and back to national prominence?
In the long run, most of us couldn’t and will grudgingly root for Louisville until they come up against the Wildcats. Had anybody besides Pitino (like say, Eddie Sutton) taken over for Crum, the rivalry would be just as fierce today.
The backstabbing element is also an interesting one. Cleveland fans will remember former Browns owner Art Modell moving the team to Baltimore in 1996 after numerous promises to keep the team in Cleveland.
For years, the fans had no team to cheer for but undoubtedly rooted against Modell. Now with the Browns back, the atmosphere is hot whenever the Ravens roll into town.
One can expect the same kind of animosity to develop if Seattle ever gets another NBA franchise. In fact, the hatred Seattle fans have for Clay Bennett is greater than what a lot of Cleveland fans feel for the Ravens.
One great game
If teams don’t have geographical proximity or a history of aggression towards each other, all it can take to jumpstart a rivalry is one great game.
Notre Dame fans will try and tell you that their annual matchup against Michigan State is fairly meaningless, but that couldn’t be further from the truth.
In 1966, those two teams played the original “Game of the Century” in East Lansing. Both teams came into the game ranked No. 1 in one poll and No. 2 in the other. Essentially, this was the National Championship game. Duffy Daugherty and Ara Parseghian, two legendary coaches, battled to a 10-10 tie.
Since 1966, the rivalry has continued to grow. Michigan State is currently enjoying a record winning streak down in South Bend, which doesn’t sit well with Irish fans. The rivalry finally boiled over in 2005, when, after a hotly-contested game, Michigan State players planted a flag with a block ‘S’ on it at midfield in Notre Dame stadium.
The Irish players were pissed, the Irish fans were pissed, and Lou Holtz was so upset that he actually left ESPN’s set for several minutes.
This incident led to Charlie Weis’ now-infamous, “We will never lose to Michigan State again on my watch” comment. The players are into it, the coaches are into it, and the fans are into it. A great rivalry, sparked by a single great game.
Local pride
Sometimes sports rivalries are born out of elements that having little or nothing to do with sports at all. I maintain that the Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees would still hate each other even if Babe Ruth had never existed.
Why? City pride. The citizens of each make claims to their superiority. Boston played a huge part in the American Revolution, while New York has long been the hub of immigration in this country, the city of dreams for new Americans.
Local pride even played a part in the creation of one of college football’s best rivalries. The Michigan-Ohio State rivalry supposedly goes back to when Ohioans would call Michiganders “Wolverines,” then a derogatory term (still a four-letter word in my house).
The University of Michigan adopted the moniker as its own and has been hating Ohio State ever since.
That rivalry grew in 1973 when both teams entered their contest in the last game of the season undefeated. With a Rose Bowl berth on the line, the two played to a 10-10 tie. It was up to the Big-10 athletic directors to vote and decide which team would go to Pasadena.
Despite Michigan outplaying OSU in the tie, the conference voted 6-4 in favor of Ohio State. Rumor has it that Michigan State President Jack Breslin pushed MSU’s vote for the Buckeyes.
Subversive actions
This is quite possibly my favorite aspect of great rivalries because it can lead to so many wacky conspiracy theories. I’ll just cut straight to my example.
At the end of the 2005-2006 Premier League season in England, Tottenham had a chance to pip Arsenal for fourth place in the table, gaining entry to the UEFA Champions League in the process. All they had to do was beat West Ham United in their last match of the season and fourth place would be theirs.
Several Tottenham players were vomiting in the dressing room before the match, with an alleged case of food poisoning the culprit. The conspiracy theories began flying, with some fingers pointed towards their North London neighbors, Arsenal.
Spurs’ hotel was later cleared by the health inspector and manager Martin Jol admitted that a case of gastroenteritis was at fault. Still, the saga made for an interesting end to the season.
The greatest subversive action of all time comes from the aforementioned Michigan-OSU rivalry though. The drum majors in each band use the same style of baton, but used to order them from two separate manufacturers. The manufacturer that made Michigan's baton closed down, so they had to begin using OSU's company.
Now every baton that gets shipped up to Ann Arbor has "Go Bucks, Beat Blue" engraved on the shaft. This is why the Michigan drum major tapes the shaft of their baton.
When good rivalries go bad
Unfortunately, some fans have a tendency to take good rivalries too far. Fans let their political and religious differences into the equation, usually with ugly results. Sectarian and political violence, along with overt racism have tainted rivalries all over the world. At the risk of offending some readers, I will briefly mention a few instances.
Religious and political differences have reared their ugly heads at the Old Firm Derby, though efforts from Celtic FC and Glasgow Rangers have gone a long way towards reducing this. That rivalry has seen Catholicism vs. Protestantism as well as Unionism vs. Republicanism.
But again, many steps have been taken to change this, including Celtic’s Bhoys Against Bigotry program and the similar Follow With Pride program at Rangers.
A similar rivalry exists in Egypt, between the Cairo clubs Al Ahly and El Zamalek.
Thankfully there are several campaigns in sports designed to stamp out violence and racism at matches and keep rivalries just about sport.
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about 1 month ago
BUCK The F'EYES You mean ?
loved it mate - i think, Indo-Pak and UM-Buck .... are same intensity
funny how you know about indo-pak ?
i think .... Man U - Chelsea is more than Man U - Liverpool
loved this one - and hence am POTD'ing this shit -
you Spartan .... cheers
from about 1 month ago
The enemy of my enemy is my friend :)
But yeah, I'm at the point now where I'm trying to learn about cricket. Some of those tests get pretty intense!
Man U has quite a few big rivals. I just had to pick the big historical one, the reason why Sir Alex is trying to win a few more Premier League titles. But yeah, Chelsea, Arsenal, Man City, etc...success breeds jealousy and rivalries.
Thanks, LJS.
about 1 month ago
I can also think of Aus - NZ, the trans tasmanian rivalry in rugby
from about 1 month ago
Rafa-Federer is starting to become SPECTACULAR. I was glued to my set during Wimbledon.
from about 1 month ago
ofcouse Rodge - Rafa is huge, but i did not bring that because i thought we are speaking teams
Rodge - Rafa
Sampras Agassi
Seles - Graf
Borg Mcenroe
Senna - Prost
all are saucy !
about 1 month ago
Don't let a Liverpool fan read that, Long.
from about 1 month ago
That's why I threw Liverpool in there. Next-door neighbors, no love lost, two most successful English teams...but plenty of teams want a piece of Man U.
from about 1 month ago
ha ha -
i know yeah - cheers
from about 1 month ago
yeah -
Real - Man U is a another huge one
about 1 month ago
am sorry for spamming -
Aus England - The Ashes
from about 1 month ago
Damn, I don't know how I forgot about the Ashes. I'm a little embarrassed :)
about 1 month ago
Wow! Football, Futbol, baseball...dang, there was some research here, and my head is spinning. Not only is this POTD, it's pick of the week, and I'm coming back tomorrow to give it more picks. (Remind me, seriously, it's football Saturday and I'll forget...just leave a post on my bulletin board that says "reminder.")
One of the best pieces I have read here...some serious journalism. Hats off to you!
10 stars and two thumbs up. GREAT JOB!
from about 1 month ago
Thanks a ton for the kind words, Lisa. This article was a helluva lot of fun to research and write.
Rivalry games are what make sitting through cupcake matchups worth it. It's finally that time of year...
about 1 month ago
wow - something i did learn there - i did not know, thats right they paste over those god forsaken lines -
cheers - i second Lise, loved reading it - serious research - cheers
about 1 month ago
Nothing to add..Brilliant Joe, POTD.
from about 1 month ago
Thanks, Salaar!
about 1 month ago
Great article Joe. Can't disagree with anything I'm just glad you listed the United and Liverpool rivalry in the poll because that is a massive rivalry.
from about 1 month ago
Thanks, Jeff. That's one of the best rivalries out there.
about 1 month ago
Super article Joe, as always - Indo-Pak rivalry has mellowed over the years, but believe me - it's always nice to see India beat Pakistan at whatever, still - the rivalry is there, but not as much as it was before.. which to some, is a great pity.
from about 1 month ago
Thanks, Shyam. From what I understand, it's still one of the better rivalries in cricket. Sad to hear that it's mellowing though.
about 1 month ago
Fantastic article. POTD for me.
from about 1 month ago
Thanks, Guido.
about 1 month ago
I had planned on doing an ar_icle jus_ like _his one bu_ you did be__er _han I would have done. Grea_ job. I chose _he Yankees - Red Sox rivalry cuz i_s closer _o home for me. PO_D and 5 s_arz from me.
ps. i love _his new poll _hing. and I'm pre__y pissed of a_ Zander for re_iring _he le__er "_". especially since I need i_ for my name! lol.
from about 1 month ago
_hanks, _homas.
Still waiting for the next article in your rivalries series.
from about 1 month ago
sorry. i was planning on doing it next but its gettn busy. i'll let you know now though, the next one is gonna be the Milan derby.
from about 1 month ago
Ooh, good call. I almost mentioned Ronaldo as one of the few who has played (and scored) for both sides in the Milan Derby.
about 1 month ago
Great article mate ... India-Pak surely deserved a mentioned but as Shyam says it has mellowed down ... India-Aus rivalry is getting nastier though and gaining heat!
Great research work!
***** and POTD!
from about 1 month ago
Thanks, Dev.
Cricket definitely has some great rivalries. I suspect that a lot of them have to do with politics first and sport second, but I didn't want to make any such claims. India and Pakistan have fought before, plus the former British colonies...that could be another article in itself.
from about 1 month ago
One article?? It could be an entire encyclopedia on rivalry!! Once Indo-Pak cricket matches were called war without weapons though the indian willows and pakistani reverse swinging balls were very potent weapons! Indo-Pak is way beyond politics! But eh, not many people outside the subcontinent understand its basis, so its cool! But yeah, blame it on British colonialism...It was their "divide and rule" policy which divided the nation into two countries! Now lets just stick to sports here and not get into historical and political debates!
about 1 month ago
Excellent article Joe!!! I loved it from start to finish!!! I just hoped you would've mentioned the Cubs n Card or the Cubs n White Sox!!! But I'll forgive you this one time!! Hope to read some more articles in the future!!!
Cheers!!!
-Alex
from about 1 month ago
Haha, thanks Alex. There are far too many great rivalries to mention them all, but Cubs vs. Cards is one of my favorites. Two teams with a lot of history there.
about 1 month ago
Great article man. I voted other but I can't remember the names of the two Russian teams but the reports I've seen in the news when I read Pravada in the mornings pretty much reads like hell on earth. Gang warfare at its best. You do have good rivalries up here. I think I would have to agree that this could be an encyclopedia.
As a matter of fact, you should have seen me try to pitch the idea of using intelligence gathering tools in the football world to help crack down on violence. My thesis adviser was kinda weirded out that I wanted to study football and not some major US sport like college football. 5 stars and POD.
from about 1 month ago
That seems like a cool idea for a thesis though...football has more problems with fan violence than American football does. Thanks, Bela.
about 1 month ago
The Old Firm trumps all of these rivalries Celtic and Rangers are always the top 2 in the SPL and the fact that the city literally is divided into 2 sects with fans of one of the clubs. This rivalry is the only rivalry i know to have religion involved with a majority of catholics in glasgow bein Celtic fans and the majority of Gers fans being protestants its just that intense.
from about 1 month ago
I agree with you, Christian. The Old Firm is a very intense matchup between fans whose loyalties run deeper than football. I was reluctant to include a big blurb on it in my article though because I don't understand all of the religious tensions that have been historically part of the matchup, nor did I want to unnecessarily upset fans of either club by having them think that I was giving ALL Celtic or Rangers fans a blanket label as religious fanatics.
But you are right. The mere fact that the two are always contesting the SPL title alone makes for a great rivalry. Add in that they share a city, and the rival heats up. Religious differences push it to a whole new level. We have nothing like it in the States.
about 1 month ago
great article joe, brilliant stuff, a really insightful article on rivalries. another great rivalry is the one between persepolis and esteghlal in the iran pro league. i go to this match nearly every time i visit iran, and i have to say it is a truly fantastic game. there is always quality football, bust ups on the pitch, bust ups off the pitch, persepolis and esteghlal fans trying to get at each other and rip each other's necks out, police desperately trying to stop fans killing each other, and of course, the death threats for the referee who makes that wrong decision to win/lose the game for either side.
from about 1 month ago
Thanks, Yoosof.
I hadn't heard of that Iranian rivalry but I'll have to do some research into it. Any idea why it is so heated?
from about 1 month ago
not really to be honest, although i know it has got something to do with the fact that they are both the two most successful teams in iran and they are both based in the same city; the capital, tehran.
about 1 month ago
Wow, great article. 5 Stars and Pick of the day. I love how you included all sports including european soccer.
from about 1 month ago
Thanks a lot, Tommy. There are great rivalries in every country and every sport. This is just the tip of the iceberg.
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