Pittsburgh Steelers vs Baltimore Ravens - Sports Best Rivalry?

Who Can Forget the AFC Champ Game
With Troy Saving the Day!?

Ah, yes...the age old question of which sports rivalry is the best.  Sports lends itself to two entities (individuals or teams) not tending to like one another that much.  The question can extend to any sport genre, league, or division.  I think that I can make a case for the Steelers vs Ravens to be the best rivalry in sports for several reasons, but first, let me say that I think the Pittsburgh vs Baltimore goes beyond Primanti Brothers vs Crabcakes, but the fierce competition and competitiveness of the last 10 years. 

There are the everyday rivalries that have their merit as some of the best in sports.  Here are a few that I can think of that would be ON the list, but not atop it.

- Ohio State vs. Michigan (NCAA Football) - The Buckeyes and Wolverines hate each other a great deal.  I would say this is the longest, and most fueled college football rivalry in the nation.  Some might say the 'Red River Rivalry' or USC vs Notre Dame, but to me they all shy in comparison to the OSU vs Michigan.  However, what keeps this rivalry from being at the TOP is the fact that neither of these teams have been considered national powers in years.  Sure, Michigan won a bowl game, and OSU now has Urban Meyer as their coach, but they can't even compete in a bowl game for the next few years.  Great rivalry, but not the best.

- North Carolina vs. Duke (NCAA Basketball) - This rivalry is another college rivalry that doesn't just hold itself on the basketball court.  These two schools hate one another regardless of the sport, but its the 2 times a year that the two powerhouse basketball programs lock horns that this rivalry becomes really good.  You always know when they play...ESPN pumps it up big time, and there is typically nothing short of pandemonium when the game tips off.  This rivalry could be up at the top of the list, but with NCAA Basketball in the state that it is in, the players simply don't stick around long enough to make it good.  In the early 90s when Grant Hill and Christian Laetner were at Duke this could be the best rivalry in all of sports, but with the best players from each team leaving after 1-2 years to go to the NBA the quick turnover leaves me with something missing.

- Red Sox vs. Yankees (MLB Baseball) - Just like the Duke vs UNC rivalry, at one time this was the best of the best.  When the Yankees blew the 3-game lead in the best of 7 series and the Red Sox took that momentum all the way to the World Series it would have to be considered the best of the best, but this rivalry is getting over-cooked.  Everytime these two teams play the game is 6+ hours long (or maybe it just seems that long) and would it kill ESPN or FOX to have a game NOT BE NATIONALLY TELEVISED?!  There might be more bad blood between these two teams than any other listed, but in my opinion they play too many times per year to have this be the best of the best.

- Penguins vs Flyers (NHL Hockey) - You could say this could be the Canadiens and Bruins, or a number of NHL rivalries, but right now there is no better hate-fest than the Penguins vs Flyers.  Just go back and watch the recent playoff series that the Flyers won in 6 games and you'll see what I'm talking about.  These two teams have ALWAYS hated one another and they aren't afraid to show it.  Its the Philly fans calling Sidney Crosby "Cindy" and its the Pittsburgh fans getting on Scotty Hartnell because of his hair looking like pubic hair.  It doesn't end, and the fans bring the hype that leaks onto the ice...which makes it great!  However, the only thing keeping this from the top is the fact that the NHL just isn't as popular as the other sports, but it deserves a spot on the list...for sure!

Now its time for the best of the best (in my humble opinion).  Obviously, if you've ever checked this site before you would know that there has to be a Pittsburgh team involved somewhere!  If you disagree and think there is a better rivalry in sports NOW...leave a comment below!

Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Baltimore Ravens (NFL Football) - Since 1996 when the NFL felt a team would flourish in Baltimore and the Browns moved to Baltimore in the form of the Ravens people didn't realize that the one of the most hated rivalries between the Browns and Steelers would follow the old-Browns to Baltimore and manifest in the Ravens - Steelers rivalry.  With this being such a young rivalry most people might think that this hasn't run its course compared to the above rivalries, but I disagree.  Look at these statistics and you can't tell me that the competitiveness and dominance both of these teams have shown doesn't lend itself to being the best of the best in terms of sports rivalries:
- Since '96 the 2 teams have met 35 times.  Series lead is Pittsburgh 21-14
- No team has every won more than 3xs in a row (Baltimore did that to Pittsburgh '05-'06)
- They've met in the post season 3 times and Pittsburgh has won all 3 meetings
- Combined since '96 the Steelers and Ravens account for 3 Superbowl championships, 4 AFC Championships, and 11 Division Titles

These two teams are mirror images of themselves with the hard nosed defense and the tough physicality that most NFL games lack.  Hines Ward said it best: "The coaches hate each other, the players hate each other... There's no calling each other after the game and inviting each other out to dinner. But the feeling's mutual: They don't like us, and we don't like them. There's no need to hide it, they know it, and we know it. It's going to be one of those black and blue games."  You have memories of Hines Ward crack back blocking Ray Lewis, Ed Reed, and Terrell Suggs.  Who can forget Bart Scott laying out Ben Roethlisberger or Haloti Ngata lighting up Rashard Mendenhall in last season's opener in Baltimore?  Oh, I almost forgot when Ryan Clark almost killed Willis McGahee in the AFC Championship game in Pittsburgh before the Steelers won Superbowl 43.  These two teams have a history and it hasn't been as long as the Packers and Bears, but its just as heated.  These two teams make for good football, good TV, and good drama every time they play one another...at least 2 times a year.  Baltimore vs Pittsburgh is whats good about NFL Football in my opinion and why I think it is the BEST RIVALRY in sports.  Like I said before...you disagree?  Put YOUR best rivalry in the comment section below.