A sports rivalry is intense competition between athletic teams or athletes. This pressure of competition is felt by players, coaches, and management, but is perhaps felt strongest by the fans. The intensity of the rivalry varies from a friendly competition on one end to serious violence on the other that, in one case (the Football War), was suggested to have led to military conflict. Team owners typically encourage rivialries as they tend to improve game attendance and television ratings for rivalry matches, but a rivalry that gets out of control can lead to fighting, hooliganism, rioting and some, with career ending or worse, fatal consequences. Often the topic of sports rivalries is as heated and controversial as politics and religion.
Rivalries stem from various sources. Simple geographic proximity as well as frequent meetings in important games can lead to rivalries. Social and political tensions can also be played out by proxy in a sports rivalry, as when the Indo-Pakistani political conflict spills over to an India-Pakistan cricket match, or when Glasgow's sectarian differences are expressed in the Celtic-Rangersderby (known as the Old Firm derby). Rivalries of the friendlier sort are common between college athletic programs in the United States and often involve pranks that rival student bodies play on each other, such as stealing the other school's mascot or painting school colors somewhere on the opposing school's campus.
In some leagues rivalries are officially regarded as important games and the winner gets an unusual prize (i.e. grill, trophy, high-definition television,etc.)
^Claiming his title was stolen, an emotional Oliva challenged Schwarzenegger to a posedown at the 1973 Mr. International and to a weightlifting contest on TV's The Tomorrow Show, but the future California governor kept his cool and declined both duels. The Myth and the Oak's Nixon-era rivalry remains one of the greatest in bodybuilding history.Merritt, Greg. "15 biggest controversies and shocking moments in bodybuilding history" (February 2006). {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
^They fought three times with two of the brawls considered among the greatest fights in history..."The 10 greatest rivalries". ESPN.com. 4 January 2000. Retrieved 13 April 2010.
^Dyer, R. A. (2007). The Hustler and the Champ: Willie Mosconi, Minnesota Fats, and the Rivalry that Defined Pool. Guilford, CT: Lyons Pr. ISBN9781592288830.
^Dyer, R. A. (2003). Hustler Days: Minnesota Fats, Wimpy Lassiter, Jersey Red, and America's Great Age of Pool. Guilford, CT: Lyons Pr. ISBN9781592281046.
^Wanderone, Rudolph "Minnesota Fats" (2006 [orig. 1965]). The Bank Shot and Other Great Robberies: The Uncrowned Champion of Pocket Billiards Describes His Game and How It's Played (rev. ed. ed.). Guilford, CT: Lyons Pr. ISBN9781592287017. {{cite book}}: |edition= has extra text (help); Check date values in: |year= (help); Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)CS1 maint: year (link)
^"Pictures of Coppi and Bartali are seen just as often. They hang in cycling shops, butcher shops, banks and shoe stores. The images and what they stood for have not been forgotten. The riders once divided the country, and they held social and political significance."JULIET MACUR (May 18, 2009). "Long-Ago Rivalry Still Stirs Passion at the Giro d'Italia". New York Times. Retrieved 16 February 2010.
^"Cycling is not supposed to be a contact sport. Wrestling, yes. Rugby, yes. Cycling, no. But on a July afternoon in 1964, two Frenchmen rode up a mountain in a way unseen before or since. They literally went shoulder to shoulder, riding side by side, leaning into each other, neither yielding, in a tumultuous battle for supremacy that would decide the outcome of the 51st Tour de France.""Great Sporting Moments: Jacques Anquetil v Raymond Poulidor, Tour de France, Stage 22, Brive to Puy de Dôme, 10 July 1964". The Independent. London. 16 July 2009. Retrieved 16 February 2010.
^"Obree's early career was marked by his rivalry with Englishman Chris Boardman in the mid-1990s. But for Obree to reach that position to challenge the Olympic gold medal winner was a victory of determination over adversity."Gordon Cairns. "Graeme Obree: Homegrown Hero". BBC News. Retrieved 16 February 2010.
^"At the Albertville Olympics in 1992 the Russian pairs came third and fourth in the ice dance, but this was purely a precursor to another kind of rivalry. Usova and Zhulin were an item, Grischuk and Platov were not. After the Olympics, Usova walked into Spago's restaurant in Hollywood, caught her husband sharing a cocktail with Grischuk, and promptly punched her rival in the face."Matt Tench and Jamie Jackson (3 November 2002). "The top 10 greatest rivalries in the history of sport". London: The Observer. Retrieved 16 February 2010.
^This spring marked the 20th anniversary of one of the best classics series ever in American horse racing: 1989, featuring Sunday Silence and Easy Goer. Although well-publicized at the time and compared to the rivalry of Alydar and Triple Crown winner Affirmed, the contests between Sunday Silence and Easy Goer deserve to be remembered on their own merits."Racing History: Sunday Silence and Easy Goer". Hold Your Horses Magazine. Retrieved 13 April 2010. [dead link]
^Tasker, Norman (2005). State of origin: twenty-five years of sport's greatest rivalry. Caringbah, New South Wales: Playright Publishing. ISBN0949853933. {{cite book}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
^"How Formula One today could do with a rivalry as bitter and compelling as this one. Two of the greatest drivers of all time, pitted repeatedly against one another. Stylistically they were different, but essentially it was personal."Matt Tench and Jamie Jackson (3 November 2002). "The top 10 greatest rivalries in the history of sport". London: The Observer. Retrieved 16 February 2010.
^Foyt and Andretti were never friends, but neither were they enemies. Ayrton Senna and Alain Prost, by way of contrast, were oil and water. Or maybe gunpowder and a match is a more apt characterization. Their relationship was contentious enough while they were on separate teams, but paired together at the height of McLaren's F1 supremacy, they formed the ugliest - and most perversely compelling - rivalry in motorsports history."Great Rivalries: Racing's Best Rivalries". Automobile Magazine. Retrieved 13 April 2010.
^Alone at the top - For 2000, Millen's biggest rival, Nobuhiro Tajima will not be competing in the Unlimited Class. Instead, Tajima will bring a new vehicle to the Pikes Peak Open Class. While the overall title is still up for grabs, the six-year rivalry for the class title has ended."Above the tree line -- Rod Millen Shoots For 10-Minute Barrier". motorsport.com. June 29, 2000. Retrieved 12 February 2010.
^He won what many historians consider to be the greatest Isle of Man race of all time, the 1967 Senior TT. That event pitted him against archrival Giacomo Agostini. "Ago," on the MV Agusta, faced off against "Mike the Bike," on the blazingly fast but ill-handling four-cylinder Honda."Mike Hailwood". Motorcycle Hall of Fame. Retrieved 12 February 2010.
^A great rivalry existed at the height of Sheene's career between him and American racing legend Kenny Roberts. A big show was sometimes made of the pair's battles, which was depicting as a bitter fight between two racers who almost hated one another."Barry Sheene". Retrieved 12 February 2010.
^Rainey's intense rivalry with fellow American and 1993 world champ Kevin Schwantz was the stuff of legends. Their careers progressed together as did their mutual hatred of each other and whether it was in American national races, the Transatlantic Trophy in England or the GPs, they only cared about beating each other, even if that meant coming last and second last.Stuart Barker (18 May 2009). "I Love The 90s". Visor Down. Retrieved 12 February 2010.
^The comparisons are inevitable. Both are Italian; both are multitime world champions fighting for the MotoGP title, as well as the favor of the mercurial and powerful Italian press. Their every move is studied, forcing both to seek refuge in foreign countries."Forever In The Shadow". Sports Rider Magazine. February 2009. Retrieved 12 February 2010.
^""The rivalry with Pearson was strictly trying to beat each other," Petty said. "There were no confrontations or anything. With Allison, it got to be more personal. We got into personal arguments. You didn't need to with Pearson.""David Newton (August 29, 2008). "Top rivalries marked by crashing cars, flying fists and swinging helmets". ESPN.com. Retrieved 16 February 2010.
^"Surpassing these and others is a rivalry forged not so much out of jealousy or bitterness, as much as it was two giants immersed in a supreme struggle for supremacy, because winning is the name of the game. To this observer, the greatest NASCAR rivalry of all time was the ongoing tussle between the man they called “The King,” and the ever sly “Silver Fox.""They Call Him "The King," Part III- The Greatest Rivalry". December 27, 2009. Retrieved 16 February 2010.
^"The feud reached a boiling point during the final three laps of a 1972 race at North Wilkesboro (N.C.) Speedway. Petty was leading on Lap 367 when Allison drove low to make a pass. Petty cut him off, using another car to block."David Newton (August 29, 2008). "Top rivalries marked by crashing cars, flying fists and swinging helmets". ESPN.com. Retrieved 16 February 2010.
^"This rivalry was defined by the last lap of the 1979 Daytona 500. Cale Yarborough was fighting Donnie Allison for the lead when, as Yarborough recalls, he was shoved into the infield grass. He somehow steered his car back onto the track and slammed into the side of Allison's car, spinning both out."David Newton (August 29, 2008). "Top rivalries marked by crashing cars, flying fists and swinging helmets". ESPN.com. Retrieved 16 February 2010.
^"The hatred Allison and Yarborough shared for Waltrip was no secret in the garage. "We had been friends, and I had helped him early in his career," Allison said. "In fact, I had built cars for him before he got into the Winston Cup stuff. But he didn't want to be friends. It just kept us from cooperating on any kind of an effort that would have been good for both of us.""David Newton (August 29, 2008). "Top rivalries marked by crashing cars, flying fists and swinging helmets". ESPN.com. Retrieved 16 February 2010.
^That tussle of 1994 between Russell and Fogarty was the making of the sport as a spectacle that could attract millions. The Brit vs Yank, hard-knock lad vs spoilt brat head-to-head the media constructed around the 1994 season guaranteed an unprecedented level of exposure for Superbikes.Kevin Sampson (26 May 2001). "Ordinary hero". London: The Guardian. Retrieved 13 April 2010.
^"Tennis has thrown up more than its fair share of compelling rivalries, but none compares with this perfect contrast of talent and temperament. Bjorn Borg: brilliant baseliner, cool Swede, unflappable and sexy. John McEnroe: sublime volleyer, brash New Yorker, volatile."Matt Tench and Jamie Jackson (3 November 2002). "The top 10 greatest rivalries in the history of sport". London: The Observer. Retrieved 16 February 2010.
^"If Borg v McEnroe was brief but glorious this was protracted and nearly as good. Again there was the contrast in styles, but this time between two players who dominated for more than a decade."Matt Tench and Jamie Jackson (3 November 2002). "The top 10 greatest rivalries in the history of sport". London: The Observer. Retrieved 16 February 2010.
