Tonight, college basketball’s classic rivalry renews itself again with a match-up of North Carolina vs. Duke.
This game is one of the best rivalries across all of sports, as both students and fans, young and old, tune in to the highly anticipated game.
These rivalries exist in all fields of competition. Sometimes geographic location sets the stages for these teams. Other times, the team’s history provides the backdrop for these games.
No matter what, these match-ups are always entertaining.
In the NFL, the traditional rivalry is the Green Bay Packers and Chicago Bears. However, as years have gone on, divisional rivalries have sprung up and have a life of their own. For example, the Washington Redskins and Dallas Cowboys share a rivalry, while the Pittsburgh Steelers have highly contested games with division foe, the Baltimore Ravens.
In baseball, the unquestioned greatest rivalry is the Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees. While both teams play in the same division, it is their history that makes them rivals, as each has had great controversies, successes, and failures while playing against one another.
The NBA also features a classic rivalry: the Los Angeles Lakers and the Boston Celtics. Like the Red Sox and Yankees, these teams share a long history against each other, beginning with classic games in the 1980’s where both teams put Hall-of-Fame players on the court against each other.
In the NHL, expansion has been rampant throughout the course of league history, causing franchises to move or new ones to establish themselves. However, the NHL boasts its “Original 6” teams, which composed the league when it first began in 1942. Those teams have had long established rivalries, and for all intensive purposes, the Chicago Blackhawks and Detroit Red Wings are one of the most well-known competitors.
No matter what sport it is, rivalry games always make it more interesting.
Our question is, what is the best rivalry in sports?
