The Greatest Rivalry in Sports

Ladies and...well...you guys, I am here today to set the record straight. I know, some will fight me to the death on this, but I would just like to point out that it would be a losing fight for my opposition. The greatest rivalry in sports is not the Yankees/Red Sox. If you were to say that it’s OSU/Michigan football, you would be wrong again. The greatest rivalry in sports is now, and will always be, UNC/Duke on the hardwood.First things first. To have a true rivalry, there must be two teams that play each other at least once every season, that go after the same recruits/free agents every year, and, most importantly,absolutely HATE each other (the hatred has to be between the players too, not just the fans). Any fan can hate another fan, but hatred between players: that makes a rivalry.

Now, let's start with the schedule makers, the easiest ingredient in a rivalry. Any two teams in the same division in the pros and in the same conference in college (for the most part) will play each other at least once a year. The people in charge of making money should see to that. For instance, every year in Big Ten football, each team does not play every other team in the conference. Don’t ask me why, that’s an issue for another time and place. But could you ever see the television people or the conference not scheduling an OSU/UM game during the season? They don’t care if Penn State is going to play Indiana or Northwestern any given season, but every year you will see the Nittany Lions playing the Spartans of Michigan State for the Land Grant Trophy. *(quick side note, if you have a trophy that is won every game in your rivalry, it isn’t a true rivalry. The teams are playing for the trophy, not just to beat the other team.)*

Moving on to the players themselves, I think all pro sports get crossed off the application for rivalry based on the players. As a free agent in any pro sport, players will go for either the money or the chance to win a title. A former Steeler would play for the Browns or Ravens if the price was right or if one of those other teams had a better chance of contending for a Super Bowl. That doesn’t happen in college. I seriously doubt I will ever in my life see a player decide he doesn’t like the University of Texas anymore, and then transfer to Oklahoma or A&M. Pro athletes will change teams like they change their clothes, but in college, that is not how things work.

In baseball, Roger Clemens and Johnny Damon both played for the Red Sox and then moved on to the Yankees. Damon was the only one who went straight from Boston to New York though, which makes his defection even more wrong…if it was a true rivalry anyhow. Rivalries in the pros are about the fans. Red Sox fans hate Yankee fans, but the Red Sox players don’t always hate the Yankee players.

That brings me right back to the most important aspect of a rivalry, hatred. For a true rivalry to exist there must be true hatred. The fans hate the fans, the players hate the players, the parents hate the parents…alright, you get the idea. This is why, along with the factors discussed above, Duke/UNC is the best rivalry in sports. Everyone hates everyone, from the fans to the players to the people working the concession stand. Every single basket creates a rush of emotion in both fan and player. Every single loose ball could mean the difference between a win and a loss, and that shows on the faces of the coaches, players, and fans alike.

Take Wednesday night’s game for instance. When two players were on the ground wrestling for a jump ball (and I mean wrestling, not pulling at the ball), even after the ref blew the whistle to stop play, neither would let go. Why would they do that? It’s because they want that ball. They don’t want the other team to have that ball. It’s their ball, the other team had it, and now they are going to take it back! It wouldn’t surprise me to one day see UNC getting beat by 20 on its home floor and one UNC player pick up the ball and say, “I’m taking my ball and I’m going home,” just so the Blue Devils couldn’t score any more points with it.

These kids sleep outside the stadium at Duke to make sure they get the best seats; and not just overnight, some of these kids will sleep outside for weeks (during the semester). They even named the group of tents “Krzyzewskiville.” I think Will Blythe said it best in his book entitled To Hate Like This is to be Happy Forever. Blythe, a 3rd generation Tar Heel stated, “I am a sick, sick man. Not only am I consumed by hatred, I am delighted by it…”

Duke and UNC are only 8 miles apart. Imagine...the group of people you hate most as players and fans live 10 minutes down the road. They could be outside your house right now painting your door that horrible “Carolina Blue” color!

Now THAT is a rivalry.