Top Ten Sports Rivals

The sports rivalry has drama and passion. People on both sides define themselves by the rivalry. They plan their year by them. They will even make illogical arguments why their team is better than the other team.

10. Army vs Navy Football

Neither team is much of a powerhouse anymore but it is old and still has tons of passion. Let's face it, for a game that has a good chance of featuring an "0for" team each year, it's still fun to watch.

9. Ali vs Frazier

These two guys have the greatest fight ever and then the Thilla in Manilla. They fought in the golden era of boxing. Had I seen these two fight, I might be a boxing fan.

8.  Cowboys vs Steelers

They are in different conferences and some may not consider it a rivalry but ask fans from both sides if they can remember these teams playing against each other in a Super Bowl and many will say yes. That's because anyone from the age of 19 years old to 119 years old has seen these teams play each other in the final game of the season. They have faced each other three times in the Super Bowl and have combined for 11 Super Bowl championships. 

7.  Red Wings vs Blackhawks

Both teams are part of the NHL's original six. They have been playing forever and have tons of passion on both sides. They both know how to win Stanley Cups. They have even faced each other in Stanley Cup Finals before the conferences were created.

6. Portland Timbers vs Seattle Sounders

I don't know much about soccer but I even want to go check one of these games out. They look like a blast.

5. Liverpool F.C. vs Manchester United

I don't know much about football but I know about this rivalry.

4. Texas vs OU football

These two teams meet on a neutral field every year at the Cotton Bowl during the Texas State Fair. The site is almost halfway between the two schools. I have never been to an actual game but I have been to the fair twice when they played each other. It is crazy and crowded. Many times one of the teams is nationally ranked and a good amount of showdowns has featured one or both of the teams in the hunt for a national title. 

3. SEC Football

I may not like any of their teams but every week there is a rivalry game. They almost all have some kind of history and the fans are more passionate than any other fans in college football. I lived in Georgia for a couple of years and every week there was a great SEC game to watch.

2. UNC vs Duke Basketball

The schools are only nine miles apart. Both teams have multiple national titles. Both schools have crazy fans who love to hate each other. What more could one ask for in a rivalry? 

1. Yankees vs Red Sox

Baseball is America's pastime and this is it's biggest rivalry. It's the only one that has the intensity of a football playoff game during the regular season. They both had one of the greats play for them in Babe Ruth. One was cursed because of him and the other was built by him. Now in the 21st century, it seems the Red Sox can win the World Series. In fact they have won three times as many as the Yanks in this century. Both teams are usually in an arms-race for the top talent every off-season. It feels like a huge accomplishment when other teams beat these two powerhouses in the postseason.