It's just what it sounds like: what's the best ______? "Best" is such a subjective word and that's really the point -- let's get you guys talking! If this works, there will be intelligent, thoughtful debate on the day's topic. And if it doesn't work, well, back to the drawing board.
From the moment we became sports fans, we've been conditioned to hate the uniform. It started early with the Dodgers. Being Giants fans, no matter who played for LA, we had to hate them. Take the entire Giants 25-man roster, put them in Dodger Blue and we'd root against them any day of the week.
And while the Giants-Dodgers is a pretty decent rivalry, there are some out there that tear apart families, torch friendships and make you shit blood. (That last one we made up. We have been trying to work "shit blood" into a post for like two months now).
The best rivalry in sports?
Some things to consider:
-Length of rivalry (how much time has it spanned?)
-Geography
-Team's success
-Hatred between fans
Here's how we'd go:
5. Auburn-Alabama football
4. Giants-Dodgers
3. Michigan-Ohio State football
2. Duke-Carolina hoops
1. Yankees-Red Sox
So?
21 comments:
Cal-Furd
Rangers - Islanders (hockey)
Rangers - Devils
Oilers - Flames
Shaq - Kobe
In hockey, Leafs-Canadiens has a long pedigree, although the Leafs ongoing suckage has sort of killed that one. As a Habs fan growing up in the '70s, my most hated were Boston and Philadelphia, and since those were the two teams Montreal met in the playoffs this year, clearly there is still some life in those old rivalries.
You include Dodgers/Giants but leave off Cards/Cubs? Be careful, your coastal bias is showing...
Missouri/KU is another good one as it goes all the way back to the civil war.
Yankees-Sox is an overblown creation of ESPN and other Media. OSU-Michigan is #1
Lehigh-Lafayette...college football's most played rivalry.
Harvard/Yale has to be the oldest.
Oklahoma - Texas
How many scrotums have been maimed due to the other rivalries you mentioned? I thought so.
http://www.nbc5i.com/sports/13968715/detail.html?better_headline
Scoreboard.
As a central Ohio native, NO, OSU/UM is not the biggest rivalry in sports.
On a smaller level, the oldest college football rivalry west of the Allegheny Mountains is the heated Cincinnati/Miami University annual slugfest.
Hatred between fans counts for a lot.
1. Rangers - Celtic - you guys don't know WTF rivalries are if you think Yankees/Sox is heated. There are at least a dozen football rivalries that trump anything in America...I'll let this stand for all.
2. Auburn - Alabama
3. OSU - Michigan
4. Yankees - Red Sox - the hate was there before the worldwide leader hype. I'm not a Yankees fan and I hate the Red Sox, their fans and that whole fucking city.
5. Missouri/KU - That really is a blood feud, but they lose points for relevance
Californian's aren't capable of hating like NYers, so no way the California versions of Giants - Dodgers can even match the NY version, even 50 years after the fact. There are are 70 year olds out here that still hate.
Raiders - Charges/Chiefs/Broncos has more hate (when the Raiders were good) than Giants - Dodgers. On that note, I'm surpried that no one has picked an NFL rivalry.
Rangers - Islanders had some all time heat, especially when both teams were good, but that died with the Rangers' cup and the Islanders' (and hockey's) irrelevance.
Lehigh-Lafayette
Game #144 is this year. Rivalry started in 1884 and played every year since 1897. It's the longest continually played rivalry as well as the most played.
Harvard/Yale started earlier but they have played fewer games and they have played uninterrupted only since 1945.
If you type "the rivalry" into Wikipedia, you get the Lehigh-Lafayette rivarly. 'nuff said.
Blackhawks-Red Wings
Oilers- Flames
Leafs- Habs
lots of good international soccer ones:
us-mexico (relatively new though)
germany-holland
ac milan-inter
barcelona-real madrid
on the other hand shouldn't the rays-marlins be a good rivalry that is crap?
Bokolis is right, Celtic/Rangers is the most fierce rivalry in the world. Catholics vs. Protestants in Ireland, yikes.
I'll throw two Indiana ones in the mix.
Colts/Patriots for this decade has been fierce, the two best teams in the AFC. Also, Indiana-Purdue is pretty good, but has been better in basketball.
Wow, I haven't seen Raiders/Steelers, the Colts/Patriots of the 70's, or Niners/Cowboys, the best NFL rivalry in the 90's. Those two rivalries are two of the best the National Football League's ever seen.
Arlington HS - Stanwood HS (Washington) Football
Stilly Cup
These teams fight more than the UFC.
Seriously though...
Minnesota - Michigan football is a good rivalry with a cool trophy that trades hands.
Army vs. Minnesota gridiron. Nothing beats it man.
I gotta agree with Todd on the stilly cup. Its pretty well known as the biggest rivalry for high school ball around the states. Those students get into to more dog fights than Vick.
5. Auburn-Alabama football
*No one out of the South cares
**May I suggest Redskins-Cowboys
4. Giants-Dodgers
Two Terrible fan bases so, no one cares
**May I suggest Canucks-Leafs
3. Michigan-Ohio State football
Check
2. Duke-Carolina hoops
Check
1. Yankees-Red Sox
Check
You use the success of the teams as a criteria, and nobody even mentions Nebraska-Oklahoma? The only thing that tarnishes this rivalry is the fact that they no longer meet annually. Fuck you very much, Big 12 conference.
The Cal/Washington crew rivalries are pretty prolific and have lasted a long time.
I would move Yanks/Sox down to 4, put Duke/Carolina at 2 and OSU/Michigan at 3. #1 is probably a Euro soccer rivalry but I don't know any of the teams. One to watch in the future is Cubs/Brewers.
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