The La Salle-Ateneo rivalry encompasses sports. Even the way you call it has arguments and simply boils down to who’s talking: Whether one wears green or blue or where one spent all their school years at one campus or just a portion of it.
The rivalry fuels duels in business, academics and even social circles. There are those who carry the differences between two schools too far while most simply enjoy the ribbing and teasing in work places. Those who didn’t go to the two schools dismiss the rivalry but it’s there and should be around as long as the two schools are there.
Most of those who went to both schools are passionate about supporting their teams. There are those who simply want to get an education and follow with restrained interest. They are not disloyal to the school, opting only to express their fervor in other ways.
Sports, however, have scores that allow the rivalry to settle temporary battles. Each side has had strings of championships in different sports from the NCAA years to their present participation in the UAAP. But still, the bragging rights won in sports are but fleeting and simply add chapters to an already storied rivalry.
Both schools must be credited with the way their teams played in Game 1 of the current UAAP finals. Passions ran high in the stands with the usual playful teasing and bantering at times bordering on a dangerous edge. But the players honored the rivalry with their never-say-die spirit even if one team had a lead or a scoring blitz that seemed to tilt the momentum.
With its lineup and sterling 13-1 run in the elimination phase, odds definitely favored La Salle in the finals. Winning Game 1 has eased some of the tension off the Green Archers because the team proved it could win not only by big margins but also by making big shots in the end game.
For Ateneo, the season that most experts thought they would not have is still out there. But it is up against a team that could be 40 minutes away from winning it all.
Each scramble for possession, rebound and attempt at the basket will be fought for fervently in Game 2. Whether you’re from Ateneo or La Salle or simply a sports fan, passion is all you ask for in a rivalry that will never really end.