A House Divided: A Look into Sports Rivalries

Gogo Jones
Reporter

Some are set in stone, some are just beginning, and others still have yet to be formed. They are etched into our minds and hearts as kids, but can become a part of us at any time in our lives. They are “passion, fans, and history” junior Nick Laub, said. They are sports rivalries.

Senior Tory Rusch, who will be playing softball for Bowdoin College next year, defined a rivalry as “two teams with a competitive history and similar backgrounds playing with an equal love for the game.” Tory, whose main rival next year will be Bates College, said rivalries make her and nervous yet more pumped for games. “The stakes are higher in a rivalry game, and it makes for a more exciting event,” she said.

From the pros to New Canaan youth programs, many factors can contribute to the beginnings of a lasting rivalry, a prevalent one being geography. “Obviously, the closer two teams are together, the higher the chance there is of a rivalry forming, because they’re fighting over the same turf,” junior Jake Rosenstein said. “It’s all about bragging rights”. Classic examples of this are Duke and UNC in North Carolina, USC and UCLA in California and UA and AU in Alabama.

However, when geography is irrelevant, such as in the Celtics-Lakers feud, one must know their history to identify the source of the rivalry. In this particular match-up, hostilities began in the early 1990’s when the Lakers had Magic Johnson and the Celtics had Larry Bird. When two of the leagues best players face off like they did, it’s bound to gain attention. The intensity of those games was carried on into future matchups, all the way up into last years NBA championship series.

A similar situation is now occurring between the Washington Capitals and the Pittsburgh Penguins. The NHL’s two best players, Alex Ovechkin (Capitals) and Sidney Crosby (Penguins) have become the byline of a rivalry in the making between two teams that climbed the ladder of league success together.

And of course there are the moments, the instances, and t

he games that are simply referred to as “that game.”  On a chilly November day in 1978, assured that the Giants had secured a victory, cameras started rolling credits just before one of the most shocking endings to a football game that resulted in an Eagle victory. This epic game has gone down in football history as “The Miracle at the Meadowlands” and is recognized for sparking the Giants-Eagles rivalry. But the moments aren’t important for just starting rivalries, but continuing them as well. “A true rivalry has to develop over time,” senior Jack Atchue said. “It can begin with a moment, but has to be compounded by other events down the road.”

After the “miracle,” the Giants and Eagles have solidified themselves as enemies on the gridiron. Most recently, with DeSean Jackson’s last second punt return in 2010, reminiscent of the 1978 debacle, tensions have only increased further.

Yet another example of a rivalry that has withstood the test of time and continues to build upon its legacy is that between the New York Yankees and the Boston Red Sox. Ever since the historic trade of Babe Ruth from Boston to New York, these two very successful franchises have renewed the original historic controversy over the Babe by producing some of the greatest moments in baseball, and sports in general. Aaron Boone’s 2003 homerun, the historic 2004 ALCS, and the burying of a Red Sox jersey in the new Yankee stadium are a few of the more recent events which have continued to make this rivalry authentic.

“The Yankees- Red Sox rivalry is the best there is,” Nick said. “When they play you can just feel the tension and energy.” And why is this one of the greatest rivalries in all of sports? Because they are what every two teams involved in a great rivalry are. Similar. This similarity is what leads to the competition. If they both weren’t so successful, then the rivalry would be one sided and not as enjoyable.

Unfortunately, this is the case in several other “washed up” rivalries. On the other end of the baseball spectrum, the lack of success in the New York Mets franchise has resulted in dismal rivalry games. “I grew up as a die-hard Mets fan and always looked forward to the big rivalry games against the Phillies and Braves,” Jake said. “But last year was a very tough year, and I didn’t care as much about the rivalry games since we weren’t even competing.”

Lastly, a good rivalry has a culture of its own, filled with passionate fans that despise the opposition. “[University of] Alabama- Auburn [University] is my favorite rivalry because the tension between the fans boils over into the game,” junior Chris Green said. Tensions were increased exponentially a few months ago when an Alabama fan poisoned 130-year-old oak trees at Auburn’s treasured Toomer’s Corner.

Rivalries affect us everyday, even here at home, with our biggest rival ten minutes down the road. “You want to defeat Darien that much more because of the history between us,” junior Molly Robustelli said. “You don’t just want to beat them, you want to crush them.”

The perfect recipe for a rivalry, Darien High School is in close proximity, similarly sized, always a competitor for State titles and has recently fueled the fire with the spray paint incident. “Darien new Canaan is my favorite rivalry,” Jack said. “It’s just made sporting events and my high school experience in general that much better.”

Rivalries. They provide us with an atmosphere of raw energy and tradition that’s impossible to replicate, one that is experienced even at a young age. “Kid’s in this town are brought up to dislike Darien,” senior Graham Bradley said. “They look up to us and see that we have a rivalry with Darien, and think ‘so we’ll have a rivalry with them too.’