Sports and athlete rivalries go hand in hand like bread and butter. Healthy competition and wanting to become better than your peers are two of the most natural instincts that people dealing with sports can have. Training all your life and stepping over obstacles does not mean you are guaranteed success. There are others in your sport, your category and division, who have been through the same but in a slightly different way, thousands of kilometers away.
Getting to the professional level and living off your athletic prowess only to get paired with, pit against, and compared to colleagues is how rivalries are born. Actually competing against them head to head and winning is how they are put to rest. Some sports have an easier time coming up with rivalries. Of course, individual sports are the go-to option, particularly combat sports like boxing and mixed martial arts. There is no team to hold you back, nobody on your own side who you compete with for minutes or ball touches – just you and the opponent.
