Greatest Sports Rivalries

[Wicker Man]

Ok think of the most heated rivalries regardless of the sport where the teams or individuals have an actual hatred for each other almost. Sadly Pro-Wrestling is a performance although I am a big fan but it has no place here. Ok heres mine!

1.New York Yankees vs. Boston Red Sox
2.Muhammad Ali vs. Smokin Joe Frazier
3.Denver Broncos vs. Oakland Raiders
4.Los Angeles Dodgers vs. San Francisco Giants
5.New York Rangers vs. New Jersey Devils (When Hockey Was Played Long Ago!)
6.Ohio State Buckeyes vs. Michigan Wolverines
7.Muhammad Ali vs. George Foreman
8.Los Angeles Lakers vs. San Antonio Spurs
9.Green Bay Packers vs. Minnesota Vikings
10.Detroit Pistons vs. Chicago Bulls

 

[Krokus]

I think it's safe to say the pistons and pacers will be rivals from now on..LOL

 

[Wicker Man]

Yeah but the Pacers better hope that fan who was on the court and took two punches dead to the face from that Pacer AND IT DIDNT EVEN PHASE HIM!!!! doesnt buy a ticket!!! 😀

 

[JoBelle]

The Saints versus thier fans?

 

[giggleygirl25]

Buffalo vs. Miami

Browns vs Ravens

i'll think of more...too tired right now

 

[slacker2114]

As a Steelers fan, I can name quite a few...

Steelers and the Raiders (remember the 70's?)
Steelers and the Browns (division rivalries rule!)
Steelers and the Patriots (I don't wanna talk about it )

And more locally for me, in minor league hockey...the Philly Phantoms and the Hershey Bears (hockey, old school style)

 

[Mitchell]

It hasnt been this way for a while, but for several years in the 80s and 90s, there were long time sports rivalries that lasted as much as 10 years.
From 1991 to 1998, a big rivalry was Chicago Bulls vs New York Knicks, as many times when Michael Jordan played, the Bulls were usually responsible for ending the Knicks season in either the Eastern Conference Semis or Eastern Conference finals. The one time Jordan didnt play, the Knicks ended the Bulls season, and ended up in the NBA Finals.
Again, an old rivalry, but an important one. In the 80's, LA Lakers Vs Boston Celtics when Pat Riley coached the Lakers, and KC Jones coached the Celtics. The Lakers beat Boston twice in the Finals in the 80s, and until the first time they did in 1985, Riley was obsessed with defeating Boston in the finals, which he finally did in 1985.
There were also rivalries in the 90s for a few years between the Miami Heat and Knicks when Riley left New York to coach the Heat, and also between the New York Mets and Atlanta Braves for about four years in the late 90s, when the Mets could never seem to beat Atlanta in any important late season meaningful game. That rivalry may heat up again in 2005, if the baseball pundits are right.
The rivalries listed by others earlier in this thread are huge ones, especially the Yanks Red Sox one, which took a turn last season with the Sox stunning ALCS victory over the Yankees, and World Series win for the first time in 86 years. I have a feeling that one will continue for a long time, and be very heated this year, as I know the Yankees will have it on their minds to want to whoop the Sox in the playoffs, to pay them back for last year, and en route to another WS title.

Mitch

 

[Coffee]

Everyone forgot the best rivalries....

Army-Navy
Rangers-Islanders
Alabama-Auburn

 

[toyou444]

The Saints versus thier fans?

Amen...amen.

~ toyou

 

[Wicker Man]

Aw stop complaining Saints fans! Ya got Brooks,McAllister and Horn what more do ya need? (joking of course!) 😀

 

[toyou444]

Aw stop complaining Saints fans! Ya got Brooks,McAllister and Horn what more do ya need? (joking of course!) 😀

Hey...we won a playoff game...once...a few years back...(sob)..

Good thing I also root for them there Steelers!

~ toyou

 

[Dowson]

Hmmm. The greatest sporting rivalry... Easy. Newcaslte Utd. Vs Sunderland AFC
The Geordies Vs The Mackems
Tyne vs Wear
need I say more...

 

[HuskyMarcher]

Some more from various sports

The ones I know are:
Basketball - Duke vs. UNC (myself being a Duke fan)
AHL Hockey - Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins vs. Philadelphia Phantoms (Pens being my hometown team....Pens also knocked Philly out of the playoffs last year, and just recently beat them twice in Philly)
NHL Hockey - Flyers vs. Devils (I reference the year Lindros came back from a long hiatus for the series against the Devils, and the Devils knocked him out cold on the open ice, right before he went to the Rangers)

Those are the only ones that I can come up with off the top of my head. Couldn't resist throwing in the AHL one, though...I'm particularly proud of that one 🙂

 

[gargoyleofdusk]

Calgary-Edmonton (hockey and football)
Boston-Montreal (hockey)
Dallas-Washington (NFL)
Michigan-Ohio State (NCAA football)
Red Sox-Yankees
Best boxing rivalry with class - Arturo Gatti vs "Irish" Mickey Ward

 

[unclebill]

Chicago Cubs-St. Louis Cardinals, baseball. Any other rivalry simply does not matter.

 

[daddy]

Well, I am a huge NBA fan, and in the day I use to love the Laker-Celtic rivalry even though it wasn't a heated one, but rather one of performance to prove who was the best. Some classic games in the vault from that one. I must admit I do like the NEW Laker-Heat one that is starting though...I smell some hate there!!! LOL

peace out,
daddy

 

[Wicker Man]

Daddy im not really a basketball fan but I think and youd know of course that the Lakers and the Heat arent in the same conference. Usually hated rivals are in the same divison like the Yanks/Red Sox bloodfeud. How many times a year would the Heat play the Lakers...thats my (respectful) point.

 

[daddy]

Oh yes wickerman, I understand that most rivalries are usually from the same region/conference/division...but that is not neccessarily true in all instances. I mention the Laker/Heat one because of the Kobe-Shaq indifference. Each player wants to prove they can survive and win without the other, and believe me...their teammates look forward to the challenge to which makes it even more interesting and intense. I do know what you mean though and to watch the playoffs in baseball last year was just an awesome experience (if you're a Red Sox fan!!!)

peace out,
daddy

 

[Knox The Hatter]

Calgary-Edmonton (hockey and football)
Boston-Montreal (hockey)
Dallas-Washington (NFL)
Michigan-Ohio State (NCAA football)
Red Sox-Yankees
Best boxing rivalry with class - Arturo Gatti vs "Irish" Mickey Ward

That it took a Canadian to mention Redskins/Cowboys is truly curious. Back in the early 80s, it was the biggest rivalry on the continent, and it was bigger then than any NFL rivalry today. Even fans who were fans of other teams always had a horse in this one...

 

[Dowson]

Well as a brit...and a huge Cowboys fan i was gonna mention that obvious rivalry in my previous post...but i wanted to make a soccer reference instead...

 

[DEV]

Can we count WWF vs. WCW?

 

[Nige]

Man Utd v Liverpool. From the Uk, I think thats it for me. 🙂

 

[Wicker Man]

No Pro-Wrestling Dev! If we bend the rules for you wed have to do it for everyone. Besides Bob Backlund retired years ago! 😉

 

[natural tickler]

Cubs-Cardinals cannot make it any simpler. The hatred between the two is incredible. I have been to a bunch of these games, and it is wild.

I know no wrestling is allowed, but I must add this one because it is actually that...wrestling

Ric Flair vs. Ricky Steamboat. Classic wrestling at its best. One of the best rivalries of all time

 

[primetime]

best sports rivalries? Lakers versus the world and the Yankess versus the world. those are probably the two most HATED sports franchises.

others are Dodgers-Giants, Ohio State-Michigan, Notre Dame-USC, UCLA-USC, Raiders-Broncos, Steelers-Browns and Cowboys-Redskins.