Let’s talk fierce rivalries.
One of the great things about sports is the teams and players we love to hate. The ones with whom we have built up rivalries over many years of competition or many years of banter, debate, argument and wagering with fans on the other side. There is a difference between a regional, conference or city rival and a team that you point to playing or whom you really have to beat to make your season. Some of those games or series transcend all else. And there are some teams that just get under your skin and you just have to beat them.
You know the big ones. These are the games that are “must-see” regardless of their records. You know, games including Army-Navy, Yale-Harvard, Ohio State-Michigan (and the days of Woody Hayes vs. Bo Schembechler), USC-Notre Dame (the Jeweled Shillelagh) and UCLA-USC (the Victory Bell). The excitement and bragging rights often travel regionally in such focused-on games as Texas-Oklahoma, Nebraska-Oklahoma, Oklahoma-OK State, Texas-Texas A&M, TCU-Texas, Florida-Georgia (Okefenokee Oar), Florida State-Miami, Florida State-Florida, Stanford-Cal (The Big Game), Missouri-Kansas, Georgia-Georgia Tech, Michigan-Michigan State (Paul Bunyan Trophy), Oregon-Oregon State (the Platypus trophy) and Grambling-Southern.
These are the tip of the NCAA football tradition iceberg that includes many rivalries that also reward the winner with historic trophies. These match-ups include Akron-Kent State (Wagon Wheel), Ohio State-Illinois (the Illibuck), Miami (Ohio)-Cincinnati (Victory Bell), Cincinnati-Louisville (Keg of Nails), Indiana-Purdue (the Old Oaken Bucket game), Minnesota-Wisconsin (Paul Bunyan’s Axe), Iowa-Minnesota (Floyd of Rosedale), Indiana-Michigan State (Old Brass Spittoon), Minnesota-Michigan (Little Brown Jug), Alabama-Auburn (The Iron Bowl), Arkansas-LSU (Golden Boot), Colorado State-Wyoming (Bronze Boot), Mississippi-Mississippi State (Golden Egg), Boise State-Fresno State (Milk Can), UNLV-Nevada (the Fremont Cannon), TCU-SMU (Iron Skillet), Concordia Moorhead-St. Olaf (the Troll) and so many more.
Does that get your football adrenaline up?
If not, how about local high school rivalries such as Danville-East Knox … the Devil-Dog game? Or how about Highland vs. Mount Gilead, or Mount Gilead-Cardington? Fredericktown-Centerburg? Mount Vernon-Delaware Hayes? Highland-Northmor? Can’t you just hear the dueling bands and competing fans in the stands out-cheering each other?
In baseball, perhaps Yankees-Red Sox to Cubs-Cardinals to Dodgers-Giants are the most storied, but right now, the Yankees don’t like the Astros much, and the Guardians aren’t too fond of the Bronx Bombers, either, so these could be the start of something big.
In basketball, an old-time rivalry is Lakers-Celtics (or Wilt Chamberlain-Bill Russell to Magic Johnson vs. Larry Bird), but Pistons-Bulls, Knicks-Heat and Warriors-Spurs in the NBA might not hold a candle to such NCAA basketball rivalries as Duke-North Carolina, North Carolina-NC State, Kentucky-Louisville, Kansas-K-State, Syracuse-Georgetown, Cincinnati-Xavier and any Ohio State-Michigan or Michigan State game in any sport. And don’t forget UConn-Tennessee (NCAA women’s basketball) and any mix-match game between Women’s Division UConn, Tennessee, Notre Dame, Baylor, Louisville, South Carolina and more.
In the NFL, there is always Packers-Bears, Commanders-Cowboys, Steelers-Ravens, Browns-Steelers, Browns-Bengals, Rams-49ers, Chiefs-Broncos and others.
And the NHL starts with Canadiens-Maple Leafs and Red Wings-Blackhawks or any Original Six teams squaring off, but also includes Blue Jackets-Penguins, Islanders-Rangers, Red Wings-Avalanche, Penguins-Flyers or Pens-Caps, and internationally, there is nothing like Canada-Soviet Union ... unless it is Finland-Sweden.
Frazier-Ali may be the high-water mark in boxing, but Sugar Ray Robinson-Jake LaMotta, Joe Louis-Max Schmeling, Manny Pacquiao-Juan Manuel Marquez, Thomas Hearns-Marvin Hagler, Sugar Ray Leonard-Roberto Duran and Evander Holyfield-Riddick Bowe weren’t too shabby.
In tennis, we’ve had Connors-McEnroe, Lendl-McEnroe, Navratilova-Evert and Federer-Nadal. In golf, we have had Snead-Hogan, Palmer-Nicklaus and Tiger Woods-Phil Mickelson, and in soccer, you can count Manchester United-Liverpool, Real Madrid-FC Barcelona or Brazil-Argentina. In auto racing, Foyt-Andretti-Unser brothers, Richard Petty vs. David Pearson, Dale Earnhardt vs. Jeff Gordon and Ford-Chevy. Even in horse racing, you had War Admiral-Seabiscuit, Alydar-Affirmed and Swaps-Nashuah … the list goes on in all sports.
Rivalries can be geographic, interfamily, intra-family, former friendship, or can stem from many other things. They can originate in your community to the next town or block over. They can be against that team that stole one game from you or one you can’t ever seem to beat. They can be real or imagined slights. But they are the fabric of sports.
Go out there and wear your school or team colors or logos and trash talk that team on the other side for bragging rights. Hope you win this one.
Did we catch your favorite rivalry or did we miss it? Who do you love to hate and what do you think are the best rivalries? Let me know at mike.blake@mountvernonnews.com.
