The Top 5 Best Sports Rivalries: Difference between revisions

Packers and Bears are probably one of the longest NFL rivalries in history. For the past 80 years, the Bears-Packers series has had all the bitterness, intensity, and animosity normally associated with rivalries. The Bears-Packers rivalry also has featured some of the best moments by some of the greatest players in NFL history. A total of 52 Pro Football Hall of Fame members (28 for the Bears and 24 for the Packers) have participated in the series. The Bears record against the Packers is 92-88-6. The Bears have 18 division championships to the Packers 15. The Packers won 9 Conference Champions to the Bears 4. They combine for five Super Bowls and 54 playoff appearances. Both Bears and Packers have been in the playoffs four times together and played only twice. The rivalry started in 1921, but it really took shape in 1923. At the epicenter of the rivalry stand two of the most irrepressible and influential figures in NFL history-Chicago's George Halas and Green Bay's Earl (Curly) Lambeau. Each entered the league as founder, head coach, and player. Halas controlled the Bears from 1920 until his death in 1983, roaming the sidelines as their head coach for a total of 40 years. Lambeau was the Packers' vice president and head coach from 1919-1949. Halas and Lambeau both were strong-willed, disciplined, and driven to win. Their recurring clashes kept the flame of the rivalry hot. The first ever ejections for fighting in the NFL took place between these two teams. It was when Halas, Bears owner, got the Packers kicked out of the NFL so they will not sign a specific player. The hitting also was intense during the Lombardi era. One of the ugliest incidents in the series came in 1986 when Mike Ditka was coach of the Bears and Forrest Gregg was coach of the Packers. Both men had disliked each other as players. The Bears were the defending NFL champions, and they defeated the Packers 25-12 at Green Bay in their first meeting in 1986. For the rematch in Chicago, Packers defensive end Charles Martin wore a towel that had a hit list of Bears players written on it. Quarterback Jim McMahon was at the top of the list. In the second quarter of the game, Martin proved his list was more than just for inspiration. After McMahon threw a pass, Martin grabbed the quarterback, lifted him in the air, and slammed him to the turf. Martin was ejected for his flagrant late hit. The Bears have 27 members of the Hall of Fame and the Packers have 22 members of the Hall of Fame.

The Yankees-Red Sox rivalry is one of the most storied in all of sports. This rivalry is a competition of images, teams, cities, styles, ballparks, fans, and media. History, style, culture, pace, dreams, bragging rights - all are mixed in, mixed up with the rivalry in one way or another. The competition is so much more than a baseball team representing Boston going against a baseball team representing New York. It is, at its heart, a competition between the provincial capital of New England and the mega-municipality of New York City, the different lifestyles, accents, slogans and symbols. Playing in the same division, the teams faced each other often. The teams divided neighbors, colleagues, and families. Red Sox fans blamed the Yankees for all of their problems, and Yankees fans gloated in return. The roots of the rivalry extend all the way back to the first time the teams faced-off on May 7, 1903 at the Huntington Avenue Grounds in Boston.  After a dormant period for the Yankees in the 1980s, and a similar time for the Red Sox in the 1990s, animosity heated back up in the late ‘90s. With stars like Pedro Martinez and Nomar Garciaparra, the Red Sox became competitive again. In 1999, the teams met in the ALCS. While the Yankees won decisively in five games, the series was a preview for later competition. The tension reached a high in 2003. Again, the teams played each other in the ALCS – but this time, it went seven games. It ended on a walk-off home run by Yankees third baseman Aaron Boone in the eleventh inning of Game 7. In 2004, the teams met once more in the ACLS. But the Yankees took a 3-0 series lead, all but crushing the Sox. Then the Red Sox did the impossible: they won the next four games to advance to the World Series, becoming the first team in sports to win a seven-game series after going down 3-0. They won the World Series for the first time since 1918, and exorcised the demons of Red Sox fans. Now, though the Yankees still hold a significant edge in World Series titles, both teams are among the most elite in baseball. They are the only teams to win multiple World Series in the past decade. Because both are now competitive, regular-season games are more important and fraught with tension than ever.

[[File:Magic Bird Lipofsky.jpg|thumb|Lakers and Celtics battle]]The Lakers-Celtics rivalry is not only the greatest team rivalry in pro basketball, but also the greatest championship rivalry in America.  The Lakers and Celtics have met for the championship 12 times - a record across all major sports.  They have won a combined 33 of the 67 NBA championships.  In addition to the team's rivalry, basketball's two greatest one-on-one rivalries played out on the Lakers-Celtics stage.  The Wilt Chamberlain-Bill Russell rivalry largely took place while Wilt played for the Warriors and 76ers, but the final chapter was written in the 1969 NBA Finals.  The Magic Johnson-Larry Bird rivalry returned the teams back to the Finals spotlight and rejuvenated the fledgeling NBA. The tension between the Boston Celtics and Los Angeles Lakers goes back to the days of the Eisenhower Administration. This rivalry has met in a championship setting an astounding 12 times—making it quite possibly the best in all sports. Names like Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, Jerry West, Bob Cousy, Kobe Bryant, and John Havlicek echo in the hallways of "fandom," along with that respectful disdain from their opponents' supporters that remind us this one is has had multiple generations of fans. Overall, the main perception by NBA fans is that the Celtics are the best and most successful franchise, because they have won the most titles, and have dominated the Lakers in the Finals. However, the Lakers are the best franchise; they have been the most consistent, and they have had the most great players, as well as some of the best coaches and the best general manager. The Lakers have also won the most games ever, and have the highest winning percentage of any team in the league, the most playoff appearances, as well as the most division titles. The Lakers also have made it to the Finals an amazing twenty-nine out of sixty-one seasons, which is just under half of the seasons in the league's history. Finally, they are also the most popular team in the league both on and off the court. Even Robert Parrish, the Hall of Fame Celtic, said: "When you talk about dominance, you have to talk about the Lakers." Also, the long time commissioner of the league David Stern had this to say when asked what his dream NBA Finals match-up would be, "Lakers vs. Lakers." He also said "I'd be lying if I told you there wasn't a special fascination with the Lakers." The Los Angeles Lakers and the Boston Celtics just added another amazing chapter in their ongoing rivalry in National Basketball Association history at the recently concluded championship series for the 2010 NBA title. This series marked the 12th meeting of these two gallant franchises in the NBA finals, with the Celtics winning nine championships while the Lakers grabbed the other three coveted rings, including the 2010 NBA championship. There will be more championship games to see between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Boston Celtics because of what they have shown throughout the history of the NBA. Both teams have what it takes to rise up to the occasion and overcome all adversities as they have proven in the recently concluded 2010 NBA championship. The fascinating game of basketball will continue to thrive so long as there are strong teams vying for the coveted NBA title and the greatest rivalry will no longer be measured by numbers but by the heart and tenacity of the players involved.