Great Sports Rivalries

The 3 Most Popular Team Rivalries In The NFL

admin — Sat, 20 Apr 2013 00:00:00 +0000

Whether it’s for reasons of geography, familiarity or just traditional, the NFL has a number of hotly-contested and always-anticipated rivalries. Probably the most heated current rivalry is the hard-fought battles between AFC North foes Baltimore and Pittsburgh. With Baltimore’s recent Super Bowl victory, the 2013 meetings will no doubt take on even more intensity. They split their two meetings in 2012, with three points being the margin in each game. Overall, there have been 37 matchups between the two, the Steelers holding a 21-15 edge.

The NFL’s oldest rivalry is between NFC North adversaries Chicago and Green Bay. They first played in 1921 and have faced each other 187 times and the 92-89-6 slight edge to the Bears demonstrates how closely-fought this iconic rivalry has been. As a result, even the overall point total in the rivalry (including two postseason meetings) is remarkably close with the Bears scoring 3,168 points to 3,110 for the Packers. This averages out to 16.9 ppg for Chicago, 16.6 for Green Bay.

Since “Cowboys and Indians” are traditional rivals, it only stands to reason that Dallas and Washington would share a natural dislike for each other. Long described as the “NFL’s top all-time rivalry,” the NFC East foes have clashed 106 times since 1960, with the Cowboys holding a 62-42-2 advantage. Recognizing the intense fan interest in the rivalry, the NFL has scheduled Dallas-Washington fifteen times on Monday Night Football, with Dallas having the slightest of edges, 8-7.

Red Sox Rivalry and the Curse

www.greatsportsrivalries.com — Wed, 23 Jan 2013 00:00:00 +0000

Few sports rivalries even come close to the one held between the Boston Red Sox and the New York Yankees. Their rivalry is so well-known that even other countries where baseball is known – say Japan – are familiar both with the strife and the curse.

To understand it better, we must journey back to the early 20th century to the time of baseball greats like Babe Ruth. The curse was said to have begun when Babe “The Bambino” Ruth was sold to the now-rivals of the Sox – the Yankees.

Prior to that fateful day and the curse, the Red Sox were one of the undisputed best teams in baseball history. Every challenger that stepped to this mighty team fell in a blaze of defeat – there was just no stopping them.

However, shortly after the deal was made, the Red Sox experience what some could only describe as a curse. Possessed by an almost supernatural inability to make it to the World Series, it would be a long and terrible 86 years before they finally made it out.

And sure, despite the alleged “lifting” of the alleged curse, the rivalry still runs hot today. If you’re a super fan like most, you get your sports through direct.tv; really pay attention, next time. Watch the teams take their positions, watch how they approach one another.

They may start out professional, but there is hate in those eyes.

The 10 Greatest College Sports Rivalries

www.greatsportsrivalries.com — Tue, 10 Jul 2012 00:00:00 +0000

When it comes to sports rivalries, colleges have that market cornered with very long histories and colorful stories. Rivalries come with passion and hatred from both schools for each other. We’ll take a look at the greatest rivalries in college sports today.

10. Louisville and Kentucky – The Cardinals and Wildcats have had a storied basketball rivalry for years.

9. Brigham Young University and Utah – Called the “Holy War”, these two colleges are only separated by a 45 minute drive.

8. USC and Notre Dame – This rivalry has been around for 86 years, The USC Trojans have dominated in recent years. This is the biggest rivalry in terms of distance between the two schools.

7. Indiana and Purdue – The Indiana Civil War, north (Purdue) and south (Indiana) have a rivalry intense as any other.

6. Florida and Florida State – This was one of the biggest SEC rivalries during the 1990s. It was Bobby Bowden versus Steve Spurrier in a coaching shootout every year during that period.

5. Army and Navy – A classic and long-standing rivalry between these two branches of the Armed Forces goes back over 100 years.

4. Oklahoma and Texas – The “Red River Rivalry” is an annual tradition since 1900, with the Longhorns leading the Sooners 59-42-5.

3. Auburn and Alabama – One of the oldest SEC rivalries and also one of the most intense. The “War Eagle!” cry was originated during this storied history by Auburn fans.

2. Duke and North Carolina – Both campuses are eight miles apart from each other which intensifies this storied basketball rivalry.

1. Michigan and Ohio State – The “Nine Year War” from 1969-1978 is what made this rivalry click. With Bo Schembechler’s Wolverines against Woody Hayes’s Buckeyes, this was a very heated rivalry year after year.

The 10 Greatest Professional Sports Rivalries

admin — Sat, 07 Jul 2012 00:00:00 +0000

Los Angele Dodgers Vs San Francisco Giants

This is an intense rivalry in the National League West.

Los Angeles Lakers Vs Boston Celtics

These are two of the most popular teams of all time in basketball.

New York Yankees Vs Boston Red Sox

As two historic teams, they both go at it every year.

Muhammad Ali vs Joe Frazier

With the Fight of the Century, Ali-Frazier II, and the Thrilla in Manila, these two fighters definitely had a rivalry.

Arnold Palmer vs Jack Nicklaus

These two golfers duked it out almost every Sunday on the PGA tour.

Andre Agassi vs Pete Sampras

Tennis was exciting every time these two players stepped on the court.

Tiger Woods vs Phil Mickelson

As two of the best golfers of this generation, they both went at it for several years.

Oakland Athletics vs. San Francisco Giants

This local rivalry has gone all the way back to the 1989 earthquake where the A’s won.

Chicago Bulls vs. Detroit Pistons

With Michael Jordan always winning, Detroit still always made it a great fight.

Manny Pacquiao vs Floyd Mayweather

This is by far the most anticipated rivalry of all of sports without even having one fight yet.

5 College Football Rivalries That Have Shaped The Sport

admin — Wed, 04 Jul 2012 00:00:00 +0000

College football is all based on tradition. The strongest, most traditional rivalries have essentially shaped the sport and made it what it is today. Although there are some flourishing rivalries now, they can’t stand the test of time over these.

Georgia vs. Florida

The worlds largest cocktail party can get a bit messy, but when it comes to SEC country, it is one of the best and best rivalries currently played today.

USC vs Notre Dame

Two traditional powerhouses travel across the country to meet each other, and although they don’t play in the same conference, it does make for a national relevant game, even if each of the schools have had their own situations in the past few years.Additional information can be found at http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1236456-lsu-football-why-les-miles-must-beat-nick-saban-on-2013-recruiting-trail.

Michigan vs. Ohio State

Sports Illustrated and ESPN have named this rivalry not only the best in college sports, but in all of sports in general (ahead of Yankees/Redsocks and Bears/Packers). This not only is due to the legendary coaches, but the fans themselves.

Alabama vs. Auburn

This heated rivalry in the heart of SEC country often has something to do with at least the SEC championship, if not more.

Texas vs Texas AM

Although the two are no longer in the same conference, this helped shape the sport of college football.

Ohio State Vs. Michigan: College Football’s Greatest Rivalry

www.greatsportsrivalries.com — Tue, 03 Jul 2012 00:00:00 +0000

For as long as sport fans can remember, the Ohio State University rivalry between the neighboring state’s University of Michigan team, has been an ongoing battle. The Michigan Wolverines, along with the Ohio Buckeyes, have made it known how much they dislike the opposing team. This is more than just a friendly rivalry. This rivalry is considered a big deal and an even bigger game. Each year, this match-up, is both teams’ final game of the season. With sell-out crowds, it is a game no one wants to miss! To keep both teams happy, the location of where the game is held rotates each year. You can find a quick rundown here Regardless of its location, it always is a sellout. Those who are fortunate enough to have tickets can sell them and make a hefty profit. Those wanting to attend the game are usually willing to throw down a significant amount of money in order to do so.

Since the states are so close to each other, it is no surprise that the attendance of the games is almost split evenly between each teams’ fans. The Buckeye fans will sport their red and white attire, while the Wolverine fans wear their maize and blue colors.

The Most Famous Rivalry In The History Of Sports

admin — Sat, 30 Jun 2012 00:00:00 +0000

American sports have had many popular rivalries over the years: Muhammad Ali versus Joe Frazier, Boston Red Sox versus New York Yankees, and Michigan versus Ohio State. But one of the most heated American sports rivalries is the North Carolina Tar Heels versus the Duke Blue Devils.

Separated by just eight miles down “Tobacco Road”, Duke University and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill are two of the nation’s premier academic institutions. Duke plays the role of the private, elite, “rich” school while UNC is the public, “university of the people”.

While the rivalry spreads to all sports, it is most intense in the men’s basketball program. Both teams are highly accomplished historically as two of the top five winningest teams in college basketball history. Both teams have had tremendously talented players throughout the years, such as Art Heyman, Christian Laettner, and Shane Battier at Duke and Phil Ford, James Worthy, and Michael Jordan in Chapel Hill.

The rivalry has seen tremendous comebacks, such as UNC’s 11 point comeback in just three minutes in 2005, and last second victories, such as Austin Rivers’ three pointer as time expired.

Both teams look to be strong again this coming season.