A sports rivalry is intense competition between two athletic teams. This pressure of competition is felt by players, coaches, and management, but is perhaps felt strongest by the teams' 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, and rioting.

Many factors can lead to a rivalry developing. Simple geographic proximity is frequently sufficient to foster a rivalry. Frequent meetings in important games can also lead to a rivalry. Social and political tensions can also be played out by proxy in a sports rivalry, such as when Glasgow's sectarian differences are expressed in the Celtic-Rangers derby or when the Spanish-Catalan political conflict spills over to a Real Madrid-FC Barcelona soccer match. 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 by 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.)

Famous sports rivalries

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Original

• Oxford University vs. Cambridge University

Since before 1820

• Harvard University vs. McGill University, First North American Football rules game played between the two in the 1860's.

Baseball

See List of Major League Baseball rivalries

Basketball

National Basketball Association

See Rivalries of the NBA

Rest of the World

• Fortitudo vs. Virtus — The "Bologna Derby"
• Efes Pilsen vs. Ülker — The most prominent of many "Istanbul Derbies"
• Real Madrid vs. Barcelona — Basketball version of the greatest football (soccer) rivalry in Spain

Professional football (American)

See Rivalries in the National Football League

College athletics

See College rivalry.

Canadian football

• Toronto Argonauts vs. Hamilton Tiger-Cats
• Calgary Stampeders vs. Edmonton Eskimos
• Saskatchewan Roughriders vs. Winnipeg Blue Bombers - Labour Day Classic & Banjo Bowl
• Montreal Alouettes vs. Toronto Argonauts
• Montreal Alouettes vs. Ottawa Rough Riders (Defunct)
• Calgary Stampeders vs. Saskatchewan Roughriders
• British Columbia Lions vs. Montreal Alouettes

Arena football

• Orlando Predators vs. Tampa Bay Storm
• San Jose Sabercats vs. Arizona Rattlers
• Dallas Desperados vs. Austin Wranglers
• New York Dragons vs. Philadelphia Soul

Association football (soccer)

See List of Association Football (soccer) Rivalries.

Curling

Club rivalries

• Ottawa Curling Club vs. Rideau Curling Club

Team rivalries

• Randy Ferbey vs. Kevin Martin - Both these curlers have been considered the best in the world, and are from the same city (Edmonton)

Ice hockey

National Hockey League

See National Hockey League rivalries.

International

• Canada vs. Soviet Union - Most famous international ice hockey rivalry, defunct
• Canada vs. Russia
• Canada vs. USA
• Canada vs. Czech Republic
• Finland vs. Sweden
• Czech Republic vs. Slovakia
• USA vs. Soviet Union - defunct
• USA vs. Russia

Cricket

• India vs. Pakistan - Number one rivaly test of politics and independence, also for unite comparisons
• England vs. Australia - The Ashes series
• Australia vs. New Zealand - The Chappell-Hadlee Trophy One-day International series
• Canada vs. United States of America - Associate Members Rivalary
• Australia vs. South Africa

Rugby league

National Rugby League

• South Sydney Rabbitohs vs Sydney Roosters
• St George Illawarra Dragons vs Cronulla Sharks
• St George Illawarra Dragons vs Sydney Roosters
• Canterbury Bulldogs vs Sydney Roosters
• South Sydney Rabbitohs vs Wests Tigers
• Brisbane Broncos vs North Queensland Cowboys

State of Origin

• Queensland Maroons vs NSW Blues

Rugby union

Test Matches

• New Zealand (All Blacks) vs. Australia (Wallabies) - The Bledisloe Cup
• England vs. Scotland - The Calcutta Cup
• England vs Australia (Wallabies) - The Cook Cup (nations were also the finalists of the 1991 and 2003 World Cups)
• New Zealand (All Blacks) vs. Wales
• New Zealand (All Blacks) vs. South Africa (Springboks) - The Freedom Cup

Super Rugby

• Brumbies vs Waratahs
• Waratahs vs Reds
• Crusaders vs Blues
• Crusaders vs Highlanders
• Bulls vs Cats
• Blues vs Highlanders - The Gordon Hunter Memorial Trophy

TOP 14

• Bayonne vs Biarritz — the "Basque Derby"
• Stade Français vs Toulouse

Currie Cup

• Blue Bulls vs Western Province

National Provincial Championship

• Canterbury vs Auckland
• Auckland vs North Harbour (Battle of the Bridge)
• Southland vs Otago
• Wellington Lions vs Taranaki
• Waikato vs Auckland
• Bay of Plenty vs Waikato

The Varsity Match

• Cambridge vs Oxford

Formula 1

• Ferrari vs. McLaren

Australian Football League

Traditional Rivals

• Carlton v Collingwood

• Richmond v Collingwood

• Melbourne v Collingwood

• Essendon v Collingwood

• Essendon v Carlton

Local Derbies

• Adelaide v Port Adelaide

• West Coast v Fremantle

More Recent Rivals

• Brisbane v Sydney

• Melbourne v Geelong

• Essendon v Hawthorn

• Brisbane v Essendon

• Brisbane v Collingwood

• Brisbane v Port Adelaide

• West Coast v Essendon

• St Kilda v Geelong

Past Rivals

• St Kilda v South Melbourne (South Melbourne now Sydney Swans.)

• Collingwood v Fitzroy (Fitzroy Merged with Brisbane Bears to from Brisbane Lions in 1996)

See also

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• Nationalism and sport
• Sociology of sport

Sports rivalries | Sports terminology | Sports culture