# Where the sports rivals aren't complete d-bags **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [March 2, 2010, 12:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-the-sports-rivals-arent-complete-d-bags/530980 "2010-03-02T12:44:28Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Valgard](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/7feea3/32.png) [@Valgard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Valgard)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2010, 5:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-the-sports-rivals-arent-complete-d-bags/530980/21 "2010-03-03T17:14:19Z")
Apollo Creed in _Rocky_ isn’t a bad guy. He’s a flamboyant champion giving a no-name a shot at the title but he just doesn’t expect it to be a challenge at all and is pretty surprised to discover in the ring that Rocky is really serious about beating him. ---
**Author:** ![flurb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/51bf81/32.png) [@flurb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flurb)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2010, 8:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-the-sports-rivals-arent-complete-d-bags/530980/22 "2010-03-03T20:45:42Z")
> [@Enderw24](#): > > Even the douchiest of opponents can be redeemed by the slow clap. The slow clap isn’t used to redeem villains! It’s for when the protagonist falls short, but gave such a courageous performance that he won over an audience otherwise inclined to root against him. ---
**Author:** ![pepperlandgirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f17d59/32.png) [@pepperlandgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pepperlandgirl)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2010, 9:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-the-sports-rivals-arent-complete-d-bags/530980/23 "2010-03-03T21:28:07Z")
There were no douchebag rivals in **Bang the Drum Slowly**. Most of the antagonism came from their own teammates. ---
**Author:** ![Reloy3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c68b51/32.png) [@Reloy3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reloy3)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2010, 3:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-the-sports-rivals-arent-complete-d-bags/530980/24 "2010-03-04T15:47:57Z")
> [@Alessan](#): > > In \*Bring It On \*(a film I am no longer embarrased about loving), the main rivals are not only decent people, they’re also arguably better and more deserving than the protagonistas. Actually, I think _Bring It On_ is a clever lampshade of the whole “evil team in opposition to the plucky underdogs” trope. Dunsts’ team are the rich powerhouse badguys who dress in black and were riding on their reputations made by cheating. Its like all the other movies made from the perspective of the d-bags. ---
**Author:** ![Eternal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ecb155/32.png) [@Eternal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eternal)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2010, 12:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-the-sports-rivals-arent-complete-d-bags/530980/25 "2010-03-08T12:18:52Z")
> [@Valgard](#): > > Apollo Creed in _Rocky_ isn’t a bad guy. He’s a flamboyant champion giving a no-name a shot at the title but he just doesn’t expect it to be a challenge at all and is pretty surprised to discover in the ring that Rocky is really serious about beating him. I think all the Rocky movies did a pretty good job establishing that bad guys weren’t really all bad, and they did it without any cheesy moments of generosity or comradery between them and Rocky. Well, maybe Tommy Gunn really turned bad, but I can’t recall. ---
**Author:** ![Lamia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Lamia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamia)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2010, 3:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-the-sports-rivals-arent-complete-d-bags/530980/26 "2010-03-08T15:56:26Z")
In _Bend It Like Beckham_ the Hounslow Harriers compete against several other women’s teams, there’s no recurring “rival”. There’s no conflict between teams off the field. After one game the Harriers and their opponents are even seen at the same dance club together. I’m not sure if they’re supposed to be the same people within the context of the film, no one says “Hey, let’s all be good sports and go dancing with the other team!”, but in the director’s commentary it is stated that the real-life athletes playing the opposing team were used as extras in the club sequence. There is an instance of bad behavior from a member of an opposing team – during one game a player uses an ethnic slur against the Indian heroine of the film – but it isn’t suggested that the whole opposing team is racist or anything. ---
**Author:** ![casdave](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c6cbf5/32.png) [@casdave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/casdave)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2010, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-the-sports-rivals-arent-complete-d-bags/530980/27 "2010-03-08T17:32:00Z")
I think the 1966 film Grand Prix would qualify, virtuallt all the main protagonists are decent, the enemy is the track. > **[Grand Prix](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grand_Prix_(film))** > > Grand Prix (/ɡrɒ̃ˈpriː/ French: \[ɡʁɑ̃ pʁi\], meaning Grand Prize; plural Grands Prix), is a name sometimes used for competitions or sport events, alluding to the winner receiving a prize, trophy or honour > Grand Prix or grand prix may refer to: > There are many articles about series of races of different types such as Malaysian Grand Prix (F1), and individual races such as 2009 Malaysian Grand Prix, not all listed here ---
**Author:** ![TV\_time](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f17d59/32.png) [@TV\_time](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TV_time)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2010, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-the-sports-rivals-arent-complete-d-bags/530980/28 "2010-03-08T17:49:00Z")
In **Victory** with Michael Caine, Sly Stalone, Pele, etc. the opposing team was all right, the guys in charage were stinkers, however. In the original **Longest Yard** (I have refused to see the newer one), while the opposing team of guards started out bad, by the end, they were OK. ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2010, 3:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-the-sports-rivals-arent-complete-d-bags/530980/29 "2010-03-09T03:07:21Z")
> [@Eternal](#): > > I think all the Rocky movies did a pretty good job establishing that bad guys weren’t really all bad, and they did it without any cheesy moments of generosity or comradery between them and Rocky. Well, maybe Tommy Gunn really turned bad, but I can’t recall. Ivan Drago wasn’t a bad guy at all, but Clubber Lang (Mr. T) is a major league asshole who insults people for no other reason than being an asshole. He’s portrayed as a driven, hard-working athlete, but he’s an unlikable jackass. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-the-sports-rivals-arent-complete-d-bags/530980.md?page=1)