Sometimes a game is a blowout and sometimes it is a close finish, where a team hits a clutch shot or the other times a team makes a mistake and something doesn’t go their way. Bur no matter how it comes about a win is a win, and victory is sweet.

And a victory is even sweeter when you beat a rival. A rival is not just a team that you enjoy beating, a rival is a team that you absolutely hate and relish in the fact that you have defeated them. Just by hearing the name of your rival is enough to get you to want to destroy them, rivalries make for the best and most competitive games at any levels.

From high school all the way to professional sports, rivalries are simply a part of the game and exciting for players and the fans.

There are many ways for a team to become a rival with another team. The most common way that a team is considered rivals with another team, is that both of the teams are in the same division. For example the Super Bowl Champion Giants are huge rivals with the Dallas Cowboys. While located in Texas, the Cowboys are part of the NFC East simply because it was the only spot open when the team was founded in 1960. From then on the Giants and the Cowboys have been bitter rivals and heated tensions have led to offensive actions on the field. Another divisional rival are the Philadelphia Eagles, another physical team that the Giants have hated since the beginning of the division.

Another way that a rivalry is formed is through championship games. While at the first championship match up there really is no rivalry, but when the second matchup comes the rivalry is formed.

A great example of this is the Los Angeles Lakers and the Boston Celtics. Being in two totally different divisions, they rarely meet, and therefore had no rivalry what-so-ever. In fact basically the only times they’ve meet were in the playoffs.

The Celtics-Lakers postseason rivalry dates back to as far as 1959. Besides 1959, they have meet eleven other times, including the 2008 and 2010 NBA finals. The Celtics have won 9 of the twelve meetings and the Lakers have only claimed 3 of these meetings including the most recent meeting in 2010.

Besides championship games and being divisional rivals, teams can learn to hate one another through the buying and selling of players. The New York Yankees and the Boston Red Sox are a perfect example of this kind of rivalry.

In 1919, The Boston Red Sox sold home run king, Babe Ruth to the New York Yankees. After the sell out the Red Sox hit a drought with championships and wouldn’t win another for 86 years until 2004 when “The curse of the Bambino” was finally broken.

The Yankees on the other hand went on to win the most World Series Championships ever with twenty-seven.

The Yankees also have a habit of buying Red Sox players like Roger Clemens, and Johnny Damon. These deals have angered the fans and have made more bad blood between the two organizations.

The Red Sox-Yankees rivalry is also special, because they are in the same division, which means they are huge rivals anyway. The Red Sox and the Yankees are the perfect example of what rivals are like, and they are probably the most famous rivalry in all of sports history.

The NCAA also has some of the best rivalries in sports. One rivalry in the south splits the entire state into three parts. The state of North Carolina is a state split by three major Division I schools. UNC (The University of North Carolina), NCST (North Carolina State), and Duke.

With three major schools in one state their competitions make for some of the best NCAA basketball games in the country. One of the most recent games was between the bitter rivals Duke and UNC, with both teams in the top ten of the country; fans knew it was going to be a good game.

And it was as UNC and Duke were constantly changing the lead, the entire game came down to one game winning shot.

With UNC winning by two points the ball was in the hands of Duke Freshman, Austin Rivers, who as the buzzer sounded completed a three pointer to win the game for Duke 85-84.

Duke pulled away with the win this time, but UNC will have many more chances to play the Blue Devils again. Besides this meeting North Carolina State, has played Duke and UNC losing to both teams during this month.

Another rivalry that lives in the NCAA splits a state so far apart that the game between these two teams is called “The Civil War”.

The state is Oregon, and the teams are Oregon, and Oregon State, and their rivalry is unlike any other. The Oregon Ducks are known for their flashy and distinct uniforms and constant bowl appearances, while the Oregon State Beavers don’t have as much credibility for their wins. But no matter how good or bad these teams are the games between them are still a big deal to the Oregon citizens who love their team whether it is the Beavers or the Ducks.

While most famous rivalries live in the professional and collegiate sports area, rivalries in high schools can be just as important and meaningful to the athletes and the fans.

Here at Woodland the Hawks have some pretty big rivalries of their own. Being located in a valley, Woodland has many neighboring towns that by simply existing are rivals.

Some of these rivals include Oxford High School, Watertown and Derby. But some of the major rivals of Woodland are Seymour High School, Ansonia, and Naugatuck.

While the rivalry between Woodland and Watertown really only exists in the pool, Woodland’s other rivalries range from the soccer field, all the way to the track.

Although Woodland is only eleven years old, it has been enough time to form some serious rivalries.

“When you play a rival team there is a different sense in the air, and it is very hostile. You want to dominate them and let them know that the Hawks are for real.” said Woodland Left Tackle, and sophomore Michael LaPorta.

Whether in the pros, college, or even the high school level rivalries are for real and make any game more exciting.