Rivalries

Like to take this time to address the importance of rivals.

We all hav erivals: rival co-workers going for that promotion, rival sports teams playing each other all the time, rival neighbors battling for the best Christmas light decorations, rival students going for the best grade in the class..etc., etc. Usually rivalries have a negative connotion, met with a little bit of negativity or uneasiness. "O man, he's your rival, huh? Well.....good luck."

I disagree. Rivals tend to instill fierce competition and with that, motivation to push yourself. Rivals not only make themselves better to battle you, they make YOU better. And it doesn't really matter if it's a healthy rivalry or a "Man, I hate that guy's guts" rivalry: the result is beneficial for both parties involved; a mutually symbiotic relationship at its best. (Granted, of course, that no one kills themselves working too hard or makes it a personal feud about other things). I maintain that a hard-fought dogfight to see who offers the most solely based on the merits is great for you and your rival.

What brings this on? This week I am in my fantasy football championship game facing my own rival ( who happens to read this blog and who used his knowledge that I loved Tony Romo before the season against me). I have known this particular manager for 3 years, since law school started. I will never forget knocking on his door 1L year of law school to invite him to join the USC Law Fantasy Football league, not knowing that this guy probably loved fantasy football more than me and was just as gun-ho and cutthroat as I was about fantasy sports. Every season since, we have played in every fantasy football and fantasy baseball season without fail; any memorable matchups have resulted. I ended his football season our first year; he beat me in a tight fantasy baseball playoff matchup en route to his one and only title. The times we match up do not go silently; we talk a lot of smack before, during, and after matchups. It is relentless. Losing is unacceptable; winning feels like winning 2 games. Because I can't stand losing to my rival, I'm constantly willing myself to get better, to put in the research, to get that extra edge on him. And I'm sure my rival does the same. Outside of fantasy football, we are on great terms; colleagues, fellow law students, watch football together on the weekends, talk freely about life. The epitome of a healthy rivalry; I'm hoping it'll continue for a long, long, time. (and that I can carve another "W" into my column this week).

Healthy rivalries in sports:
Ravens- Steelers in the AFC North. These 2 perennial powerhouses battle it out every year, and both usually make the playoffs, sometimes even meeting in the playoffs.
Kobe-Lebron in the NBA. These 2 openly do not like each other. It's the young Anointed One with the Superstar that's running out of time.
Yankees- Red Sox: These 2 probably don't have a healthy rivalry and are bitter enemies, but their records and championship counts are better for it.
Federer/Nadal/Njokovic: All 3 have pushed each other way past the rest of men's tennis.
NFL/NBA/MLB: challenging each other as to which leagues can get calls through instant replay. So far, as usual, NFL winning.

Fantasize on,

Robert Yan