Friday, November 30, 2007 Escudero: Anatomy of a rivalry By Edcer Escudero Wit or without
RIVALRY is a prolonged or continuing competition between two or among several contending parties pursuing one and the same goal - complete and irrefutable supremacy.
In sports, rivalry adds extra motivation for athletes to excel, and sustains impetus for fans to cheer and share in the joys of triumph.
Here are some famous rivalries in individual and team sports:
NBA: Boston Celtics - Los Angeles Lakers (1960s and 1980s) which showcased great talents like Bill Russel, Wilt Chamberlain, Larry Bird, Magic Johnson, Jerry West and Bob Cousy.
Boxing: Muhammad Ali-Joe Frazier; Sugar Ray Leonard-Tommy Hearns (1980s); Manny Pacquiao-Erik Morales (2006-2007).
Golf: Ben Hogan-Sam Snead (1950s); Arnold Palmer-Jack Niclaus (1960s-1970s).
Tennis: Bjorn Borg-Jimmy Connors (1970s); Pete Sampras-Andre Agassi (1990s-2002); Roger Federer-Rafael Nadal (2005-07).
PBA: Toyota Tamaraws-Crispa Redmanizrs (1970s).
The above-cited rivalries provided great excitement and top-notch entertainment to millions of fans all over the world.
In Philippine college basketball there is only rivalry that has stood the test of time, the Ateneo-De La Salle rivalry.
It is generally conceded that it is the most enduring and titanic rivalry in the history of college basketball. It dates back to the late 1940s during the NCAA post-war years when six-foot hoopsters were looked upon as freaks or circus characters.
Today, this amazing school rivalry is as ballistic, as nerve-cracking, earth-shaking and ego-boosting as it was more than half a century ago.
Whenever the Ateneo Blue Eagles and the La Salle Green Archers meet on the hardcourt, expect explosive fireworks - flared-up tempers, lung-busting cheers, and high-pitched taunting to resonate in the coliseum.
Now, what makes the Ateneo-De La Salle rivalry so special, so powerful, so enduring?
Make no mistake about it. It's all about pride, honor and the indomitable spirit to conquer the unconquerable. To the Atenean and the La Sallian, impossible is only a matter of rhetoric.
Both have the bravest of heart and the unbending will to win and be proclaimed the best of the best.
Ateneo and De La Salle treat victory and defeat in contrasting lights. And the way they do so reflects their respective philosophies vis-à-vis sports competition.
The La Sallite takes defeat as a mistake that must not be repeated, and triumph as a moveable feast, a just reward for determination and hard work.
The Atenean looks at defeat as a challenge to obliterate traces of a mediocre performance, and victory as an affirmation of his excellence and superiority.
Both, however, don't mind much losing to other schools. They take it as a reality of the game where there is a winner and a loser.
But Ateneo losing to De La Salle, or vice versa, why, it's a catastrophe.
After a defeat, the school campus becomes a memorial park where silence and gloom permeate. In homes of alumni of both schools, everyone, including the uniformed DHs, wears a long face.
At the inception of the rivalry, its raison d'etre was who plays better basketball - the Blue Eagles or the Green Archers? As the years rolled by, the rivalry acquired another dimension, and went beyond the 96-ft. by 54-ft hardcourt. They don't just fight over superiority in a particular sport, but it boiled down to which school produces the better brain, the better person, the more accomplished human being. Clearly, it's no longer just a basketball rivalry, but a rivalry of two very proud institutions of learning.
Perhaps, this imaginary dialogue will give us a clue:
Atenista: The country's top companies are run by Ateneans.
La Salista: That's true. That's why we La Sallites are grateful to Ateneans for taking good care of our companies.
Fact or fiction: Leading fastfood chain stores in the city are proud of their excellent food attendants. They are Ateneans.
