Rivalries run deep, but rivalries in sports run even deeper as they add fuel to the passion of the team and its fans and drive the team toward success.
Rivalry in sport is of upmost importance. In the case of California Baptist University and Azusa Pacific University, the rivalry is alive in all sports teams, but intense in basketball.
You know how games go — we pack the Van Dyne Gym, we infiltrate the Zu, but why? We love to see our schools compete. Behind every great sports rivalry is a sense of pride.
Pride in a university and pride in its sports teams fuel the energy. Rivalries are carried through tradition and create ties to a team or in our case, the university. Rivalries push teams to compete at the highest level and they bring fans closer together.
At CBU, we’re a big family of Lancers, waiting to see our teams be victorious over all teams, but especially APU. During games, strangers cheer with one another and friendships are formed. The energy is so high it gets into the minds of the opposing team. We root, root, root for the home team because it really is a shame if they do not win. Our pride is hurt, but not defeated. No matter the outcome, the loyalty of fans remains.
Rivalries make sports great and rivalries make teams better than they thought they could be. Bonds are created and suddenly, traditions are gearing up to be passed on to Lancers of the future.
