Rivalry in sport has been defined as "a fluctuating adversarial relationship existing between two teams, players, or groups of fans, gaining significance through on-field competition, on-field or off-field incidences, proximity, demographic makeup, and/or historical occurrences" (Havard et al. 2013, 51). Tyler and Cobbs (2015) define a rival group as "a highly salient out-group that poses an acute threat to the identity of the in-group or to in-group members' ability to make positive comparisons between their group and the out-group" (230). Research has identified characteristics such as history, proximity, closeness of competition, and perceived similarities and differences as important antecedents that lead to people and teams experiencing rivalry toward another group. Within sport, rivalry can offer positive benefits such as the feeling of uniqueness and excitement for upcoming contests. Rivalry can also encourage people to consume the sport product, whether involving a favorite and rival team or a rival team against a third neutral team (note 2). https://journal.transformativeworks.org/index.php/twc/article/view/1607/1963#:~:text=%5B2.2%5D%20Rivalry%20in%20sport%20has,occurrences%22%20(Havard%20et%20al.