BY JULIA ZOE – FAN FUEL BLOGGER
The world of professional sports is filled up with formidable teams who train hard with one purpose in mind; to win the next championship game and give their fans something to cheer about. Somewhere during their determination to be the best and dominate their regions rankings; an opponent comes along who is skilled on an equal level. An opponent who gives them a run for their money and winning against them no matter what becomes the only aim. The game doesn’t stay a game and turns into a war where the winner gets bragging rights. That is the birth point of a rivalry. That is when diehard Yankees fans like me purchase New York Yankees tickets days in advance to ensure a presence at Yankee Stadium to cheer our favourite team to victory against the Boston Red Sox.
Several long standing rivalries can be found in the professional sports world. Some would say the Yankees – Red Sox rivalry is the biggest in Major League Baseball, and rightly so.
Games between the two teams often generate considerable interest and receive extensive media coverage, including being broadcast on national television. Yankees-Red Sox games are some of the most-watched MLB games each season. Outside of baseball, the rivalry between the two teams has led to violence between fans, along with attention from politicians and other athletes.
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The first brawl between the Yankees and the Red Sox took place on August 26th 1901, and since then the arch rivals have encountered each other on the diamond a staggering 2,118 times with the Yankees leading with a whopping 1,145 wins. However, it is the Red Sox who have the longest winning streak against the Yankees at 17 games.
The Yankees – Red Sox rivalry has intensified in the recent years especially after the 2004 season. The teams frequently tear up the ballpark while playing against each other for a spot on the playoffs. The Red Sox finally broke the “Curse of the Bambino” – a reference to the controversial trade of Babe Ruth to the Yankees by then Red Sox owner Harry Frazee, and managed to win their first World Series title in decades in 2004 and followed up with a second in 2007. The Yankees last experienced championship glory in 2009, the year their new stadium opened.
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