This weekend was definitely rivalry weekend in our neck of the woods. Not only did we have the USC vs UCLA football game, but little soccer girl played her last two league games against her closest “rival” teams. Let’s just say we went one out of three in our family. The USC game definitely didn’t go my way and little soccer girl won one and lost one.
The USC/UCLA rivalry is a unique one in college sports with the two universities being only twelve miles apart. I grew up in a Bruin household with both my parents attending UCLA. We attended numerous football and basketball games and I learned the “8 clap” as a very little girl. Things changed when I decided to attend USC (shocker!!). Things continued to change when my brother went there as well. Now we are definitely a house divided as my brother married a USC girl and well, I’ve convinced the So Cal Soccer Dad that he is a USC fan. This is a common scenario in households across Southern California making the big game a big day for everyone.
As for my soccer girls, there are five competitive soccer clubs within a ten mile (or less!) radius. Egos and differences of opinions have divided the competition most likely making for weaker teams, but fierce rivalries. Girls go to school together, parents are friends and there’s a lot to be “proved” out on the field. Emotions run high and it’s often not the “best” team who wins. As a spectator it’s so frustrating to watch, but I think the girls have the best attitude of us all. After playing poorly as a team and losing a game to her fiercest rival, little soccer girl wanted to go to lunch with her friend from the rival team. That’s what we did and we all had a great time. As usual, the kids have the best sportsmanship of us all.
What is it about a rivalry that makes the result of a game so uncertain?