> > I fail to comprehend why anyone gives a flying flip whether one U.S. city beats another U.S. city in something or not . . .
>
> Why is nationalism somehow more sensical to you than a similar feeling on the city level?

I was wondering the same thing. My theory is that since Sam grew up as a military brat, moving from place to place, he never developed an attachment to any one city or community with any great depth. Coupling that with not generally being a sports fan anyway, I can see why he doesn't "get" sports rivalries between cities.

For me, I get some enjoyment when the US does well at the Olympics. I mostly like to see the US atheletes beat out the "favorites", because every American loves an underdog. But like Stephen said, if we're beating up on the Greeks or the Slovakians, I don't get as much enjoyment out of it as when we're beating out the Russians or Chinese or some other country I can honestly say is or was a "rival" of the US in some way.

But it's nothing compared to the intense joy I get when the Red Sox beat the Yankees. I hate the state of Massachusetts and the city of Boston in particular with all of my New Hampshire born and raised heart, but I love the Red Sox, and I always will. I can't explain to you why. All I know is I'm a Red Sox fan, my dad was a Red Sox fan, his dad was a Red Sox fan, and so on and so on. Sure, I hate Boston. But I love the Red Sox. That's just the way it is. I generally dislike people *from* Boston. But I'll talk the Sox with them any time. I grew up rooting for Carl Yaztremski, Jim Rice, Dwight Evens, and guys with names like "Oil Can" and "Spaceman". I don't see myself ever "switching colors" to another MLB team, and even if I did finally live in a city that had a real baseball team (The Rockies don't count) I could only root for them in so far as that didn't interfere with me also rooting for the Sox.

Football is a different matter. I've pretty much completed the switch from Patriots fan to Broncos fan over my past six years living in Colorado. I've been sort of a dual fan for the past few years, but when the Broncos played the Patriots in the playoffs this year, I found myself rooting for the Broncos and against the Pats, which would never ever happen with the Sox. So I consider that transformation pretty much complete. Also, it's pretty fun to be able to rub Stephen's face in it when the Broncos beat the Chargers (which happened TWICE this past season. HA!)

I don't really know what rivalries are all about. But I know they make sports fun. If it was just two teams you had absolutely no investment in, what fun would it be to watch the game? Heck, that's why gambling on sports is so popular. It gives you a reason to cheer for a team you wouldn't normally care anything about. Sure, I can watch a baseball game between any two random teams and enjoy it, but it's absolutely nothing compared to a good Red Sox/Yankees game.

-- Dave