I'm not knowledgeable to know about rivalries in all sports, but it interests me. The only thing worse than not having a big rival is having a one sided rivalry, where your biggest rival doesn't care very much about you (sorry, Detroit Lions fans, I assume you're in one of those groups). I also believe that rivalries can change over time, and reasonable people can disagree.
There are a couple ways to look at this. 1. If your team could only beat one other team, which one would it be? 2. If your team was out of it, what's the team you'd most root against?
* In my opinion, the Packers biggest rival st this time is the Minnesota Vikings, not the Chicago Bears. I would say that was true even before that redneck from Mississippi made the trek east on I-94 (with a stop in NYC in between).
* The Milwaukee Brewers biggest rival is either the Cubs or the Cardinals. It's hard to decide which. I think I personally would choose the Cardinals, but it's close. I'm sure the Cubs don't reciprocate, and I wouldn't be surprised if the Cardinals didn't either.
* I don't know enough about the Milwaukee Bucks to know if they even have a big rival. Looking at their Central Division opponents, I don't think they do.
* Wisconsin Badgers is hard. I'm leaning towards the Minnesota Golden Gophers in football (Paul Bunyan's Axe!) and the Marquette Golden Eagles in basketball, but I'm not passionate about either one.
Originally posted by Mr. Boffo* In my opinion, the Packers biggest rival st this time is the Minnesota Vikings, not the Chicago Bears. I would say that was true even before that redneck from Mississippi made the trek east on I-94 (with a stop in NYC in between).
This. In the past 20 years, the Packers & Vikings alway seem to be good at the same time. The Bears' (rare) peaks feel like they coincide with the Packers' valleys. (I still love ragging on the Bears at any and all opportunities, but that's as much because my brother is a diehard Bears fan.)
The Roughriders have many rivals (not hard in an 8 team league), but in the last few years the Calgary Stampeders have pulled ahead of the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, fueled by their consistent success and Henry "Douchebag" Burris.
It is the policy of the documentary crew to remain true observers and not interfere with its subjects. "This topic is going to suck to read in three years." -Psycho Penguin "Well. Shit." -hansen9j
Mr. Boffo: I always felt that the Badgers biggest football rivals were Michigan, but I guess it would be Minnesota, considering the axe is on the line every year.
Marlins: Tough to say. I used to think it was the Braves, but they've had some heated games with the Mets the past few years.
Jaguars: Gotta be the Colts. EDIT: Oh, and the Steelers.
Grizzlies: None that I'm aware of.
Ducks: I would say Red Wings because of their playoff history, but like most of my teams, geographically, I'm pretty far away from them to be in the thick of what most of the fans think.
Originally posted by geemoneyMr. Boffo: I always felt that the Badgers biggest football rivals were Michigan, but I guess it would be Minnesota, considering the axe is on the line every year.
I guess I was trying to find a rivalry that could possibly reciprocated. Wisconsin-Michigan I think will always be a distant third to Michigan-Michigan State and Michigan-Ohio State.
Wisconsin/NW has become a pretty good rivalry in football, but yeah Wisconsin/Minnesota is actually longer running than Michigan, and they're bordering states I think.
my pro teams have no rivals because rivalry denotes competitiveness and the Browns and Indians aren't. In the day, the Yankees and Orioles, Steelers and Broncos.
What a fun question! I like reading about lesser-known rivalries and how they develop.
USF doesn't have a lot of rivalries developed in football, being only 12 years old, but they've developed a nice history with West Virginia, with a couple big games being played between the two and USF scoring a big upset in Morgantown a few years ago. USF fans also hate Rutgers, and in fact I'd have to say that is USF's biggest rival, but I doubt it's really reciprocated on Rutgers' end; it's mostly because Rutgers has beaten USF five straight years, with the games getting more lopsided every season. Oh and Rutgers beat USF while USF was ranked No. 2 in 2007 on a total bullshit penalty call - it was called on a replay! What the hell! Yeah USF probably wouldn't have gone undefeated anyway but that penalty, taking back what would have been a go-ahead touchdown late in the game, derailed their season. Fucking Rutgers.
UCF and USF fans have a minor feud that carries over to all sports, but, like USF-Rutgers in football, it is so incredibly lopsided in USF's favor that I can't really consider it much of a rivalry.
The Patriots' (my favorite team) rivals right now are obviously the Jets. And the world. When the Seahawks (my geographical team) were in the AFC West all of those intradivision rivalries (Chiefs, Broncos, Chargers, Raiders) were very intense, but now their "rival" seems to be the "hot NFC West team du jour", currently Arizona. Though 'Hawks fans have a special venomous place in their hearts for the Steelers after Super Bowl XL.
The Mariners don't really have a rival. When the Yankees come to town that's probably as close as it gets to a "hateful" rivalry, but that was hotter when the Mariners were good a few years ago and they played the Yankees in the playoffs a few times. There are competitive rivalries with the Rangers, Angels, and A's but there isn't really a good level of hate there.
We used to have a rivalry with the Trail Blazers and a good hate for the Lakers. (Insert derogatory comments about Clay Bennett, Howard Schultz, and David Stern HERE.)
The BIGGEST sports rivalry in the Northwest right now is Washington Huskies/Oregon Ducks. We hate them. They hate us. Washington State is *supposed* to be our rival and they are but in a "big brother/little brother" way - we play them for the Apple Cup at the end of every season but they are often the plucky underdogs trying for an upset. Huskies/Ducks is the most hate-filled college rivalry on the west coast, and it isn't really close for second-place.
Holy fuck shit motherfucker shit. Read comics. Fuck shit shit fuck shit I sold out when I did my job. Fuck fuck fuck shit fuck. Sorry had to do it....
*snip*
Revenge of the Sith = one thumb up from me. Fuck shit. I want to tittie fuck your ass. -- The Guinness. to Cerebus
My Montreal Canadiens: The rivalry with the Maple Leafs is well known, dating back before the Great Depression if I'm not mistaken. Definitly an all-time sports rivalry. Other than them, we also have rival in the Boston Bruins (especially during/after the 70's). The Ottawa Senators MIGHT reach a certain level of rivalry, but our traditional ones have always been 1) The Leafs. 2) The Bruins.
My Montreal Expos: Didn't really have any, although near the end we hated the MLB establishment and the players union for what they did in 1994.
My Chicago Cubs: After the death of my Expos, I took some time to heal. After a few years I started rooting for the Cubs. I admit I do not know of their "main" or historical rivals as of yet. There are few Cubs fans in Ottawa, so I have no one to tell me stories and the like.
My Buffalo Bills: Any team in the AFC East.
(edited by El Nastio on 12.5.10 0131) You know, I really don't know what to put here. Close your eyes and thank of something funny!
The Eagles, like the rest of the civilized world, hate Dallas. Eagles fans are also not too fond of the Giants, but there's more respect there, not the open loathing we have for the Cowboys. There's a bit of cross-state rivalry with the Steelers too.
Phillies fans hate the Mets, although that particular rivalry has cooled off a bit in recent years since the Phils have been doing well and the Mets, um, haven't. And yes, we do hate the Yankees too, but no more or less than the rest of MLB does.
I'm not really a hockey fan, but I know the Flyers and Penguins hate each other -- the cross-state thing again. The Flyers are generally disliked around the league, a sort of "no one likes us, we don't care" (tm Millwall) situation.
The Sixers are too pathetic and disorganized to have a rival.
(edited by Shem the Penman on 18.5.10 1252) "The object of persecution is persecution. The object of torture is torture. The object of power is power. Now do you begin to understand me?"
Originally posted by geemoneyMr. Boffo: I always felt that the Badgers biggest football rivals were Michigan, but I guess it would be Minnesota, considering the axe is on the line every year.
I guess I was trying to find a rivalry that could possibly reciprocated. Wisconsin-Michigan I think will always be a distant third to Michigan-Michigan State and Michigan-Ohio State.
Fifth, Michigan-Notre Dame would be third (maybe even second) and Michigan-Minnesota (while pretty one-sided) is a trophy rivlary. And it's also possible that Michigan-Penn State would be higher than Wisconsin.
So with Michigan out of the way, the rest would be:
Detroit Red Wings: Chicago, Pittsburgh, the Avs and Leafs (both retired).
Detroit Tigers: Those g'damned, horseshoe-up-the-butt Minnesota Twins. Thank god they're at least out of that friggin' dome. Chicago as well, hell put Chicago down in everything.
Detroit Lions: No actual rivlaries really, just a bunch of resentment and bitterness towards everyone else in the NFC North. And we of course hate the Cowboys.
The ones that resonate in the area the most are every iteration of Detroit-Chicago (to us, Chicago fans are insufferable, superiority-complexed, arrogant jackasses), the Penguins rivlary as we not only see it as against Cindy Crosby but as against Gary "I Destroyed the NHL" Bettman, and Michigan-Ohio/Michigan State.
Michigan against the SEC: 20-5-1 (7-3 in bowl games)
Blues: We hate pretty much everyone in the central division (especially Detroit and Chicago, but especially Detroit). However I think the only team that may reciprocate is Nashville
Rams: It used to be the 49ers when they were in LA, but now it may be Arizona with their past connection with St. Louis
Cardinals: Cubs
Iowa Hawkeyes (alma mater so I can claim them): Iowa State in everything, in football add Minnesota and lately Wisconsin seems to be heating up a bit
Missouri Tigers (team I loved growing up though Iowa has surplanted them due to collegiate education ties): Kansas in basketball, Nebraska in football, not sure if either of those are reciprocated.
Lisa: Poor predicatble Bart, always picks rock Bart: Good ole rock, nothing beats that
Originally posted by BoromirMarkthe Penguins rivlary as we not only see it as against Cindy Crosby but as against Gary "I Destroyed the NHL" Bettman
So Detroit loses one Cup to the Pens after winning one from them the previous year, and now your suddenly rivals?
Wow.....let it go.
It's not winning then losing the Cup against them. It's not the Penguins franchise itself, or the city of Pittsburgh. Hell, I love Pittsburgh and have friends there. I'd move there from Detroit if I could.
No, the reason why we in Detroit now loathe the Pens is because of Cindy Crosby and Gary Bettman: Cindy's whiny, childish, crybaby attitude and playing style combined with his absolute refusal to give the Red Wings any credit at all. He continuously denigrates the team in interviews, ignored our captain Nick Lidstrom for the customary post-series handshake, and never once acknowledged that gee, maybe the Wings won that first Cup because they were better and earned it.
As for Bettman, do you even need reasons why we hate this guy? He's killing the NHL. He's stuck all the games on a network no one gets, cares, or knows about. He won't make any deal at all with ESPN. He shuns Canadian markets for hot-weather American cities that don't care for hockey. He's stuck the Wings in the friggin' Western Conference, killing the Toronto rivalry and ensuring the only Original Six team we ever see is Chicago (instead we get to play such luminaries as the "Blue Jackets" and "Coyotes"). But most important of all, instead of marketing or advertising or even paying the littlest amount of respect towards the Wings, Bettman sits and fellates that little pipsqueak Cindy. And we're not going to stand for that.
So with Cindy's mere presence, combined with the fact Bettman has made the Pens his anointed team of choice, yeah the hockey fans in Detroit hate the Penguins right now. Which is sad because otherwise, we'd be brother cities in arms: we hate Ohio and Cleveland, we're blue collar industrial cities, and we have great sports history.
(edited by BoromirMark on 19.5.10 1145)
Michigan against the SEC: 20-5-1 (7-3 in bowl games)
Three years of one player and a lousy commissioner make for a pretty lame "rivalry."
Oh, but maybe if you call him "Cindy" a few more times it will make it truly epic! What else is a sports rivalry if it's not calling male players by female names that sound like their own?!?
I wonder if fans of the WNBA insult opposing players by calling them by men's names?
Originally posted by TheBucsFanOh, but maybe if you call him "Cindy" a few more times it will make it truly epic! What else is a sports rivalry if it's not calling male players by female names that sound like their own?!?
I dunno, I can kind of see it. Bertha Favre has a nice ring to it...
It is the policy of the documentary crew to remain true observers and not interfere with its subjects. "Well. Shit." -hansen9j
Originally posted by BoromirMarkNo, the reason why we in Detroit now loathe the Pens is because of Cindy Crosby and Gary Bettman: Cindy's whiny, childish, crybaby attitude and playing style combined with his absolute refusal to give the Red Wings any credit at all. He continuously denigrates the team in interviews, ignored our captain Nick Lidstrom for the customary post-series handshake, and never once acknowledged that gee, maybe the Wings won that first Cup because they were better and earned it.
As for Bettman, do you even need reasons why we hate this guy? He's killing the NHL. He's stuck all the games on a network no one gets, cares, or knows about. He won't make any deal at all with ESPN. He shuns Canadian markets for hot-weather American cities that don't care for hockey. He's stuck the Wings in the friggin' Western Conference, killing the Toronto rivalry and ensuring the only Original Six team we ever see is Chicago (instead we get to play such luminaries as the "Blue Jackets" and "Coyotes"). But most important of all, instead of marketing or advertising or even paying the littlest amount of respect towards the Wings, Bettman sits and fellates that little pipsqueak Cindy. And we're not going to stand for that.
>He continuously denigrates the team in interviews<
I highly doubt that. Sid is well known to constantly go out of his way to never say anything negative about anyone while being interviewed. That's one of the reasons Bettman likes him so much.
>ignored our captain Nick Lidstrom for the customary post-series handshake<
Holy crap, are Red Wing fans STILL bitching about that? Sid got hung up with a network interviewer on the ice asking him questions. It wasn't his fault or done on purpose that he was late to the handshake line.
>and never once acknowledged that gee, maybe the Wings won that first Cup because they were better and earned it.<
I don't recall ever hearing the Penguin players (including Crosby) making up reasons and excuses on why the Red Wings beat them. It was pretty much a known fact in Pittsburgh that Detroit was the better team and deserved to win. On the other hand, I also don't recall the Red Wings players coming out and saying the Pens were the better team either when the Pens beat them for the Cup.
As for Bettman, I'm totally with you on everything you say about him.
I was sixteen years old, living in Scarborough. I did a 65KM bike trip to my then ex-girlfriends' place to return her copy of "Starship's Greatest Hits" on cassette tape that I had borrowed from her.