Rivalry is common in sport.
Rivalry is the condition that those who are rivals have. Two people or groups are rivals, for their part, when they compete with each other or are enemies .
For example: “The rivalry between the two clubs in the city is very great and dates back almost a century” , “Rivalries between schools should not be encouraged as they can lead to violent confrontations” , “The truth is that we have never “We feel the rivalry: it was a construction of the media.”
The etymology of rivalry
Before moving forward it is important to determine the etymological origin of the term. Specifically, we can state that it comes from the Latin word rivalitas , which can be translated as “enemy quality” and is the result of the sum of three components of said language:
- The noun rivus , which is synonymous with “ river” . And in the past, the term rival was used to refer to someone who lived on the other side of the river and had the right to cross it.
- The particle -alis , which can be translated as “relative to” .
- The suffix -dad , which is used to indicate a “quality” .
In Spain there is a great rivalry between Real Madrid and FC Barcelona.
The concept in sport
The field where rivalries are most frequent is sports . In this context, rivalry has no negative connotation, except when passion leads to violence . It is common for the main rivalries to arise when there are two or more teams in the same city or neighborhood (such as the rivalry between Real Madrid and Atlético Madrid in the case of soccer, or between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Los Angeles Clippers in the NBA ).
Sometimes the rivalry is built for historical reasons. This is the case of Boca Juniors and River Plate , the two most popular soccer teams in Argentina . Generally, matches that pit two great rivals against each other are known as classics .
In the same way, a notable sports rivalry can also occur between two teams that aspire to be the best in their country. This would be the case, for example, of the one that constantly confronts FC Barcelona and Real Madrid , which every year are the ones who fight the most against each other to become the winners of the Spanish First Division League .
Rivalry in music
Rivalry also usually appears in the field of art when fanaticism exists. In this sense, a rivalry can be proposed between The Beatles and The Rolling Stones , the two most prominent British musical groups in history .
Within the musical field, many times this rivalry is created more by the fans and followers of each artist than by them themselves. In this way, one can cite, for example, the “ conflict ” that constantly exists in recent years between Madonna and Lady Gaga because their fans consider each one to be the true diva of music in the world. However, neither of them has ever expressed themselves in that sense.
It is important, in this framework, to keep in mind that rivals do not have to be enemies . However, when rivalry escalates, violent clashes are possible.