Crosstown rivalry

In sports, a crosstown rivalry is a rivalry between two teams in the same metropolitan area. It is a term primarily used in the United States and Canada. They are called "crosstown rivalries" because in most cases, they are held in large cities or metropolitan areas where each team represents a different part of the city or area (i.e., the other team is "across town"). The term regional rivalry is used to describe rivalries within a particular region but outside the boundaries of a particular metro area (this is particularly the case in Canada, where no metro areas have more than one team and the population is more sparse); likewise, intrastate rivals (also in-state rivals, or provincial rivals in Canada) describes rivalries that, while not in the same metro area, are within the same state or province.

Compared to other parts of the world, true "local derbies" are rare in the United States. Even those rivalries that can be considered "local derbies" due to geographic proximity often feature teams that primarily draw supporters from distinct geographic communities, largely because professional sports teams do not want to have to draw from the same people, so that each person has more money to spend on their team instead of dividing it among multiple teams. This is especially true for rivalries in the greater New York City area; while some local rivals may play home games less than 10 miles (16 km) apart, they represent distinct geographical communities. Two examples are the three-way rivalry between the New York Rangers (representing New York City), New York Islanders (representing Long Island), the New Jersey Devils, and formerly the Hartford Whalers (Connecticut) in the National Hockey League, and the New York Knicks-New Jersey Nets rivalry in the National Basketball Association. The Knicks-Nets contest may develop into a full derby upon the Nets' proposed relocation to the New York borough of Brooklyn, an area currently within the Knicks' fan base. A similar situation exists in the San Francisco Bay Area for baseball and American football; while the San Francisco Giants and the Oakland Athletics are based in very close proximity, as are the San Francisco 49ers and Oakland Raiders, their supporter bases are somewhat geographically distinct, separated by San Francisco Bay. Additionally, in Los Angeles, there are rivalries such as the Los Angeles Dodgers versus the Los Angeles Angels, based in Anaheim, in Major League Baseball.

Below is a list of "crosstown" rivalries in the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Canada, as well as major colleges. Minor leagues, being regional by their nature, feature numerous regional rivalries, some of which (e.g. the Staten Island Yankees vs. the Brooklyn Cyclones) are true crosstown rivalries.

Professional

Baseball

• Chicago Cubs vs. Chicago White Sox — The Sox bested the Cubs in the 1906 World Series, the only all-Chicago series to date. From 1903 until the adoption of interleague play in 1997, the two teams met annually for an unofficial charity/exhibition game.
• New York Mets vs. New York Yankees — The "Subway Series", began in 1997, contested during the 2000 World Series.
• Oakland Athletics vs. San Francisco Giants — The "Bay Bridge Series," as the two cities are connected by the Bay Bridge. The teams contested the famous 1989 World Series, interrupted by the Loma Prieta Earthquake.
• Los Angeles Dodgers vs. Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim — The "Freeway Series", as both teams are located within a 30-minute drive of one another.
• Baltimore Orioles vs. Washington Nationals — The "Beltway Series"

Former

• New York Giants vs. Brooklyn Dodgers — 1890-1957, contested 22 times annually from 1903 until both teams moved to the west coast after the 1957 season, though the Giants and Dodgers remain bitter rivals.
• St. Louis Cardinals v St. Louis Browns - 1902-1953, contested in the 1944 World Series
• Philadelphia Phillies vs. Philadelphia Athletics - 1903-1954, they met 240 times. Many were termed “City Series Games” as the two teams played exhibitions before, during or after their respective seasons.

See also: Major League Baseball rivalries

Basketball

• Los Angeles Clippers v Los Angeles Lakers — Unlike most crosstown rivalries, the Lakers and Clippers share a home court at the Staples Center. Due to the Lakers' successes over the years, and the Clippers' lack of playoff experience, this crosstown rivalry has never materialized to full potential.
• New York Knicks v New Jersey Nets — The Knicks and Nets play less than 15 minutes apart, as the Knicks are based in Manhattan, and the Nets occupy home court at Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey. In 2012, this will become a true crosstown rivalry when the Nets move to the new Barclays Center in Brooklyn and become the Brooklyn Nets. The two teams have met in the playoffs three times, with the Knicks winning in 1983 and 1994, and the Nets winning in 2004.

See also: National Basketball Association rivalries

The modern American Basketball Association has adopted a policy of placing multiple teams in one market, often chosing local high schools as home arenas.

American Football

• New York Giants v New York Jets — contrary to their names, both have shared the same stadium for 25 years, first the now-demolished Giants Stadium in New Jersey for 24 years, and now MetLife Stadium, which was built jointly by both teams. In addition, both teams have their headquarters in New Jersey. However, this rivalry is rarely contested in the regular season (and has yet to be contested in the postseason), as both clubs are in different conferences, but it is played annually during the preseason. Under the current scheduling formula, they are guaranteed to meet every four years in the regular season (such a benefit did not exist from 1970-2001), with each team taking turns as the designated home team (the Jets will be the home team in 2011, and the game will be locally televised by WNYW, as part of the NFL on Fox package, as Fox owns the rights to the road games of the NFC, which the Giants are in; this was despite speculation that the game would be played on September 11 on NBC Sunday Night Football to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the September 11 attacks).
• Oakland Raiders v San Francisco 49ers
• Washington Redskins v Baltimore Ravens

See also: National Football League rivalries

Former

• New York Giants v Brooklyn Lions (1926), New York Yankees (1927–28), Orange/Newark Tornadoes (1929–30), Staten Island Stapletons (1929–1932), Brooklyn Dodgers (1930–1944), New York Yanks (1945, 1949–1951)
• Brooklyn Horsemen (Lions) v New York Yankees and Newark Bears (AFLI, 1926—Brooklyn and the Yankees are the same teams as the Giants' rivals listed above)
• New York Yankees v Brooklyn Dodgers (AAFC, 1946–1948)
• Chicago Cardinals v Chicago Boosters (pre-1920), Chicago Tigers (1920), Hammond Pros (1920–26), Kenosha Maroons (1924), Chicago Staleys/Bears (1921–1959)
• Los Angeles Rams v Los Angeles Raiders (1982–1994)
• Massillon Tigers v Canton Bulldogs
  See also: Ohio League

See also: New York Pro Football League and Anthracite League

Intrastate rivalries

• Battle of Ohio — Cleveland Browns v Cincinnati Bengals
• Missouri Governor's Cup — Kansas City Chiefs vs. St. Louis Rams
• Texas Governor's Cup — Dallas Cowboys vs. Houston Texans and formerly Houston Oilers
• Pennsylvania rivalries: Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Philadelphia Eagles
• California rivalries: Oakland Raiders vs. San Francisco 49ers or Oakland Raiders vs. San Diego Chargers. The Raiders and Chargers are division rivals and Raiders and 49ers crosstown rivals.
• Florida rivalries: Miami Dolphins vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs. Jacksonville Jaguars
• Maryland rivalries: Washington Redskins vs. Baltimore Ravens. Since 1997, the Redskins have played not in Washington, D.C. but at FedExField in Landover, Maryland. (Note: The Redskins' prior rivalry with the Baltimore Colts would not count toward this, since during that time, the Redskins played at Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium, which was indeed in the District of Columbia and not in Maryland.)
• New York rivalries: The rivalry between the Jets and/or Giants and the Buffalo Bills is an intrastate rivalry in name only, as both the Jets and Giants do not play in New York anymore but in New Jersey, though all three currently have training camp in the upstate New York region. However, when the Jets played in Shea Stadium, and for the three years where the Bills were in the NFL and the Giants played in Yankee Stadium, those were intrastate rivalries.

See also: National Football League rivalries

Hockey

• New Jersey Devils v New York Rangers — This one takes place in the Tri-State Area (New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut). Fuel was added into the fire when in 1994 the Rangers came back from a 3-2 deficit to make it to the Stanley Cup. Both teams have an intense playoff history. They play each other approximately 7 times a year since they are both in the same division and the NHL schedule pits rivals against each other more. The Rangers and Devils play less than 15 minutes apart from one another, as the Rangers play in Madison Square Garden in Manhattan, and the Devils play at Prudential Center in nearby Newark, New Jersey.
• New York Rangers v New York Islanders — the Islanders are based in Uniondale, New York, on Long Island, about a half-hour commuting distance from Manhattan, where the Rangers are based. Both teams are division rivals in the NHL's Atlantic Division.
• Buffalo Sabres v Toronto Maple Leafs — In the broadest sense, these two cities are occasionally considered one giant metropolitan area stretching from Toronto across Hamilton and Buffalo to Rochester (the Buffalo Bills currently have home stadiums in both Toronto and Buffalo and hold training camp in Rochester, and at one time a fast ferry connected Toronto and Rochester). Like the Devils, Islanders and Rangers, the Sabres and Leafs are division rivals and play each other numerous times each year.
• Anaheim Ducks v Los Angeles Kings — This crosstown hockey rivalry takes place in Southern California, between the adjacent cities of Los Angeles, California, and Anaheim, California, which lies in nearby Orange County. Both teams share a television market as well. Los Angeles and Anaheim are only a half-hour apart, and both cities are connected by the California freeway system. The rivalry is intense and often fight-filled. As of 2007, the rivalry was named the "Freeway Face-Off" in a fan contest held by Southern California sports networks, FSN West and FSN Prime Ticket.
  Main article: Freeway Face-Off
• Pittsburgh Penguins vs. Philadelphia Flyers - This cross-state rivalry is one of the stronger sports rivalries between the two largest cities in Pennsylvania.

See also: National Hockey League rivalries

Soccer

Main article: MLS rivalry cups

Major League Soccer has attempted to bolster interest in its league by encouraging the creation of special trophies for matches between nearby franchises, to foment local rivalries. A true derby exists between Los Angeles Galaxy and Chivas USA, both of which play in the Home Depot Center as their home ground. That match is currently named the "Honda SuperClasico."

Intrastate rivalries

• California Clasico: Los Angeles Galaxy vs. San Jose Earthquakes.
• Maryland Derby: Crystal Palace Baltimore vs. Real Maryland Monarchs when both were in the USL Second Division. No longer active (except for preseason friendlies and possible future Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup matches), as Baltimore is planning to join the new NASL and Real has self-relegated to the USL Premier Development League (PDL).
• Florida Derby: Miami FC vs. FC Tampa Bay — A rivalry in the current NASL that started when both teams were in the USL First Division. Part of the Ponce De Leon Cup.
• North Carolina Derby: Charlotte Eagles vs. Wilmington Hammerheads; as of 2011, both teams play in USL Pro, and had previously played in the USL Second Division. Theoretically if either team were to face the Carolina RailHawks or Carolina Dynamo, or indeed those two were to face each other, in the U.S. Open Cup that would be considered a North Carolina derby as well.
• Ohio Derby: Columbus Crew (MLS) vs. Dayton Dutch Lions (USL Pro) or Cincinnati Kings/Cleveland Internationals (PDL). Included Cleveland City Stars (USL D1) before that team folded after the 2009 season.
• Pennsylvania Derby: Harrisburg City Islanders vs. Pittsburgh Riverhounds, USL Pro. Could also include the Pennsylvania Stoners as well.
• Texas Derby: FC Dallas vs. Houston Dynamo, as with the North Carolina Derby, if either team were to face the Austin Aztex in Cup play that too could be considered a derby.
• Utah Derby: BYU Cougars vs. Ogden Outlaws, both in the Southwest Division of the PDL. A Cup match between either team and Real Salt Lake (MLS) can also be considered a Utah derby.

Interstate rivalries

• Cascadia Cup Derby: Seattle Sounders vs. Portland Timbers vs. Vancouver Whitecaps.

Lacrosse

• Buffalo Bandits vs. Rochester Knighthawks - This National Lacrosse League rivalry is one of the few rivalries that pits these two Western New York cities, separated by approximately 60 miles, against each other. Broadening to the wider Lake Ontario ring, the Toronto Rock can also be included in a three-way rivalry.

University

See also: List of NCAA college football rivalry games

• The Beanpot — An annual hockey tournament involving Boston University, Northeastern University, Boston College, and Harvard, all located in and around Boston. BU and BC specifically have an intense rivalry, and the games locally are known as the "Battle of Comm Ave" for the common road that connects the two. Boston University and Northeastern also share an intense rivalry in sports other than ice hockey.
• Belmont University vs. Lipscomb University — The Battle of the Boulevard in basketball
• Bradley University vs. Illinois State University — "The War on 74" (basketball)
• Canisius College vs. Niagara University, University at Buffalo and St. Bonaventure University — "Big 4" (basketball). Excluding UB, the rivalry is known as the "Little 3".
• University of Cincinnati vs. Xavier University — Crosstown Shootout
• Duke University vs. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill — "The Battle of Tobacco Road". Duke and UNC, both located in The Triangle region of North Carolina, are only 8 miles (13 km) apart. Tobacco Road battles also include North Carolina State University, also located in The Triangle, and Wake Forest University, formerly located in The Triangle before its 1956 move to the area now known as the Piedmont Triad.
• Marquette University vs. University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee — Milwaukee Cup (men's soccer), "Battle For The Keg" (club football)
• Philadelphia Big 5 — An annual men's basketball series involving the following schools in Philadelphia and vicinity:
  • La Salle University
  • University of Pennsylvania
  • Saint Joseph's University
  • Temple University
  • Villanova University
• University of Houston v Rice University — Houston's two most prominent universities have an active rivalry in all sports. The annual football game between the two is known as the Bayou Bucket Classic.
• University of Pittsburgh v Duquesne University — The City Game in men's and women's basketball; the term is also used occasionally in other sports.
• University of San Diego v San Diego State University v University of California, San Diego
• University of Southern California v University of California, Los Angeles
• University of California, Berkeley v Stanford University The Big Game, San Francisco Bay Area
• University of California, Davis v Sacramento State The Causeway Classic (named after the Yolo Causeway, the long bridge on Interstate 80 over the Yolo Bypass that connects Davis, California and Sacramento, California)
• The Liberty Cup — The first football game of the year between the Columbia Lions and the Fordham Rams. On odd years, the game is played at Fordham University in The Bronx and on even years played at Columbia University in Manhattan.
• Hampton University v. Norfolk State University: The Battle of The Bay, involving the two historically black universities located in the Hampton Roads metropolitan area. Each school is located in one of the two major subregions of that area—Hampton on the Virginia Peninsula (locally "the Peninsula") and Norfolk State in South Hampton Roads (locally "the Southside"). A further contrast is that Hampton is a private institution, while Norfolk State is public.
• University of Tulsa v Oral Roberts University

Canada

Note: These rivalries may not be crosstown, rather they may be across large geographical regions instead (usually within a province or two adjacent provinces), due to a lack of actual local derbies in Canada because of its large area with a small population base that is mainly scattered.

• National Hockey League rivalries — (hockey)
  • Battle of Alberta: Calgary Flames v Edmonton Oilers
  • Battle of Ontario: Toronto Maple Leafs v Ottawa Senators
• Labour Day Classic — Canadian Football League
  • Battle of Alberta — Edmonton Eskimos at Calgary Stampeders (the two teams typically play at Edmonton the following weekend)
  • Toronto Argonauts at Hamilton Tiger-Cats (as in the Battle of Alberta, the two teams also play the following weekend, this time at Toronto)
  • Winnipeg Blue Bombers at Saskatchewan Roughriders (these two teams in adjacent provinces play the following weekend in the Banjo Bowl)
  • Montreal Alouettes vs. Ottawa — Set to be revived in 2013. In the meantime, Montreal faces the BC Lions on Labour Day.
• Major League Soccer
  • None until 2012, when the Montreal Impact join the league and will have a built-in rivalry with Toronto FC.
• Canadian Soccer League
  • Serbian White Eagles v Toronto Croatia
• General
  • Toronto-Montreal rivalry