The Best Sports Rivalries

I watched some of the Duke vs. North Carolina game and it made me think I should write this post.  I know, I know.  This won't be the first article that asks this question, but we have yet to delve into this topic here at BERNing.

So without further ado, which is the best rivalry in sports?

Without even thinking I have come up with the following nominees for the best sports rivalry:  (And really, if I have to think about it, how good a rivalry is it anyway?)

In no particular order:

• Duke vs. North Carolina
• Michigan vs. Ohio State
• Yankees vs. Red Sox
• Bears vs. Packers

There are other good rivalries in sports, but there aren't any that are really better than these.  The games between these teams every year are events, not merely games.  They are usually nationally televised, and have so much history behind them.  They are rivalries that define their respective sports.  Now I present what makes each rivalry great.  You decide which you think is the best.

Duke vs. North Carolina

They wear two different shades of the same color, their schools are separated by just eight miles, and they are perennially two of the best teams in college basketball.  Their match-ups every year are two of the most entertaining games of the regular season, and sometimes we're lucky enough to get a third match-up in the ACC Tournament.  North Carolina is a public school, Duke is a private school.  But the commonality between the two is that both teams reload with top flight talent year after year and neither school is usually making headlines for the wrong reasons.  They have legendary coaches, from Dean Smith, to Mike Krzyzewski, to Roy Williams.  Legendary players have been part of this rivalry, from Michael Jordan to Vince Carter, to Christian Laettner (in college) to Grant Hill.  There is a ton of history on tobacco road, and both teams absolutely hate each other.  It's not like in other sports where the players play with each other in other forums (like the Olympics or the World Baseball Classic) where some of the players might be friends.  These guys hate each other, and the intensity shines through in ever game between Carolina and Duke.

Michigan vs. Ohio State

When a new coach gets introduced at either school, they are presented with three goals: win the Big Ten, win the National Championship, and beat their arch rival.  They recruit players from each other's states, and that just fuels the fire when a great Columbus high school player goes to Michigan or a great talent in Ann Arbor goes to Ohio State.  They've had the great coaches through the years, and a great rivalry just from those men on the sidelines.  Woody Hayes and Bo Schembechler hated each other, and tried to run up the score on each other.  It's a game each year filled with venom, and extremely passionate fan bases nationwide.  And until the last couple years where Michigan has struggled, this was usually the game that decided which team went to the Rose Bowl, as both teams have always been great powers.  Countless football legends have played in the games, and both schools have served as factories for NFL talent, from good players to hall-of-famers.  It's the best college football has to offer, and spices up the regular season every November.

Yankees vs. Red Sox

Maybe it's been diluted a bit over the last few years with the unbalanced schedule.  After all, these two clubs now play nineteen regular season games against each other and often meet again in the playoffs.  But still, this rivalry has had it all, starting with the sale of Babe Ruth to the Yankees to fund a show.  Ever since then, the Red Sox futility and the Yankees dominance of baseball only fueled the rivalry more, as it added the "evil empire" tag to the Bronx by the Fenway faithful.   And it has had amazing moments, from Bucky F. Dent, to Aaron F. Boone, to the incredible comeback by the 2004 'Sox (coming back from three games down in a best of seven series) to not only bypass the Yankees but win their first world series in 86 years.  Now that the Red Sox have won two crowns since the Yankees last title, the rivalry has manifested into a a game of "one-upsmanship".  Which team will land the bigger free agent?  Which team has the better rotation, or the better lineup or the better bullpen?  These two teams have been the gold standard in baseball, although not at the same time, for a long time.  And the fact that they're always battling it out for the division makes it juicier and juicier every year.

Bears vs. Packers

This rivalry would be better if both teams had been better recently.  This was really a much better rivalry in the days of Vince Lombardi and George Halas.  The Bears were racking up NFL Championships like they were going out of style back in the day and the Packers were winning usually when the Bears weren't.  Then the Pack started winning Super Bowls, the first two of all-time and a third in 1996, while the Bears earned their only crown in their dominating and famous 1985 campaign.  The rivalry has always been defined by its toughness, its defense, and its rough and tumble brand of football since its beginnings.  Not to mention the proximity of both teams, just a couple hours drive away.  The Packers have had great quarterbacks, with Bart Starr and Brett Favre.  The Bears have had great runners, like Red Grange and Walter Payton.  The Bears have had great defenses too, with the likes of Dick Butkus, Richard Dent, and really anyone on that 85 defense.  Even though the games haven't meant as much recently with both teams not often competing for the playoffs the same year, the intensity is always there and even when one team is struggling a win over the rival can make their season.