Any Real Rivalries Left?

After watching the most recent ESPN 30for30 documentary on Reggie Miller and the New York Knicks and seeing the hatred the fans had toward the opposition, seeing how the players didn't get along, the hard fouls and over the top coverage from the local media, it made me think - are there any real rivalries left?

If there are any rivalries, they are few and far between. In that same 30 for 30 documentary, the coach of the Knicks at the time was Pat Riley and he instructed his players not to shake the hands or talk to the Pacers players. That would never happen today. In a recent interview, T'Wolves player Kevin Love talked about how he grew up playing against the other top 10 picks from his rookie class. He can't hate any of them because they are his good friends. He may still be competitive, but I can't see him punching any of them.

Football is the same way. While growing up, the best of the best that eventually make the NFL play on High School All-Star teams, go to combines or visit universities together. Obviously, football is a physical game and players are still going to hit each other, but the friendliness before and after the game takes away from the rivalries.

The real rivalries aren't with the players anymore, they are holding on simply because of the fans.

So according to the fans (or at least this fan) here are some of the best rivalries left;

SOCCER
There are lots of rivalries in Europe, especially those cities that have two teams. My vote is for the North London rivalry between Tottenham and Arsenal. This rivalry has been one sided lately, but the Spurs finally broke through this past weekend, winning for the first time in 10 years! With that win and Tottenham on the verge of qualifying for Europe, just maybe the tides are turning.

BASEBALL
Just watch ESPN Sunday night baseball to see who the rivalries are, because those are the games that are always shown. The obvious choice is Red Sox vs. Yankees, but I think that Cubs vs. Cardinals is about to take over. This rivalry features the best player in the game in Albert Pujols and the longest World Series drought. It is Sox vs. Yankees circa 2004.

HOCKEY
Any of the Canadian teams or original six teams against each could qualify, but I think the hatred runs deepest in the west. The battle of Alberta, no matter how crappy the Oilers are, that rivalry with the Flames brings out the best hockey.

FOOTBALL
I'll let one of the best football writers take this one, from a recent Monday Morning QB article, Peter King broke it down like this...

NFL rivalries. The best before Sunday night (current, not necessarily historical) were Patriots-Colts, Packers-Vikings, Ravens-Steelers, Jets-Patriots. The Eagles-Giants, Eagles-Cowboys, Cowboys-Giants rotated in intensity. Now the Eagles and Redskins will go into that top group for the next three or four years. If I'm Howard Katz, the NFL schedule-maker who has a major headache putting this season's slate together, I'm going back to my drawing board this morning on Philly-Washington to make sure at least one of those two meetings is a national prime-time game.

BASKETBALL
Phil Jackson might have started a rivalry this week, when he named Kevin Durant as a player who gets special treatment from the referee's. Especially, with the Lakers and Thunder set to meet in the first round of the playoffs. This rivalry could continue because as Durant is one of the best young players in the game and Kobe still has some fight left in him. The one rivalry that lives on is New York vs. LA Lakers. No matter the situation in the standings this is always a good game from the two giant franchises and with the Knicks ready to make a splash in free agency this summer, get ready for multiple tv appearances and lots of media coverage of the two teams.

Now that I started the conversation, what are your favourite rivalries in sport?