My view is that few players hate each other, and generally don't even dislike each other, especially as time passes. However, most, or at least many, players do "hate" the other team, or something pretty close to that. That hatred is more of a rivalry hatred, as opposed to truly hating the other team. Sometimes that view mellows with time; sometimes it doesn't. Sometimes it takes alot of time to mellow. I know alot of players from 5, 10, 15 years ago who still "hate" the Cats, and some vice versa too. I also know alot of former players have who are good friends with former players of the opposite team. That is not to say that they don't rib the other guys, especially at this time of the year. However, most of them seem to have a healthy respect for each other. They share an experience and bond that most other people don't have, i.e. that they have actually played in the rivalry game and experienced the competition and emotions of the game.
In my own experience, I still hate Harvard, but I have never hated or even disliked any Harvard player or former player. I even recommended Harvard football to a nephew last year. My email started, "I hate Harvard and I hate Harvard football even more. Nevertheless, I think you ...." My position coach used to start Harvard week at practice by quieting saying, "Do you hate em?" It would be hard to hear him. Then he would ask each player. Some gently said yes. Some would say no. Some would laugh. Some would ask, "Hate who?" Each day the coach would ask the same question, but ask it progressively louder. By mid-week, we would all be yelling in response to his question that we hated em. I never lost to Harvard. Back then, we played them in their stadium each year. Loved that stadium, and loved to beat them there. On the other hand, like former Griz and Cat players, former Ivy players, even Harvard and Dartmouth, have that shared experience of having battled each other in some big and intense games. It does create at least a small bond. The Ivies created the Ivy Football Dinner about 15 or so years ago. Every 2 years, over a 1,000 former players and coaches, and a few current ones, gather for a black tie dinner in NYC. One player from each school is honored, for what he did in life not what he did on the field. A recent Dartmouth honoree was my teammate and friend, who, despite being drafted, chose a Rhodes Scholarship and then Stanford law school over playing in the NFL. This year's Dartmouth honoree was one of the pioneers of arthroscopic surgery. It's a great event. Chris Berman, a Brown alum but not a player, is the co-MC. Another Dartmouth friend and I took Bobby Hauck one year. I took Pflu this year.
The Griz-Cat rivalry is right up there with the best Ivy rivalries. Not as much tradition, but probably more intense, at least these days.
In my own experience, I still hate Harvard, but I have never hated or even disliked any Harvard player or former player. I even recommended Harvard football to a nephew last year. My email started, "I hate Harvard and I hate Harvard football even more. Nevertheless, I think you ...." My position coach used to start Harvard week at practice by quieting saying, "Do you hate em?" It would be hard to hear him. Then he would ask each player. Some gently said yes. Some would say no. Some would laugh. Some would ask, "Hate who?" Each day the coach would ask the same question, but ask it progressively louder. By mid-week, we would all be yelling in response to his question that we hated em. I never lost to Harvard. Back then, we played them in their stadium each year. Loved that stadium, and loved to beat them there. On the other hand, like former Griz and Cat players, former Ivy players, even Harvard and Dartmouth, have that shared experience of having battled each other in some big and intense games. It does create at least a small bond. The Ivies created the Ivy Football Dinner about 15 or so years ago. Every 2 years, over a 1,000 former players and coaches, and a few current ones, gather for a black tie dinner in NYC. One player from each school is honored, for what he did in life not what he did on the field. A recent Dartmouth honoree was my teammate and friend, who, despite being drafted, chose a Rhodes Scholarship and then Stanford law school over playing in the NFL. This year's Dartmouth honoree was one of the pioneers of arthroscopic surgery. It's a great event. Chris Berman, a Brown alum but not a player, is the co-MC. Another Dartmouth friend and I took Bobby Hauck one year. I took Pflu this year.
The Griz-Cat rivalry is right up there with the best Ivy rivalries. Not as much tradition, but probably more intense, at least these days.
