Rivalries

One topic that is frequently discussed on all sports media is rivalries. Which rivalry is the best in college football? Is the Yankees-Red Sox rivalry the best in baseball? And these questions go on and on and on. They go over every sport and even compare rivalries in different sports against each other. Why are rivalries so important? There is an extra burden placed on rivalry games. I’ve always found this to be interesting. Fans get up for the game more than any other, and the teams usually respond to that feeling.

To start, we need to know what makes a rival become a rival. Sometimes it is location. Other times it is because the teams are in the same division. A lot of the times, those two criteria are put together, as in the Penguins-Flyers rivalry in the NHL. These teams absolutely hate each other. They are in the same state and in the same division. There is nothing greater than reminding your rivals that you are better than them. Ask any Flyer fan how they feel when you remind them of the last time they won Lord Stanley’s Cup. I will give you a hint, they will either hang their head in shame or they might punch you in the face (remember, Philly fans are violent). The rarest would probably be the rivalries that come from historic meetings, like the Lakers-Celtics in the NBA.

The main topic I want to discuss is an interesting dilemma that popped up in my mind the other day:

If you could remove your rival from your league, would you?

I found this so interesting when I thought of it. At first, I was like “Hell yeah! Kick them out!” If I could get rid of a team I hated, then my team would never lose to them again. I would never have to deal with their idiotic fanbase. I would  be free and clear of ever hearing people talk smack about how my most hated team beat my team.

But, then I really thought about it. I would be removing some of my favorite games to watch. There is nothing quite like watching the Cy-Hawk football game in the fall for me. I’m on edge the entire time. I feel nervous and excited, like nothing you can feel outside of sports. Isn't that kind of emotion the reason we watch sports to begin with? The feeling of losing to your rival is a kick to the groin like nothing else. However, when you beat your rival, the euphoric feeling is better than anything you can experience.

Sports provide such a large range of emotion, and I think rivalries are some of the best parts. Yes, it would be nice for probably a year to get rid of a team like Manchester United, but in the end I don’t think it would be worth it. I want those feelings of euphoria, and to get those I will need to start doing coke experience some of those heartbreaking lows.