8 Hottest New Rivalries in Sports

What are the best and most heated new rivalries currently in sports?

Everyone knows the all-time greatest sports feuds.  Michigan vs. Ohio State, North Carolina vs. Duke, and Ali vs. Frazier round out some of the greatest and most bitter rivalries in sports history.

Rivalries are essential for sports.  They contribute an added flavor and intensity that not only embodies a  team's fan-base, but the players themselves.

The following bitter feuds exemplify all of the passion and strife seen in sports' all-time greatest rivalries.

Over the years they just may grow to outdo some of them.

LeBron James vs. Cleveland Cavaliers/City of Cleveland

LeBron James decided his best chance to win an NBA Championship was to leave his hometown of north-east Ohio and relocate to Miami, Florida.

In doing so, James alienated thousands of his former supporters.  Alienated is putting it lightly.  

Fans took to the streets, shocked and in disbelief, following James's nationally televised "Decision".  

In the wake of "The Decision", people in the street burned James jerseys by the hundred. 

James also created a plethora of new enemies during the 2010 spring.

Many teams were vying for LeBron's services during free agency in 2010.  New York, Chicago and New Jersey all believed to legitimately be in the running at landing James.  

However, it seems LeBron and his Team USA friends' Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh, had different plans.

Why this rivalry is so intense: You can't walk down the street, anywhere in the Cleveland area, and mention LeBron and not get a negative response.

Cleveland Cavalier fans were perhaps just as, if not more, excited than Dallas Mavericks fans as the Cleveland dubbed "Mavaliers" defeated LeBron and the Heat in the 2011 NBA Finals.

Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Baltimore Ravens

The Pittsburgh Steelers and Baltimore Ravens are two of the most physical and hard-hitting teams in the NFL.  Needless to say, that is a recipe for fireworks.

The Ravens franchise, formerly the Cleveland Browns, carried over with it a tradition of bitter rivalry with the Steelers.  

Each year both team's battle back and forth twice for supremacy in the AFC North and sometimes a third time in the post-season.  

Battle is exactly what these two fierce rivals do.

In 2008, to add fuel to the fire, Ravens linebacker Terrell Suggs issued a bounty on Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Hines Ward and running back Rashard Mendenhall.

Mendenhall suffered a season ending shoulder injury during the following game following a huge hit from Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis.

Cincinnati Reds vs. St. Louis Cardinals

There is absolutely no love lost between the St. Louis Cardinals and the Cincinnati Reds.  This is true to not only the players of each team but the fan-base as well.

As two of the most storied baseball towns in America, the developing rivalry is a welcome sight to a sport yearning for excitement.

In 2010 the rivalry really took flight.

According to reporting from the Associated Press, the St. Louis Cardinals complained twice, once in 2009 and once again on opening day of 2010, that baseballs in Cincinnati were not rubbed properly before games resulting in "slippery" baseballs.

Later in 2010, Reds second baseman Brandon Phillips sounded off that he "hated" the Cardinals.  

A day later he tapped Cardinals catcher Yadier Molina with his bat as he dug into the batters-box.  

Molina wasn't amused and a bench clearing brawl resulted.

The Reds won the NL Central in 2010, making the playoffs for the first time since 1999, finishing five games ahead of the St. Louis Cardinals.

This year, the Cardinals took the wild card berth while the Reds regressed back to a losing ball-club.  However, the season did not go without incident.  

On May 14, 2011, a Cincinnati Reds radio station affiliate aired a promotion rewarding a winner a case of St. Louis Cardinals Manager Tony La Russa's shingles.  The ad said, according to Sporting News:

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"Cardinals manager Tony La Russa has shingles, so we want to give you a chance to win some Tony La Russa shingles of your own! The Reds and Cards clash this weekend at GABP and we're backin' our Redlegs by giving you a shot to win Tony La Russa shingles courtesy of Ray St. Clair Roofing!"

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The following day, Cardinals superstar Albert Pujols was hit in the ninth inning while the Reds held a 9-7 lead.  

With an 0-2 count, a two run lead and two outs in the inning, it simply does not make sense that the Reds were throwing at Pujols.

The Cardinals took offense anyway.

Tigers Woods vs. Stevie Williams

For years people had awed at the sheer domination Tiger Woods exerted over the golf world.  Over and over Tiger's rivals fell and he continued to ride high above the pack.

The fallout from his much televised divorce drama and a subsequent injury left Tiger reeling and looking for change.

His struggles were taken out on the one man who had been with him for 12 years.  

Caddy, Stevie Williams.

According to Associated Press reporting on ESPN.com, Williams argued Woods had let him go after he told Tiger he intended to caddy for Adam Scott at the Bridgestone Invitational in August 2011.  

Adam Scott ended up winning Bridgestone.  Williams's comments following the win sparked what could be a very heated and drawn out feud between the caddy and his former employer.

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"I've been caddying for 33 years and I've never had a bigger win."

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Keep in mind, Williams had won 13 majors and 16 world titles working with Tiger Woods.  He then added:

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"It's the greatest week of my life caddying and I sincerely mean that."

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The comments sparked a media craze.  Seemingly, blood was in the water and the gates were opened back up to create some of the biggest drama the golf world has ever seen.

"Suga" Rashad Evans vs. Jon "Bones" Jones

Jon "Bones" Jones trained under "Suga" Rashad Evans.  The two have split and are currently at odds and eagerly awaiting to get into the ring with one another.

The old cliche of student challenging mentor.

Jon Jones filled in for an injured Rashad Evans at UFC 128 to take on the then UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Mauricio "Shogun" Rua.

Jones won and became the youngest champion in UFC history.

Following a heated discussion in Las Vegas and an ensuing Twitter battle, this rivalry took shape and the fight was slated to go down at UFC 133.

Jones was sidelined with an injury and instead successfully defended the title at UFC 135 against Quinton "Rampage" Jackson.

Rashad Evans accused Jones of being afraid to fight him.

Coincidentally, a fight pegged for UFC 140 has just been called off due to Rashad Evans undergoing surgery.  Jones will defend his title instead, against Lyoto "The Dragon" Machida.

I know what you're thinking.

Will this fight ever happen?

It will and it is going to be brutal.

Tampa Bay Lightning vs. Boston Bruins

Game 7 of the NHL Eastern Conference Finals.  A storied NHL franchise in the Boston Bruins and an emerging Tampa Bay Lightning team.

Two players from each team that have a history and hate one another.

All the ingredients are there.

The Bruins decided to spark a feud between the two teams in preparation for the big upcoming playoff series.  The poster pictured above and several others did just that.

Tampa fans called the Bruins marketing teams constantly demanding the posters be taken down.

According to Greg Wyshynski of Yahoo Sports, there were even reports of death threats being sent in by Tampa fans if the mocking posters were not removed.

While the rivalry may not yet be in full swing, this has all the ingredients of a classic.

Philadelphia Phillies vs. San Francisco Giants

The San Francisco Giants and Philadelphia Phillies do not immediately strike you as a rivalry.  

For one thing , they are geographically opposite and do not have much of a history.

However, add in two of baseball's best pitching staffs, a National League Championship Series defeat handed to the Phillies by the Giants and Shane Victorino charging the mound bench clearing brawl; you've got your rivalry.

Then there are the fans.

Everyone knows Philadelphia fans and their passion for sports.  Giants fans are just not as intense.

The two are a match made in heaven.

Did I mention after defeating the Phillies, who many (including their fans) believed were a sure bet for the World Series, the Giants went on to win the World Series?

Sting much, Philly fans?

Chicago Bulls vs. Miami Heat

In the early 1990's the Chicago Bulls knocked the Miami Heat out of the playoffs three separate times.  

Add in several playoff series since, along with a competitive free agency period, and a rivalry is rekindled.

The Chicago Bulls, among many other teams, vied for the services of both LeBron James and Dwayne Wade during the 2010 free agency frenzy.

Obviously, they lost in the running.

However, Bulls star point guard Derrick Rose usurped LeBron James as the league's MVP last season.  

The Bulls also toted the NBA's best regular season record, including a 2-0 record against James, Wade and the Miami Heat.

It seemed everyone was rooting for the Bulls to knock off everyone's favorite new bad guy: The Miami Heat.