As I grew up watching sports, rivalry games were always my favorite to watch.
Sure, I love watching every game, but there’s just a little added excitement when two rivals who really don’t like each other face off. Every sport, every level, there’s a rivalry that each team looks forward to.
Of course, you can’t mention the word “rivalry” here without mentioning Michigan vs Ohio State. A rivalry that began over the city of Toledo. A rivalry where two entire states hate the other, and a rivalry that the players in the game circle on their calendars, which the entire year leads up to. Michigan vs Michigan State is big as well, as the entire state of Michigan is divided by maize and blue or green and white.
Another big rivalry in sports is the New York Yankees and the Boston Red Sox in the MLB, a rivalry that is over a century old. These two teams have played so many times over the course of their existence in baseball, but their hatred began in 1919 with the Babe Ruth trade.
Rivalries are huge for sports. Every team has a rival, and Ferris State is no different.
I’ve known about the Ferris vs Grand Valley rivalry since I was little. Back then, however, I liked Grand Valley strictly because my mom used to work there, and I would sometimes be allowed to go in the president’s box with her to watch Laker games. It’s deep in the archives, but there’s an old picture of me with the Grand Valley mascot.
So what changed? My mom got a job at Ferris, and I was a senior in high school, looking at colleges to attend. My mom got me the opportunity to go into the broadcast booth with Rob Bentley and Sandy Gholston for a Ferris football game, and from then on, I was hooked. I attended Ferris and joined the other side of the Ferris State-Grand Valley rivalry.
But why are rivalries good? For starters, the players love them. The athletes want to play their best since their pride is on the line, and it’s what they work for the entire season.
The fans also love them. While they may hate an opposing fan for being a fan of the rival, there’s a level of respect that comes with loyalty to being a fan of a team. Being a fan brings people together, and fans who are rivals come together, even if it’s out of hatred for the other side, to watch their respective teams.
Rivalries bring in more fans as well. People who may not ordinarily care about the sport may be drawn to watch the game, and rivalry games bring increases in viewership, which can help grow any sport.
A lack of rivalries in any sport can reduce some of the “buzz” around the sport. Take Ferris hockey, for example, where we don’t have a clear, established rival the way we do in our sports like football. There isn’t really a “big game” to look forward to the way we look forward to the Anchor-Bone.
You can’t artificially create a rivalry, which is why these games are so special. Sure, rivalries can die out, like the Detroit Red Wings and Colorado Avalanche, but it doesn’t take away from the excitement those games produced.
This year will be my first time being at Anchor-Bone. I’ve been to basketball games and volleyball games, but never for football, the sport where the rivalry hits the hardest. I’m looking forward to taking part in the rivalry as a fan, as a Bulldog.