Nine-time sports rivalry games have gotten out of hand

The best rivalries span decades in sports, years and years of hatred, all boiled down to a few hours a year when players, coaches and fans are allowed to grow. These rivalries remind us that while sports are more data-driven than ever, there will forever be a human element behind it. More than anything, the human the element will be what we remember.

So before athletes are phased out of sports by our technological brethren because robots are more cost-effective, it’s time to look back at some of the more human moments in sports rivalries where players and coaches have shown they care as much as the fans. do.

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Michigan vs Ohio State 2024 Game

We begin with the most recent matchup between over 100-year-old rivals Michigan and Ohio State, widely considered one of the best rivalries in sports. Ohio State coach Ryan Day had never beaten Michigan and was facing an UNRANKED 6-5 team. Ohio State was undefeated and ranked #2 in the nation. Ohio State was a 19.5 point favorite. Home. Jim Harbaugh was gone. The stars aligned perfectly for Day to get over the Michigan hump and give his team confidence and momentum for the playoffs. And…

They lost. However, when you lose at home to your rival as the No. 2 team in the country, you don’t just get to go home. Before the dust settled, Michigan fans took to the field and planted a Baker Mayfield-style Michigan flag. The flag was raised and thrown by Ohio State four-year linebacker Jack Sawyer, who never had a chance to beat Michigan during his time there. Fights ensued, players were pepper sprayed and all Ryan Day could do was watch as a brawl broke out in his home stadium.

Yankees vs Red Sox 2003 ALCS Game 3 The Don Zimmer vs Pedro Martinez Tussle

Just missing out on first place is a struggle we’ll probably never see again in American sports, especially baseball. The Yankees were playing the Red Sox in one of MLB’s oldest rivalries in Game 3 of a huge playoff series. In the middle of a frustrating inning, Red Sox pitcher Pedro Martinez throws at (and hits) Yankees shortstop Karim Garcia. That action, in retrospect, was the start of what escalated into a bench-clearing brawl later in the game when Red Sox batter Manny Ramirez was thrown out (or at least he thought he was). During the fight, Yankees manager and 72-year baseball lifer Don Zimmer decided it was in his best interest to run directly against Red Sox pitcher Pedro Martinez. Pedro used Zimmer’s momentum and threw him to the ground, ending a crazy and unforgettable night.

Kansas State vs Kansas 2020 De Souza and the bench

Unlike previous games on this list, this college basketball game was decided early as #3 Kansas went up by 21 points with seconds left at home against rival Kansas State. As Kansas big man Silvio de Souza dribbled out of the clock, Kansas State guard DaJuan Gordon stole the ball from him, driving to the basket for a layup. De Souza didn’t appreciate this too much, and as Gordon sat down with the clock running out, De Souza followed and rocked the area with an emphatic block and followed it up by walking up to Gordan and looking. he down

An all-out battle ensued between both teams, culminating in the iconic image of the night with De Souza holding a stool over his head, only to drop it seconds later.

Steelers vs Browns 2019 The Helmet Swing

Shockingly, this is only the first of two games on this list where a player hits another in the head with a helmet.

This NFL Browns 21-3 victory over the Cleveland Steelers had the tendency to become one of the most forgettable primetime games ever. The story was going to be about how this game probably ended the Steelers’ season and how even a heated AFC North rivalry game couldn’t give us any fun moments … until the final 16 seconds.

Steelers quarterback Mason Rudolph threw a garbage screen pass and was almost immediately bulldozed by Browns superstar defensive end Myles Garrett. The two tangled and began to struggle trying to escape from each other’s grasp. And before anyone knew it, a fight had broken out. But this wasn’t just any kind of fight, it was a fight where Rudolph’s helmet came off (by Myles Garrett) and Garrett hit Rudolph over the head with his own helmet! Garrett later stated that Rudolph called him a racial slur before Garrett hit him. However, the audio was never released to verify this by the NFL.

FIU vs Miami 2006 The Crutch Attack

Two schools, playing only nine miles apart, what could go wrong? Tensions were high for the potential college football rivalry, and all it took was a move during an extra point to set things in motion. Players were kicked in the head, punched in the back of the head and hit over the head with a helmet. The finale, however, came from injured FIU player A’mod Ned, who began tying up the players on the field…with crutches!

FIU has played Miami just three times since then, winning once in 2019.

Rangers vs Devils 2012 and 2024 Line Brawls

NHL fights are so beautiful that they made this list twice.

The March 2012 feud erupted into three fights to start the game (Ryan Carter vs. Stu Bickel, Cam Janssen vs. Brandon Prust, and Eric Boulton vs. Michael Rupp), with Rangers players landing multiple hits in their matches. Line fights happen in other hockey games as well. However, what rarely happens is when one comes out between two teams TWICE in different decades.

The April 2024 brawl between the same teams in the same arena opened the game with all 10 rookies dropping their gloves on the ice. This game had eight players sent off. However, the biggest and longest battle was between Rangers Matt Rempe and Devils Kurtis MacDermid, who nearly fought in a previous game a month earlier in the season.

Knicks vs Bulls 1994 Big City Rivalry

It might seem strange now, but fighting used to be much more common in the NBA. A few rule changes and a corporatization of NBA players phased most of them out. Still, we’ll always have this fight (among others) from the 90s.

With Chicago and New York already having a cross-town rivalry (and the Bulls getting the better of them in the 90s), this Michael Jordan-less playoff matchup was a great way for players on both teams to release some long-held frustrations time. It started between Bulls Jojo English and Knicks Darren Harper, as Harper said in an interview many years later, Jojo approached him and said in Harper’s words “He told me he was going to spank my ass”, and the fight broke out immediately after. The fight turned into a bench cleaning brawl that even got some fans involved.

White Sox vs. Guardians 2024 Anderson vs. Ramirez

We end with a knockout, as this MLB feud is perhaps the cleanest fight on the list. Guardians Jose Ramirez ran to second base on a single by his teammate in the sixth inning and slid under Tim Anderson’s attempt. Ramirez appeared to be asking for help, and Anderson refused. Ramirez told reporters after the game “He said he wanted to fight and I had to defend myself” as the two faced off for an old-fashioned boxing match. The referee actually backed off to let them handle it!

It was a quick fight as other players got involved trying to break it up. However, within 10 seconds, punches had already been thrown and Ramirez was able to knock Tim Anderson down with a kick to the face as he fell.

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