The Rivalry

[The Bus Driver]

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I thought The Rivalry was New England fans v. Everyone else

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[hijack] I get this is a joke, but I love how NE fans think they are the only fans to get this treatment[/hijack]

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[hijack] As a Red Sox fan I'm really starting to feel as if we're approaching New York sports, and specifically the Yankees in terms of level of hatred. And it's fairly obvious that the level of Boston sports success is probably the reason for that. As a result, I've taken a step back and reasoned that what Boston fans are feeling now in respect to other people's hate is what Yankee fans have been experiencing for years. [blasphemy]Because of this, my disdain has been reduced a reasonable amount, and I'm starting to see things as Red Sox+the Yankees= [censored] everyone else who does nothing but hate on success. [/hijack] [/blasphemy]

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No, we're just sick of the fans and the nonstop talk about nothing other than NY/Boston.

[kyro]

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I thought The Rivalry was New England fans v. Everyone else

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[hijack] I get this is a joke, but I love how NE fans think they are the only fans to get this treatment[/hijack]

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Well yeah, everyone talks [censored] about Minnesota fans.

[damaniac]

I think the hijacks demonstrate why us non-Boston/NY people hate Boston/NY people. There are only 17,000 threads devoted to Boston and NY sports in some capacity; this one isn't, but I guess they can't stand a non-NY/Boston thread.

Uh, okay, anyway. I'm interested to see it too. Didn't they interview Bo just before he died? The one thing I wish (well aside from beating OSU more often recently) is that there was a little more animosity between Carr and Tressel. I don't need them threatening the other's family or anything but enough of this "Well I respect Lloyd Carr he's a great coach..." Give me someone I can loathe not just because he coaches OSU but b/c he's a jerk (Woody). Things are more fun when you can semi-legitimately cast your foes in a more negative light than "They are a sports team from your area that plays a sports team from my area."

[Iplayboard]

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I thought The Rivalry was Army-Navy

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What was it like to have lived during the '40's?

[Senor Cardgage]

Yeah, as a college football fan, OSU-UM is probably the biggest overall rivalry to me.

I'm curious what people consider the biggest rivalry for their specific team- for me (a Tennessee fan), the Florida game is easily the biggest of the year. We've been losing more often than not, but it's still a great f'in game.

What about Florida fans- who do you consider your biggest rival? UT, FSU, somebody else?

[damaniac]

Muresan, obviously I wasn't implying that BosNY fans are consciously trying to hijack every non-BosNY thread. More a commentary on the speed with which a thread about a Midwestern college rivalry and TV show turned into some sort of BosNY pissing match despite a somewhat limited connection. Hyperbole, sarcasm, etc.

[MuresanForMVP]

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Muresan, obviously I wasn't implying that BosNY fans are consciously trying to hijack every non-BosNY thread. More a commentary on the speed with which a thread about a Midwestern college rivalry and TV show turned into some sort of BosNY pissing match despite a somewhat limited connection. Hyperbole, sarcasm, etc.

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K

[smk67]

My freshman year at tOSU was great. It was 1998, the Buckeyes had been the number 1 team for half the season before losing to MSU 28-24 at home. We got UM at home, 9-1 going in with the hopes of playing for a NC (the first year of the BCS). The week of the Game was nothing but drinking, football talk, and hating on UM. Thursday night, a lot of people from my floor were drinking when we heard chants approaching. We look out the window to find thousands of students cheering and singing Michigan hate songs. So we join up and end up going all over campus gathering as many people as we could. It all leads to a small lake on campus where everyone is jumping in, its like 40 degrees out! So I'm not that kind of fan, but it was just an amazing thing to take in. People had UM stuff they were burning and tearing up. One group ripped up a jersey and used it to wipe the ass of the statue of William Oxley Thompson, a former tOSU president. This type of stuff is what the entire week was like, outside of some other more useful activities like the OSU-UM blood drive, shoe drive for homeless, and other 'good' causes.

That week was so much fun and I looked forward to it for the next three years. In fact, my junior year was tough because my dad had open-heart surgery the day before the game. I went home until he was in ICU before leaving home to go back to OSU - at his demand! That year was first chance I had to go to the Game and remains the only UM-OSU game I have been to.

Then of course there are the parties on Friday night before the game. In 1998, they busted a 60 kegger apartment complex party Friday before the Game. Literally, every other house was having keggers and everyone just went from one to the next. What makes this rivalary so big in my opinion is just how much this one game matters. I don't want to spew stats, but so often the big 10 comes down to the Game! There are no do-overs, no 3-game series like in baseball, one and only one chance! Win it and you get to brag for a year and the chance to play in a big bowl game. Lose it and you wait one year for redemption.

[Iplayboard]

Thank you TomCollins and other tOSU-UM fans for describing how important the rivalry is.

American professional sports "rivalries" are a [censored] joke. Green Bay fans might talk about how much they hate the Bears, but to the players and coaches I'd guess it's just another game. One has to only look at the amount of effort the Bears put into their end of season encounter last year to realize this.

It makes perfect sense too. Many colleges hire coaches who played at or were assistants at the same school. In addition college coaches are much longer tenured. Most of the players are in-state or from close by and have been involved in the rivalry as a spectator since a very young age. Contrast this with the NFL where players and coaches are frequently changing teams. You can't expect a 9 year vet on his 4th team to muster much hatred towards his latest rival.

Professional sports rivalries are fleeting. Not too many people get excited these days when the Celtics and Lakers take the court or when the 49ers and Cowboys clash on the gridiron. Ten years from now it is likely that the Colts will just be another opponent for the Pats.

Professional sports in other countries cannot be compared to the American model. First of all there is no top-level collegiate competition. Secondly, countries like England, Italy or Spain are so much smaller than the United States that teams often share the same city and many times the same stadium.

Yes there are a few good American professional sports rivalries like Yankees-Red Sox or Browns-Steelers but they still pale in comparison to the best collegiate rivalries. Yankees-Red Sox regular season encounters are so meaningful, that they determine which team will go into the postseason as the division champion and which will be labeled the Wild Card.

I can understand if you prefer Auburn-Alabama (people there are [censored] obsessed with this game) or UNC-Duke basketball. But to suggest an MLB or NFL matchup is the greatest rivalry is absurd.