I attended an athletic department meeting last evening for coaches of all sports here at Groves. At one point in the meeting the discussion shifted to how important it is for every sport to win "that game". "That game" referring to our biggest rival, of course. It got me thinking about how important it is to have a rivalry.
I grew up in Port Huron, where we had (they still do, of course) two high schools with similar enrollments and vastly different populations. I recall tagging along with any friend's parents I could find that were going to the game when I was young (my mother wasn't much of a sports fan). The stadium would fill with kids, students, adults, alumni, etc. all decked out in blue on one side of the stadium and red on the other. "That game" every year for us at Northern was huge. I'm reluctant to admit that my junior year we were a part of the first football team to lose "that game" in 14 years. We were crushed, to the point where we were embarrassed to show our faces around town because we feared that we'd run into someone from PHHS that would gloat or we'd run into an alum of PHN that chastised us for breaking the streak. Of course neither really happened that much, but the passion you felt as a player skewed your perception of reality. I remember purposefully avoiding filling up at the gas station closest to my house for an entire year because the clerk I interacted with most frequently was a PH alum and I just didn't want to hear it from him.
Of course I also grew up a huge fan of the University of Michigan, and then went on to graduate from there, so I also claim a stake in the greatest rivalry in college sports (sorry Auburn & Alabama, you got nothing on us!). Being on campus the week of "the game" is a transcendental experience. Classes? Studying? Man, it doesn't happen. All anyone cares about is beating the team down south. There's tailgates all week, blood drives, you name it. But, the best part is that the spirit of the rivalry persists all year, and across sports and academics. My favorite professors would crack jokes during lectures about OSU (such as the Differential Equations professor who made a mistake on a problem in class and when corrected by a student replied "just making sure there weren't any Buckeyes in here").
So, why is a rivalry important? The first answer is easy...it's fun! Pep rallies and marching bands playing fight songs make for a great atmosphere. The packed crowds, the student sections screaming at each other. The experience leading up to "that game" and the year-round passionate responses when "that team" is mentioned. It's just plain fun!
Secondly, it's unifying. "That game", regardless of the sport, brings out the largest crowds of the year. The community is involved, the student body is engaged. Kids that don't play the sport, or any sport, still care and even if they don't go to the game they want to know the outcome. It's an opportunity for people of all different walks of life to unite in a common goal. Alumni come out in droves to support the team, even if their record isn't great that year. Because all that matters is winning "that game"! But what is cool about the rival game is that success trickles over into the school. The halls buzz with excitement, kids are engaged in academics more because there is a sense of pride in their school. As a teacher, it really is interesting to sit back and observe the general atmosphere of the building on a day to day basis. The atmosphere most definitely swings, positively or negatively, on the outcome of "that game".
Lastly, it provides those who participate in it an ownership and sense of pride. Regardless the outcome each year, everyone who played in "that game" will remember the experience and be proud of it. There's no need for pregame speeches to fire up the players, everyone gives their best effort in "that game", and every year after the stories become more exaggerated!
I feel lucky to have grown up in such a rivalry and now coach in one. Rivalries are an important part of sports that affect the entire school community, and the lessons learned by participating in a rivalry game are applicable to business and professional life as well.
*A careful reader will notice that I refer to a general rivalry game as "that game", while I refer to the UM-OSU game as "the game". Go Blue!
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