Since the beginning of time, man has been part of an intense struggle to survive and thrive. In the midst of these struggles some have excelled more than others.
Those excelling folks formed tribes and became enemies with each other -- and this marked the beginning of the rivalry.
Eventually these mighty tribes stopped killing people and decided to figure out who was best by playing practical and physically healthy sports. This was the beginning of the healthy rivalry that we live with and enjoy today.
Most modern rivalries are those we see taking place in sporting events. Perhaps the most emotional are college and high school rivalries as they have the loudest and meanest crowds in the world.
There are endless notable rivalries that blow everyone away: Alabama vs. Auburn, Layton vs. Davis, Texas vs. Oklahoma, Weber vs. Fremont, and BYU vs. Utah.
There are five top influences that make rivalries what they are:
5. Trophies/nicknames
Some rivalries were born because of names and battles for trophies. Weber and Roy High School, for example, play football every year for "The Shield," due to their nicknames of Weber Warriors and Roy Royals.
In college, it seems like every rivalry game involves teams battling for something.
Just look at the Big Game between Stanford and California for the Stanford Axe, the Battle for the Old Wagon Wheel between BYU and Utah State, and the Battle for the Milk Can between Boise State and Fresno State.
4. Geography
Almost every rivalry exists between schools within a close proximity of one another and is a battle for the best in the state or regional area. Alabama vs. Auburn -- also known as the Iron Bowl -- is a battle between two colleges from two different states, but they are very close, located in Georgia and Alabama.
On the other hand, USC versus Notre Dame, also known as The Battle for the Jeweled Shillelagh (an Irish war club given to the winning team), is a rivalry between a team from California and a team from Indiana.
In high school, naturally, there are no rivalries taking place between out-of-state teams as that would cost far too much money and there would be no fans present for the opposing team.
3. Competitiveness
The most important thing in a rivalry game is that the game is always a hard-fought battle to the end, no matter how poorly both teams may be playing up to that point. For example, in 2010's BYU vs. Utah football game, Utah was 9-2 while BYU was a lowly 6-5. However, that game was one of the greatest in history because Utah blocked a last-second field goal attempt to win 17-16.
Or in high school, Fremont vs. Weber has been considered one of the more exciting rivalries in football. With the exception of this year, the past three final scores have been 17-7 Fremont, 24-17 Weber (on a last-second touchdown), and 10-7 Fremont.
2. History
Some of the oldest rivalries have dwindled away while others have turned into exciting battles. Back in the early days of Ogden, the only two high schools were Weber and Ogden so naturally, they had a battle for supremacy. The game was known as The Battle for the Little Brown Jug and was one of the first high school rivalries in the state -- and still continues today.
The Clearfield vs. Layton rivalry, and the Davis vs. Layton rivalry, also have a long and proud history. Layton High fans have often been credited with a well-known song called "I'd rather be a Lancer/Wolf/any other school in Region 1 than a Dart."
At the college level, the historic Army-Navy game always gets incredible attention because of the great tradition between the two schools.
1. Fans
The games at times mean as much to the fans as they do to the players. What is it that makes the rivalries so great? It's the fans who are willing to make a Facebook page called "I hate Davis High School" and "I hate Fremont High School." It's the ones who make T-shirts that say "Max Hall Hates Me" and "Scam Newton." It's the people who get in a fight in a parking lot over a school's mannequin head mascot and poison trees after their team was defeated in extremely intense games.
Rivalries between schools and sports teams are sometimes the highlight of high school or college life. It's what makes sports great.
It's what happens on a Friday night or a Saturday afternoon when the quarterback can't even hear the sound of his coach's voice due to the bedlam coming from the opposing stands. It's what happens when fans are screaming their team's name after a huge victory over their hated rivals.
Yes, the rivalry is great, and thankfully -- unlike the tribal days of yore -- not very many people get killed over these competitions anymore.
Riley Wheeler is a junior at Fremont High School. Contact him at wheelerri@wsdstudent.net.
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