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The Top Seven Sports Rivalries of All Time

April 27, 2007

by William Karas

“Yan-kees suck! Yan-kees suck! Yan-kees suck!” It’s a simple cheer. But it takes on a whole new level when 35,000 fans are yelling it at the top of their lungs. As I watched the Boston Red Sox overturn a three-run deficit to the New York Yankees with back-to-back-to-back-to-back home runs, I stopped for a moment to look around the whole stadium and take in the unique experience that is a Red Sox-Yankees game.

As a native Houstonian, I was able to take in the encounter in a more neutral manner. However, it quickly became hard not to get soaked up in the passionate Red Sox fever which was displayed Sunday night.

That’s when I thought to myself, outside of politics or war, what other concept in the world can have such a large collection of people so feverishly share such a strong sentiment. Where else can 40,000 people feel the same hateful sentiment for another group of people without their countries being involved in some kind of political conflict?

For any sports fan, a rivalry tends to be the most exciting time of the season. It’s the date that everyone has circled on their calendars. For some, a regular season encounter between fierce rivals can contain more passion and intensity than a playoff game.

However, while I watched the madness that surrounded the Yankees-Red Sox series, I thought to myself, what are the greatest rivalries in the history of sports? What makes a rivalry great? Which aspects of the game have the capability to transform a simple game into something more?

Following the game, I came up with the following list. It’s subjective and broad.filled with all types of sports from all over the globe.

The following, in my opinion, is seven of the greatest rivalries in the history of sports.

Boston Red Sox vs. New York Yankees

I’m pretty sure that I would have been attacked by the local community if I didn’t include this one and with respect to their opinions, you won’t find one top ten list in the world without the Boston Red Sox versus the New York Yankees.

A modern day Sparta versus Athens, New York is the classical, pompous empire while Boston is known as the rowdy, rabel-rousers who have the fans with the most passion.

Ever since the Babe himself took the trip down to New York in 1919, the hatred between the two cities has been so thick you could cut it with a knife.

Yankee fans have always looked down on the Red Sox, continuously citing their 26 World Series Championships as proof of their dominance over the Red Sox.

However, Boston fans finally got their sweet revenge, when the Red Sox overcame a three game deficit in the 2004 ALCS to beat the Yankees and go on to win their first World Series Championship in 86 years.

By far, when looking at the history of American sports, one cannot name a better rivalry than Red Sox and Yankees. Whether it is David Ortiz versus Derek Jeter, Jason Variety over Alex Rodriguez or Dirty Water versus New York, New York, this rivalry will continue to provide us with special memories for decades to come.

UNC vs. Duke

Few will argue that professional sports in America have a tough time competing with college in sports in terms of atmosphere.

With school pride on the line, a good old-fashioned college rivalry will have even some of the countries’ most famous figures returning to support their alma maters. When looking at the college game, look no further than UNC-Duke basketball.

The basketball-crazy state of North Carolina anxiously awaits this encounter every season, with tickets reaching prices of up to $2,000 on Ebay.

Since the first game in 1924, UNC has had the advantage in the rivalry winning 127 times to Duke’s 96. Students camp out months before the game for tickets and whether it be the classic days of Michael Jordan or Grant Hill, or the more modern days involving Shane Battier and Antawn Jamison, this rivalry, always go down to the wire.

Today the two teams boast two of the most respected coaches in college basketball, Mike Krzyzewski and Roy WIlliams. Their teams consistently churn out NBA prospects.

While the Red Sox and Yankees might own the title of best professional rivalry in America, the Blue Devils and Tar Heel’s earn the right as the greatest collegiate rivalry in America.

Boston Celtics vs. Los Angeles Lakers

Before I even get into this rivalry, I want you to know that there is no way the majority of Americans put aside a few days a year to watch Kobe Bryant break Delante West’s ankles with his drives. But awhile back—and frankly, much too long ago—these two franchises practically made the NBA.

While fan’s these days salivate at the prospects of seeing Lebron James and Dwyane Wade match up, fans back then were thrilled when the great Larry Bird, Kevin McHale, Magic Johnson, and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar stepped onto the court.

The rivalry was magnified even more by the fact that Johnson and Bird had been duking it out since college, and while the rest of the NBA watched in awe, these two dynasties showed us why the game of basketball can be so special. The rivalry’s roots lie in the ’60s, when Bill Russell’s Celtics owned the Lakers for the better part of a decade.

But 20 years later, the team would meet three times in four years, with the Lakers winning the two championships. The Lakers claimed their spot in history as the only away team to ever win a championship in the storied Boston Garden.

These two teams have squared off in some of the best sporting games ever, making ESPN Classic games nearly every single time they hit the floor. This was the classic definitiion of two teams who absolutely loved to go at it and respected the hell out of each other.

What makes this rivalry even more special is the fact that the current NBA will probably never have two teams with that much Hall of Fame talent face off every year in the finals ever again.

Glasgow Celtic vs. Glasgow Rangers

No, Larry Bird did not have a stint in Europe. We cross the pond that is the Atlantic Ocean for a rivalry that goes past where most American rivalries stop: religion and politics. Scotland’s two powerhouse soccer teams, Glasgow Celtic and Glasgow Rangers have been at each others throats for more than half a decade.

The two teams have had a monopoly over the Scottish Premier League and with them, we have witnessed some of the uglier moments in sports. This rivalry does what no sport should do: it brings religion into the game.

Celtic, with their green and white bars have always been linked to the predominately Catholic community in Ireland and Scotland. The Rangers have continuously represented the Protestant roots of Scotland.

The rivalry known as the “Old Firm” has become infamous for its sectarian roots and tension. Consequently security is also insanely high when the teams meet. In the 374 meetings since 1888, Rangers have won 148 games while Celtic has won 134. The two teams have drawn 92 times.

India vs. Pakistan

Staying outside of U.S. borders, the word “rivalry” takes on a whole new meaning when one looks at the ultra-fierce competition between India and Pakistan on the cricket field.

Besides the fact that the two nations share a border, the constant political tension—most notably the grueling battle for the Kashmir province—has always made games between the two countries more of a political statement than a sports game.

Since cricket is the most popular sport in both countries, their encounters take anywhere between eight hours and a week and are full of intensity. A match in 1999 was actually delayed for three hours due to an invasion on the field by the majority of the 65,000 fans in attendance in the stadium grounds in Calcutta.

The teams have usually been evenly matched. However, India has the luxury of winning the last Cricket World Cup ncounter between the two in South Africa in 2003.

John McEnroe vs. Bjorn Borg

Between 1978 and 1981, these two opposite ends of the tennis world played each other 14 times and split their contests right down the middle, with each winning seven matches.
Out of the four grand slams they met in, McEnroe went on to win three. However, the rivalry isn’t as much defined by the records of the athletes, but more the personalities.

Borg was a pretty-boy that had the fans in the palm of his hand. His eloquent style of play combined with his status as a sophisticated, attractive Swede made him a favorite amongst tennis aficionados.

If Borg was an ultra-sleek Ferrari, McEnroe was a loud, boisterous Corvette. An aggressive, fast-paced volley specialist, McEnroe contrasted the Swede with his fierce temper and his sarcastic, defensive New Yorker personality. The best and worst in McEnroe would come out when matched up against his arch-nemesis. However, after the premature retirement of Borg, McEnroe admitted that tennis just wasn’t as fun.

FC Barcelona vs. Real Madrid

Last, but most definitely not least, is the century old rivalry between Real Madrid and FC Barcelona, two of the most storied clubs in the history of world soccer.

Whenever you have the two of the best clubs in the world match-up against each other, you’re bound to have some excitement. What Celtic and Rangers lacked in style of play and overall success in Europe, the “Superclasico” more than made up for them. Between them, they boast 47 La Liga Champions and 11 champions league titles. The match brings one of the largest TV audiences for a sporting event yearly with more than 70 million people in over 25 countries tuning in yearly to watch the event.

Madrid has won the encounter 66 times, slightly edging out Barcelona’s 58 wins. The team’s have also drawn 30 times. However, while the game boast’s a wealth of superstars and some of the most beautiful soccer on display, the true essence of the clasico is in the political tension that surrounds it.

The game pits the Castilians of Madrid against the Catalans of Barcelona, and the two regions different political beliefs are definitely evident in every encounter. Fans of Madrid generally think the residents of Barcelona to be liberal leftists in search for a reason to secede from Spain, while Barcelona fans see Madrid as conservatives with possible ties to the Franco regime.
The political tension between the two regions of Spain have spilled over into the game and as result, the teams have developed an intense hatred for one another. To give you an idea of how much these fans hate each other, look at Portuguese star Luis Figo.

In 2000, newly elected Real Madrid President Fiorentino Perez promised to sign the Barcelona star if elected to office. Upon his election, Perez shelled out a world record fee to bring Figo to the center of Spain in a Johnny Damonesque transfer. Upon his return to Barcelona with Madrid, Figo was jeered and had to see beer bottles, mobile phones, and even a dead pig’s head thrown at him.

What Rivalries Are Next?

So next time you see yourself watching an intense rivalry, whether it be here or some other far corner of the earth, think about the effect that game has on its fan base. If it exceeds the realms of a stadium or even a city, if it spills over the sporting line and into politics, religion, business, or geography, you might have found yourself a rivalry worth paying attention to.