| From college football to Major League | | | | contests. |
| Baseball, rivalries between teams have always | | | | |
| added excitement to fan experience. Many | | | | Every season a tandem of college basketball |
| teams are old rivals, while others have | | | | teams always stand out as among two of the |
| developed a competitive intensity more | | | | best in the nation. In North Carolina both on |
| recently. What teams have been fighting it | | | | and off the court, one college basketball |
| out for some time? Rivalries are at the | | | | rivalry dominates the region. The University |
| center of many fan's lives. Here's a quick | | | | of North Carolina and Duke, both members of |
| look at some classic ones. | | | | the highly competitive Atlantic Coast |
| | | | Conference (ACC), are located only 8 miles |
| College football has some of the most talked | | | | apart. Both schools possess myriads of |
| about rivalries in all of sports. To begin | | | | faithful fans that have traveled Tobacco Road |
| with, you have the heated battles between the | | | | year after year to see their teams fight for |
| Texas Longhorns and the Oklahoma Sooners. | | | | victory. |
| Being in neighboring states, they compete for | | | | |
| regional bragging rights and often the same | | | | Since 1990, the two clubs have a combined for |
| recruits. Over the years, there have been | | | | a total of eleven Final Four appearances. |
| many classic match-ups between the two teams. | | | | Those who follow the ACC certainly recognize |
| | | | the high profile contests that have defined |
| One of the biggest rivalries in college | | | | their rivalry. The Duke Blue Devils and North |
| football history is between Big 10 | | | | Carolina Tar Heels are synonymous with big |
| powerhouses Ohio State and Michigan. These | | | | name games, some of which they have won and |
| teams, that are usually nationally ranked, | | | | others they've lost. |
| are so well matched and competitive that the | | | | |
| winner is often determined in the final | | | | Off the court, these two teams also battle it |
| minutes and sometimes the final seconds of | | | | out by attempting to recruit some of the most |
| the contest. Consequently, when these two | | | | talented players in the nation. The Tar Heels |
| teams play, the game often determines which | | | | and Blue Devils often court the same players, |
| remains in the National Championship picture | | | | with coaching staffs jousting with each other |
| and which is out. | | | | for the finest players available. NCAA |
| | | | National Championships are the hallmark of |
| The South features the tough competition | | | | both these schools. If you enjoy excitement |
| between the Alabama Crimson Tide and the | | | | and hardcore college basketball at its best, |
| Auburn Tigers. From the days of Alabama's | | | | Duke and UNC are your ticket. |
| legendary coach Bear Bryant this has been one | | | | |
| of the most talked about match-ups on the | | | | In Major League Baseball, there is perhaps |
| gridiron. Both schools are in the same state | | | | the greatest rivalry of all sports. The New |
| and are highly competitive with each other | | | | York Yankees and the Boston Red Sox have |
| year in and year out. There have been many | | | | battled each other on the diamond since the |
| close, tight-knit games over the past century | | | | early twentieth century. The rivalry became |
| to prove it. The Tennessee Volunteers also | | | | heated in 1920 when the Red Sox sold the |
| have an active rivalry with these two teams | | | | game's greatest player, Babe Ruth, to the New |
| but nothing compares to the legendary hard | | | | York Yankees. From that point on, the |
| fought battles between the Tigers and the | | | | Yankees dominated the rest of Major League |
| Crimson Tide. | | | | Baseball, going on to win 26 World Series; |
| | | | while Boston, after Ruth departed, was unable |
| On the west coast, there is the University of | | | | to capture a single crown. |
| Southern California (USC) and the University | | | | |
| of California Los Angeles (UCLA) rivalry. | | | | Some people began to call Boston's |
| This competition has been dominated recently | | | | championship drought the "curse of the |
| by the success of Southern California and the | | | | Bambino." The trade of Babe Ruth, who was |
| strong teams they have produced over the last | | | | also known as the "Bambino," was supposedly |
| couple of years. Recently USC has taken to | | | | the reason why Boston couldn't win a |
| the field with Heisman Trophy winners Matt | | | | championship. But that all changed in 2004 |
| Leinhart and Reggie Bush, giving the Trojans | | | | when the Boston Red Sox were able to come |
| the edge. This next year we may see a shift | | | | back from three games down in the American |
| in power with UCLA coming to the forefront. | | | | League Championship Series and defeat the New |
| | | | York Yankees, and then go on to sweep the St. |
| The National Basketball Association has had | | | | Louis Cardinals in the World Series. |
| the classic battles of the Lakers and the | | | | |
| Celtics. For decades these two teams fought | | | | This was what Red Sox fans had been waiting |
| back and forth to determine who would take | | | | for, and now they're hopeful that they will |
| home the NBA crown. There were the great | | | | never have to hear about "the curse" again. |
| match-ups in the 60's and 70's of Wilt | | | | This has been one heck of a rivalry over the |
| Chamberlain and Bill Russell, which are | | | | years and odds are that it will continue to |
| legendary in the history of the NBA. | | | | be one of the best in sports. |
| | | | |
| The 80's hosted memorable post-season | | | | When there's an intense rivalry between two |
| contests between the Lakers' Magic Johnson | | | | teams it's always magnified by fan |
| and the Celtics' Larry Bird. Their | | | | enthusiasm. The fans are what make two teams |
| respective teams, with Bird running the court | | | | want to compete harder against each other, |
| and dishing off to Robert Parrish for a slam | | | | but it takes exciting, hard-fought games to |
| dunk or Kareem Abdul-Jabbar working the ball | | | | get the fans interested. Most great |
| inside only to pass back to Johnson for | | | | rivalries are not built on one or two good |
| three, produced some of the greatest moments | | | | contests, but over decades of excellent |
| in NBA history and will be talked about for | | | | games. |
| decades to come. | | | | |
| | | | There is no set number of games that teams |
| The meetings between the Chicago Bulls and | | | | must play in order to generate a rivalry. |
| New York Knicks produced another fine | | | | The fans and players together are the ones |
| rivalry. Michael Jordon with his extreme | | | | who decide what makes an ongoing, classic |
| athletic ability was the catalyst for tough | | | | rivalry. But one thing is for certain, there |
| contests in which the Knicks sometimes | | | | is nothing better than watching two, evenly |
| surprised the team from the Windy City; | | | | matched rivals battle it out until only one |
| although the majority of the time Jordan and | | | | is left standing. |
| company were on the plus side in these | | | | |