I was reading an article on ESPN about Kobe Bryant and the fact that he has never really had a consistent individual rival throughout his career. The closest was probably Shaq and even that only lasted a couple years. It got me to thinking about what are the best individual rivalries the sports world has ever seen and what are some of the current best rivalries. I also want to discuss whether or not you think more individual rivalries are needed and why they don't exist as much in today's sports world.
I won't go into too much detail right now in the opening post but it's obvious to me that the best all time individual rivalry was Larry Bird vs Magic Johnson. Magic and the Lakers won 5 titles in the 80's and represented the West in the finals 8 times (Houston made it the other 2 times). Bird and the Celtics won 3 titles and represented the East 5 times in the finals (Philly was there 3 times and Detroit 2). Magic and Bird were the best overall players on their respective teams and their rivalry along with the arrival of Michael Jordan helped boost the popularity of the NBA dramatically.
As for current rivalries it gets tougher. Crosby/Ovechkin was big for a while but now with Crosby out that has dwindled. Brady/Peyton Manning was huge but the injury to Manning has put a damper on that. Even Nadal/Federer is basically done. The best current individual rivalry is probably Mayweather/Pacquiao and they have never even fought.
I think sports could use more of these individual rivalries because it brings more out of the sports experience. The players in the rivalry seem to step their games up when facing off, the fans get into everything more, and it adds more to the overall entertainment. I think the reason these rivalries don't exist as much is because of all the player movement from team to team. It seems that nowadays players are friends with everyone in their respective leagues. They have either played together or have mutual friends/teammates and it takes away from the intensity of potential rivalries. You also have the fact that the teams these guys play for often plays a big part in the rivalry. If Larry Bird had left to go to the Milwaukee Bucks as a free agent midway through the 80's then that definitely would have taken away from the Bird/Magic rivalry. So I ask you:
What is the best ever individual sports rivalry?
What is the best current individual sports rivalry?
Do you think more individual rivalries are good for sports?
Why is the number of individual rivalries dwindling?
I won't go into too much detail right now in the opening post but it's obvious to me that the best all time individual rivalry was Larry Bird vs Magic Johnson. Magic and the Lakers won 5 titles in the 80's and represented the West in the finals 8 times (Houston made it the other 2 times). Bird and the Celtics won 3 titles and represented the East 5 times in the finals (Philly was there 3 times and Detroit 2). Magic and Bird were the best overall players on their respective teams and their rivalry along with the arrival of Michael Jordan helped boost the popularity of the NBA dramatically.
As for current rivalries it gets tougher. Crosby/Ovechkin was big for a while but now with Crosby out that has dwindled. Brady/Peyton Manning was huge but the injury to Manning has put a damper on that. Even Nadal/Federer is basically done. The best current individual rivalry is probably Mayweather/Pacquiao and they have never even fought.
I think sports could use more of these individual rivalries because it brings more out of the sports experience. The players in the rivalry seem to step their games up when facing off, the fans get into everything more, and it adds more to the overall entertainment. I think the reason these rivalries don't exist as much is because of all the player movement from team to team. It seems that nowadays players are friends with everyone in their respective leagues. They have either played together or have mutual friends/teammates and it takes away from the intensity of potential rivalries. You also have the fact that the teams these guys play for often plays a big part in the rivalry. If Larry Bird had left to go to the Milwaukee Bucks as a free agent midway through the 80's then that definitely would have taken away from the Bird/Magic rivalry. So I ask you:
What is the best ever individual sports rivalry?
What is the best current individual sports rivalry?
Do you think more individual rivalries are good for sports?
Why is the number of individual rivalries dwindling?