Rivalries. A very strong word when it comes to most competitive sports today. When I think of great rivalries in sports today I think of Yankees against Red Sox, Michigan facing Ohio State, and maybe making a comeback is the Lakers and the Celtics just to name a few.
However, the word rivalry doesn't hold as much anymore in the NFL necessarily. My opinion is that NFL rivalries have lost their vigor and spunk over the years. Now I know some "die-hard" fans will get upset with these statements but I just don't get the usual vibes I'm used to when it comes to these so called "rivalry games" nowadays. Granted, I have only been around sports for about 19 years but growing up as a Giants fan I remember watching those NFC East games with family and the atmosphere was just like we were at the stadium watching the game. Yelling, cheering, booing and all at high (often over exaggerated) levels of volume. The week leading up to those rival games (most of all against the Eagles back then) were fun and very competitive among fans we knew of the opposing teams. Then come game time it was intense. The games were always close, always on the edge of your seat kind of stuff. One team may have been better or worse than the other but on those days both teams were just as good as the other. That's what made these games so special and competitive. Each team had a chance to win every time they played each other no matter what players were on each team or their records.
Their were even heavy rivalries between teams from both conferences. Of course you always had your common in division rivals such as Redskins-Cowboys, Packers-Bears, Patriots-Colts, Broncos-Cheifs, just to name a few. But their used to many rivalries that spread between both conferences. The Cowboys and Bills became pretty big rivals during the 1990s mainly because they played each other multiple times in the Super Bowl during that decade. The Giants developed rivalries with pretty much all the other New York teams and the only one that has survived to this day is the one with the Jets (which I am growing on and developing a small hatred for the Jets). When the Rams used to be in Los Angeles a small (and short-lived) rivalry with the Raiders used to be a big game. The Cowboys and the Steelers have always held a small rivalry over the years. You can start to see where I' m going with this. Rivalries used to be a huge deal in the NFL. I don't think they carry as much weight anymore.
I must say, as a Giants fan if I know next week's game is going to be against another NFC East team my mood is a little more exciting and I am always looking forward to a Sunday against the Eagles or Cowboys. However, I just don't see my excitement expressed across the Giants Nation. I listen to New York sports talk radio every once in a while. The hosts there just treat it like another game on the schedule. I live in the Washington, DC area and listen to sports talk radio here as well. Skins-Cowboys week has never seemed more irrelevant.
Now, let me stop there and say that there are plenty of fans out there who still cherish the rivalries in the NFL and the share it and show it. I'm not saying that the spirit for the rivalries is missing with the fan base because I will be the first one to bash the Cowboys and their fans the week leading up to a game against my Giants. I know there are plenty of fans out there who love rivalry weeks. There are some fans that just don't get into that much anymore. The family that I talked about before that would always watch games as if they were actually there don't really get into the whole "rivalry week" that much anymore and regard pretty much every game as just another game on the calendar.
To finish this topic up, my whole point is that the NFL as a whole just doesn't promote or show love to the "rivalry game" as much as they used to. It mainly seems just like another game on the schedule. Rivalries that used to be household names no matter if you were a fan of the teams or not just don't seem that important anymore. To put it bluntly, I don't really think rivalries exist in the real sense of the term in the NFL anymore. Your thoughts are welcomed.
-R.N.N.
rnelson0187@gmail.com
@ryannnelson87
Glad I bookmarked you but was worried you'd be a one blog wonder. (A lot of my recent ones have been which sucks given how dialed in I am into blogs...They are the new books, you know)
ReplyDeleteWas-Dal from week 1 was the perfect rival game. The emotion was there. After all, Dallas had better stats, yet Washington won the game. It was a bitter drama that lasted until at least week 3.
The reason NYG vs DAL isn't a big deal because (and I say this as a hardcore DAL fan) Dallas is going to lose. (FACEPALM as this means my husband gets yet another present from winning this week) Anyways, NYGs are in a habit of winning and Dallas already into the losing streak. Pro-Football Talk/NFL bloggers even seem to agree that it's almost intentional! Dallas is putting up top 5 stats! Yet losing. Even losing to a crappy Vikings offense last week. Seriously, Brett Farve, does anyone like you anymore? (Peyton Manning over Farve any day of the week, BTW)
I have 3 Dallas players on my fantasy team and that's because they all got drafted before I could snatch them up, none have let me down in points. It seems Dallas is just self sabotaging which sucks for Dallas fans AND Giants fans this week. The Giants win won't be as fulfilling as previous wins and the Dallas loss won't be as sad for fans.
Dallas isn't the only team that took the fun out of football rivalries... Looks like San Diego had to be a big fat disappointment too.
Haha. thanks for reading. I haven't been able to write a new blog before this one because I was out of town.
ReplyDeleteI at least just want a good game on Monday night. The way Dallas has been looking the past couple weeks and if the Giants keep up what they have been doing the past couple weeks it's not looking good.
But regardless, the NFC East rivalries have definitley lost a lot over the years and that can probably be attributed to the fact that the games just aren't fun anymore. Who knows.
Yeah San Diego has never been that good at football and i don't think any team would consider them a rival at this point not even in their own division!