WHILE JOINING a book club may be all about taking part, sport’s about winning, and the only thing better than winning is battering a rival and wearing a superior sneer in the process.
So, rub your hands together, set your mouth to watering, and prepare for a feast of bitter rivalries to savour with BT Vision over the next week. Er, merry Christmas.
Napoli v Roma, live 7.45pm, 18 December, ESPN
The ‘Derby of the Sun’ sounds all pony rides and ice creams, but think snarling fans and flares. It’s all about southerners v capital city slickers. Travelling supporters are regularly banned from the fixture, and opposing fans chant songs about each other that are very hurtful, and a bit naughty.
Tottenham v Chelsea, live 7.30pm, 22 December, Sky Sports 1
Santa Claus will be deleting White Hart Lane and Stamford Bridge from his sleigh’s satnav as the local rivals and title contenders are likely to turn nasty in a bid for precious points and the position of London’s top dog. The Blues will be trying to win at Spurs for the first time in the league since 2005.
World Darts Championship, live from 7pm, 15 December, Sky Sports 1 and Sky Sports 2
Last year’s winner Adrian Lewis and runner-up Gary Anderson will renew oche hostilities, which have been made more acute by the beer-bath and coin-confetti reception Lewis was given by ‘Flying Scotsman’ Anderson’s fans in Glasgow in March.
Red Bull Rivals on now
Try out various facial expressions, including laughing and wincing, as former Hollyoaks stars Matt Littler and Darren Jeffries compete across a seriously impressive range of extreme sports, from cliff diving to mountain biking down real mountains.
The Thrilla in Manila on now
Watch Muhammad ‘The Greatest’ Ali and the late, great Smokin’ Joe Frazier punch each other a lot in the strength-sapping humidity of Manila, during the epic third and final chapter of boxing’s greatest ever saga of rivalry.
What sporting rivalry has given you goosebumps, and what does rivalry add to sport? Tell us about it below. And for sport, film and TV chit-chat, follow @tvfrombt on Twitter.
