Nancy Kerrigan vs Tonya Harding
Rivals don't just exist on the field in sports. Sometimes tempers are flared off the field. While we would like to believe our favorite sports heroes leave their grudges behind and rest easy after the game is done, that's not the case for these vicious sports feuds, which to this day, aren't resolved.
Here are our top 25 sports feuds throughout history.
Remember Tonya Harding and Nancy Kerrigan?
Muhammad Ali vs Joe Frazier
The skating champions were America's most beloved athletes and "friendly rivals" during the 1994 Olympics until Kerrigan was hit in the knee with a lead pipe by a "mysterious man." The man was later identified as Jeff Gillooly, Harding's husband, who later confessed that Tonya knew about the assault before it happened, making this rivalry and the scream heard around the world, legendary.
Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier are arguably the two biggest names in heavyweight boxing and in 1971 their feud began when Ali said Frazier was "stupid" and "inarticulate" and of course, "too ugly to be the champ." The most offensive of them all?
Ronda Rousey vs Miesha Tate
Ali called Frazier "an uncle Tom." In 1996, Frazier said although he has tried to forgive Ali, he never could.
UFC fighter Ronda Rousey might be new to being a celebrity, but she's not new when it comes to rivals. Rousey and Miesha Tate bumped heads when Rousey said she was coming after the title, and Tate never got over it.
Sir Alex Ferguson vs Alan Green
From there, the two exchanged words in the media and tensions have grown between the two ladies.
Things looked civil between Alex Ferguson and Alan Green. Ferguson took over Manchester United when he became the manager of the popular soccer team, and the two were friendly at first, but their friendship took a turn when Ferguson's success made him unbearable to deal with.
Sebastian Coe vs Linford Christie
Green claimed he was "foul-mouthed" and "arrogant."
Track teammates Sebastian Coe and Linford Christie were always uneasy with each other, but things intensified when they entered the 1992 Olympics together. Coe very publicly accused Christie of being "difficult" and "lucky" to have avoided the level of scrutiny other teammates endured during the drug ban back in 1988, implying some pretty serious allegations.
Don Bradman vs Bill O'Reilly
Christie shot back, calling Coe a racist.
Cricket player Don Bradman had a real penchant for making up rivalries and holding onto grudges. So much so that when Bill O'Reilly, an amiable social player, came onto the scene, Bradman felt threatened by his presence and was distant from the rest of his teammates.
Barry Bonds vs Jeff Kent
He eventually alienated himself from everyone.
It's safe to say that MLB teammates Barry Bonds and Jeff Kent will always hate each other. During one of their many confrontations, the two were head-to-head in a screaming match that became physical in the Giants dugout.
Dr. J vs Larry Bird
At one point, Bonds shoved Kent up against a wall. Yikes!
Any NBA fan will remember the epic 1984 fight that happened on the basketball court between Dr. J (Julius Erving) and Larry Bird.
Robin Ventura vs Nolan Ryan
The shoving caused an epic all-out brawl between the Sixers and the Celtics. Safe to say, these two players never buried the hatchet.
When it comes to brawls in baseball, it doesn't get any better than the 1993 fight between Robin Ventura and Nolan Ryan. After the White Sox and the Rangers had been embroiled in a rivalry for years, a confrontation was had after Ryan hit Ventura in the arm with a wicked pitch.
Kevin Durant vs Russell Westbrook
Ryan charged after him in retaliation and an all-out war broke out.
A supreme rivalry was born when NBA player Kevin Durant left Oklahoma to join the Warriors. The two teams had been feuding, but things intensified when Russell Westbrook decided to stay on the team out of defiance of his former teammate.
Conor McGregor vs. Nate Diaz
Things didn't get any better after the two traded some passive aggressive insults in the media.
UFC fighters Conor McGregor and Nate Diaz didn't get along from the very beginning. When Diaz jumped in to match up with McGregor, the mouthy champ started hurling insults at Diaz saying that he was the "skinniest fat guy" he had ever seen, while Diaz accused of McGregor taking steroids.
Mark McGwire vs Sammy Sosa
The men threw water bottles at each other and traded more insults, but brought the ratings when they finally went head to head.
Baseball players Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa often drew comparisons while on the field and soon a rivalry brewed.
David Beckham vs Landon Donovan
In 1998, the two were neck-and-neck with each other chasing a world record at bat but in the end, it was Sammy Sosa who beat McGwire to the top, despite the steroid use being questioned years later.
Steve Downie vs Akim Aliu
Galaxy teammates David Beckham and Landon Donovan were chummy at the beginning, but once Donovan went after Beckham's stardom over skill on the field, things were neverGalaxy teammates David Beckham and Landon Donovan were chummy at the beginning, but once Donovan went after Beckham's stardom over skill on the field, things were ne the same between the two.
Hockey player Akim's whole career was defined by a single punch to the face when the player was just 16 years old. Steve Downie, who was known for his temper, rattled Aliu with a punch to the face after Aliu decided he wouldn't help with a hazing stunt for their team.
Reggie Miller vs Spike Lee
The fight, which was pinned on Aliu, followed him around ever since.
Spike Lee may be a masterful filmmaker, but for anyone who knows a thing or two about Mr. Lee, you know his name is synonymous with the New York Knicks.
Michael Jordan vs. Isiah Thomas
He's often seen courtside at most games and he's very much ingrained in the NBA culture; so much that he found himself in a rivalry with basketball player Reggie Miller. In 1995, the Pacers baller stared Lee down after scoring every point against his beloved Knicks.
If you want to get yourself into a rivalry, best to make sure you don't have one with the best basketball player in the NBA. Things were so tense between Bulls baller Michael Jordan and Pistons' Isiah Thomas that Jordan was the reason why he didn't make the 1992 all-star Olympic team.
Mike Piazza vs Roger Clemens
Rumor is that Jordan wasn't a fan of Thomas' trash talk on and off the court. Ouch!
Mets' beloved Mike Piazza got into a bit of a dramatic rivalry with the Yankees' Roger Clemens after Clemens hit him in the back of the head. Although fans held their breath until the two New York teams faced off against each other, Piazza said that he only had one concern and that was to boost the Mets' image as a New York team and take the World Series title home.
Roger Federer vs Rafael Nadal\
They didn't take the World Series home, and it would be years after Piazza's departure for that facelift they so desperately needed, but this rivalry still stands the test of time in New York.
Sometimes a rivalry only exists on the court. In the case of Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal, this powerful competitive relationship was left on the court. Outside of the game, the two are friends and admire each other as tennis players.
Magic Johnson vs Larry Bird
Their friendly rivalry started in 2004 when they first went up against each other. That said, it was their 2009 face-off at Wimbledon which people still talk about.
If you have a long and illustrious career like Larry Bird, you can afford to rack up a few enemies. Bird's rivalry with Magic Johnson happened before he made it to the pros.
Aaron Rodgers vs Brett Favre
The two were extremely competitive with each other during college and when they both made it to the NBA, their disdain for each other sparked once again.
Brett Favre was known for his career as a Green Bay Packer, so when current QB Aaron Rodgers made the news for calling out his fellow Packer teammates for a recent loss, the former QB had something to say about it.
Charles Barkley vs Michael Jordan
During a radio interview, Favre said that it's Rodgers who needs to choose his words and keep his energy up while playing the game.
When former NBA player Charles Barkley has something on his mind, he just comes out and says it. During an interview, Barkley got honest about fellow baller Michael Jordan and his frugal ways, but it was his opinion on the Bobcats, which Jordan is a part-owner of, that strained his relationship with the Bulls Hall of Famer.
Billy Martin vs George Steinbrenner
Of the break in their friendship, Barkley called it "very disheartening."
Yankee player Billy Martin had a self-destructive relationship with Yankees owner George Steinbrenner. Although he won five world series with the team, his own partying ways didn't put him in the best light. At one point, their egos finally came to a head after Martin criticized Steinbrenner's calls as manager.
Ben Roethlisberger vs Terry Bradshaw
Martin eventually resigned from the team once his alcoholism was unmanageable.
Steelers' Ben Roethlisberger had a few icy things to say about Terry Bradshaw. During an interview, he commented that although he would personally like to win five Super Bowls, not everyone was in his corner, specifically Bradshaw because he would surpass Bradshaw's wins.
Francisco Rodriguez vs Brian Bruney
He then questioned whether or not he is a "true Steeler." This animosity started in 2006 when Bradshaw criticized Roethlisberger for riding a motorcycle.
Here's another NY team rivalry. This time around, the feud was between MLB stars Francisco Rodriguez and Brian Bruney.
Shaquille O'Neal vs Kobe Bryant
Back in 2009, after the two players exchanged some heated words out on the field, they had to be separated by their fellow teammates.
