List of sports rivalries


A sports rivalry is intense competition between athletic teams or athletes, affecting participants, management, and supporters all to varying degrees.
One of the first known sports rivalries occurred in the Roman Empire between the Blues and the Greens, and the minor teams of the Reds and Whites, each of which were chariot racing clubs competing at the Hippodrome in Constantinople. The rivalry took on political tones as well, coming close to deposing the Roman Emperor Justinian in 532 CE in a riot and the suppression of the riot killed tens of thousands of people.
Owners have been known to encourage rivalries as they tend to improve game attendance and television ratings for rivalry matches. Clubs can reduce fan aggression surrounding rivalry games by acknowledging rather than downplaying the conflict because the rivalry is an integral part of fan identity.
Games between two rivals that are based in areas of close geographical proximity are often known as a local derby, or simply just a derby ; a sporting event between two teams from the same town, city or region. In modern usage the term is usually connected with association football and the media and supporters will often refer to this fixture as "Derby Day". However, and unsurprisingly, the first recorded use of the term was to refer to major provincial horse races from a time when the Epsom Derby, was not only England’s major sporting event but also a huge social occasion.
For example, the Western Times, 2 June 1860, refers to a race meeting at Haldon, Exeter, as their "local Derby Day." The Hull Packet, 31 May 1861, calls the Beverley, Hull and East Riding Races "our local Derby." It would appear that the term was already in use elsewhere in the world – The Ballarat Star, 6 December 1860 edition, mentions that races in Dowling Forest were "the local Derby day."
The metaphor evidently seeped into common usage, as non-racing events also earned the epithet. An athletic club fete in Croydon, a rowing regatta at Bathgate, Scotland and even a hotly contested local government election were all described as a local Derby.
As club football gained popularity in the 1870s and 1880s the phrase migrated to that pastime. The Preston Herald of 14 March 1883 said of a fixture between Low Moor and Clitheroe that "when it becomes known that the clubs are likely to meet, popular feeling runs high – so high, in fact, that the occasional is recognised as the local Derby day".
The Epsom Derby being an annual event, early usage tended to refer only to the biggest occasion of the year in a certain location – the Widnes Weekly News was moved to describe a match between Widnes FC and the touring New Zealand Native touring rugby team as "the great day of the season at Widnes – the local Derby." However, in football terms, the emphasis in the phrase had already shifted from the Derby aspect to the local element – any football match involving nearby clubs, no matter how relatively unimportant the fixture might otherwise be. Hence the Burnley Express felt able to report that "for three weeks in succession the Langroyd team will be engaged in local "Derbies." First of all, Union Star; then Nelson, at Seed Hill; and afterwards Brierfield at Colne."
In rugby football, an early example of the term for that code appears in the Wigan Observer of 11 December 1885 which noted that "the local "Derby" in the football circles of Pemberton was brought off on Saturday last, when Highfield and Pemberton met."
Since at least as early as 1840 'derby' has been used as a noun in English to denote any kind of sporting contest. Other names for derbies include Clásicos in certain parts of the world and crosstown rivalries in the United States.
The intensity of the rivalry can range anywhere from a light hearted banter to serious violence. A rivalry that gets out of control can lead to fighting, hooliganism, rioting and some instances with career-ending and even fatal consequences. In the "Football War", along with other factors, it was suggested to have been the tipping point in leading to military conflicts.
Rivalries do not always stem from the sharing of an area. Hostilities can occur for different reasons, such as in the case of El Clásico with tensions between fans with a background of political differences. Frequent meetings in important games between teams can also lead to unpleasantries.

International rivalries

[Bandy]

In Swedish bandy, derby games are often played on Saint Stephen's Day.

[Baseball]

International

Dominican Republic

Dominican Professional Baseball League

Japan

Nippon Professional Baseball

Central League
Mixture

South Korea

KBO League

Taiwan

Chinese Professional Baseball League

Mexico

Mexican Baseball League

Mexican Pacific League

United States/Canada

Minor League Baseball

Venezuela

Venezuelan Professional Baseball League

Cuba

Cuban National Series

[Basketball]

Argentina

Australia

Croatia

China

Guangdong has 11 CBA league titles, more than any other team in history, so it is very evident that they would have a lot of rivalries within the CBA.

France

Germany

Greece

Hong Kong

These are active Hong Kong A1 rivalries:
These are high school sports rivalries, but are primarily contested in basketball:

Israel

Italy

Japan

Korea Republic

Lebanon

Lithuania

North Macedonia

Philippines

Philippine Basketball Association

College basketball

UAAP
NCAA Philippines

Russia

Slovakia

Slovenia

Serbia

Spain

Taiwan

[Taiwan Professional Basketball League]

Turkey

United States and Canada

National Basketball Association

Individuals

[Bodybuilding]

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[Boxing]

Individual

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[Curling]

Esports

[Gridiron football]

[College football]

Mexico

ONEFA/CONADEIP

Canada

[Canadian football]

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Hamilton Tiger-CatsToronto Argonauts1873–presentHarold Ballard Trophy
Hamilton Tiger-CatsMontreal Alouettes/Concordes1982–presentClassique
Winnipeg Blue BombersSaskatchewan Roughriders1936–presentBanjo Bowl
Edmonton ElksCalgary Stampeders1949–presentBattle of Alberta

[Handball]

Austria

Belarus

Belgium

Croatia

Denmark

France

Germany

Israel

Hungary

Macedonia

Poland

Lomza Vive Kielce vs. Orlen Wisla Plock

Portugal

Romania

Russia

Serbia

Slovenia

Spain

Sweden

Ukraine

[Ice hockey]

North America

[ECHL]

Junior

[Canadian Hockey League]

College

Europe

Austria

Czech Republic

Finland

France

Germany

Italy

  • Hockey Club Torino vs. Hockey Club Valpellice

Norway

Romania

Slovakia

Sweden

Switzerland

International

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1954, but especially after 1972, to presentSummit Series
2008 IIHF World Championship final
1920 Summer Olympics|1920]–presentCanada–United States rivalry
1990–presentCanada–United States women's rivalry
1974 World [Junior Ice Hockey Championships|1973]–presentCanada–United States junior rivalry
1954, but especially after 1968, to 19931954 World Ice Hockey Championships
1993–present1998 Winter Olympics gold medal game
2010 IIHF World Championship final
1994 Winter Olympics|1994]–presentCzech Republic–Slovakia rivalry
1932–present—

[Mountaineering] and [rock climbing]

[Rugby league]

Australia

National Rugby League

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South Sydney RabbitohsSydney Roosters1908 to presentRon Coote Cup
Sydney RoostersManly Warringah Sea Eagles1947 to presentBattle of the Birds
Penrith PanthersParramatta Eels1967 to presentBattle of the West
Manly-Warringah Sea EaglesWests Tigers1970s to present
Canterbury-Bankstown BulldogsParramatta Eels1970s to present
Newcastle KnightsManly Warringah Sea Eagles1988 to present
Canberra RaidersWests Tigers1989 to present
Brisbane BroncosNorth Queensland Cowboys1995 to presentQueensland derby
Melbourne StormSt. George Illawarra Dragons1999 to present
Sydney RoostersSt. George Illawarra Dragons2002 to presentANZAC Day Cup
Melbourne StormBrisbane Broncos2003 to present
Brisbane BroncosGold Coast Titans2007 to presentSouth East Queensland derby
Melbourne StormManly-Warringah Sea Eagles2007 to presentBattle of Brookvale
Canterbury-Bankstown BulldogsSouth Sydney Rabbitohs2012 to presentNRL Good Friday Game-
Melbourne StormCronulla-Sutherland Sharks2016 to present

State of Origin

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Queensland MaroonsNew South Wales BluesFirst Rivalry Era 1908 to 1979, Modern Rivalry Era 1980 to present

[Rugby union]

Club Rugby Union

New Zealand


International Rugby Union

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1921 to presentHistory of rugby union matches between New Zealand and South Africa
1903 to presentHistory of rugby union matches between Australia and New Zealand
Bledisloe Cup
1905 to presentHistory of rugby union matches between New Zealand and Wales
1881 to presentHistory of rugby union matches between England and Wales
1906 to presentHistory of rugby union matches between England and France
1871 to presentHistory of rugby union matches between England and Scotland
Calcutta Cup
1933 to presentHistory of rugby union matches between Australia and South Africa
1924 to presentHistory of rugby union matches between Fiji and Samoa

Motorcycle Speedway">Motorcycle speedway">Motorcycle Speedway

Scotland

Tennis (Open era only)">Tennis">Tennis (Open era only)

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[Volleyball]

Libya

Philippines

South Korea

Turkey

Vietnam

Works cited

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