Arizona-ASU is the most intense rivalry in sports, per study [View all]

When it comes to heated sports rivalries, there are none more intense than Arizona vs. Arizona State.

And, no, we’re not just saying that because this is an Arizona Wildcats website and we may have a slight bias.

It’s true! At least, according to a study.

As reported in the New York Times, two business professors surveyed fans of North American pro sports teams and college football teams, and had them rank their hatred of their rival on a scale from 0 to 100.

Arizona fans averaged 89 hate points toward ASU, while ASU fans averaged 83 hate points toward Arizona. The combined total of 172 is 20 points higher than the second-most intense rivalry—between the Los Angeles Dodgers and San Francisco Giants.

https://www.azdesertswarm.com/platform/amp/2019/10/15/20916461/arizona-asu-rivalry-most-intense-rivalries-college-sports-new-york-times-history

America’s Biggest Sports Rivalries? You Might Be Surprised

Which rivalries are most intense? Can a team have more than one rival? What if the hatred isn’t returned? Two professors wanted answers.

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/10/14/sports/best-sports-rivalries.html