Hate may be a strong word, but trust me when I say it aptly applies in regards to rivalries worldwide. I was reminded of this early last week while flipping through the channels in an effort to kill the early stages of a self-induced sick day.
I was drawn to a rosy-cheeked young fellow by the name of Softy, happily broadcasting from our city’s rival to the north…that’s Seattle in case you were wondering. The “Soft One” – as he was referred to by the gratuitously attractive update girl – was beaming with joy over reports from his “sources” that the University of Oregon’s football and men’s basketball programs were nanoseconds away from a crippling blow from the NCAA’s disciplinary paddle. He referenced a story which Eugene’s hometown newspaper – the Register Guard – was allegedly sitting on, that would debilitate the two programs and simultaneously replace the thrice consecutive Pac-12 gridiron champions with the downtrodden, tail-wagging Dawgs, near and dear to Softy’s heart. Unfortunately for Softy and his Husky honks, the reports proved to be erroneous, his sources proved to be inaccurate, and their hopes of displacing the team riding an 8-game winning streak versus the University of Washington…would have to wait.
The aforementioned tale of woe is but one of many examples of rivalry gone bad. Nary has a thing bred the level of disdain and immaturity found frequently in and around a heated rivalry, and you needn’t look farther than a message board, hometown radio program, or pregame stadium parking lot for evidence of such. Be it “Civil War,” border skirmishes or historical bad blood, rivalry brings out the best and worst in the world we call sports. Some stem from proximity between two entities, some from a memorable (or not so much) past outcome, and some from condescension resulting from a “have/have not” scenario, but all carry with them a heightened level of attention, and all mean business in regards to self-importance.
If you like the Trail Blazers, then you subsequently dislike the Lakers. On numerous occasions THAT team from Los Angeles has unceremoniously snuffed-out a promising Portland season or two. You probably still don’t like Magic Johnson, turn from the TV at the onset of a Shaq highlight of him stylin’ on his way back down the court following a certain pivotal alley-oop dunk, and Kobe…well…let’s just say you enjoy hearing “Vail, Colorado” far more than he. They’ve taken from you, what you feel was rightfully yours, and due to such there’s no love lost. If you’ve been to the Rose Garden for a Blazers/Lakers contest then you’ve certainly seen and heard the vitriol stemming from more than 30 years of Lakers superiority, and their bandwagon fans are more than happy to rub your nose in it. (As you can tell, I’ve had some experience with this.)
If you’re a Beaver fan, it’s highly likely you despise the Ducks. To you, they’re the kid who got everything he wanted, was good at it all, and in your mind had to do little to earn it. They’re the rich kid in every 80’s teen movie who you’d like to send a week’s worth of sh** sandwiches. They’re Troy from The Goonies, any number of James Spader characters, or that pretentious a**hole from Some Kind Of Wonderful who told his buddies to beat down Eric Stoltz, then ordered them to do such outside due to him “having guests.” You’re never going to like them, and the more they win, the more intense your level of hate becomes.
Everyone has a rival, and if they don’t, they soon will. The Timbers have the Sounders. Portland State football has the Montana Grizzlies. Phil Mickelson had Tiger Woods. It’s good for the game and even better for the fans. Players come and go, but fans and the city or school they’re from will always remain the same. That’s why Huskies will always hate Ducks, Auburn will always hate Alabama, and Boston will always hate New York, fresh fans are regularly created, and eventually those fans will have an experience worthy of a lifelong grudge. It’s as American as apple pie, and to be honest, far transcends America. No sport is exempt, and no culture is without.
I assure you that a fan of a game, has a team and that team has a rival. They enjoy wins versus that team more, take losses versus that team harder, and lose sleep over those games exponentially. Is that a good thing? It is when you win, when you lose…not so much.
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