Rivalries in sports are a great thing to behold. In sports betting, the sports bettor needs to realize the effect of rivalries in sports and to use the factors and confounding factors that are at play during rivalry games.
In Major League Baseball (MLB), divisional rivalries bring out the best in teams. In such cases, the bettor generally would want to back the underdog in such contests. For example, in the New York Yankees versus the Boston Red Sox rivalry (perhaps the greatest rivalry in all of sports), backing the underdog in every matchup during a season will yield the bettor profit. This can be explained by the fact that both teams would want to play their ‘A’ game, and hence the underdog will be that much more motivated.
In the NBA (national basketball association), loosing to a divisional rival is a major event. Not only does the loosing team lose a game, but they also loose footing in the division. Since they only play each other four times a season, teams treat divisional rivalries with great care. A sharp once told the author that loosing a home game to a division rival is like loosing two games; therefore, such a team will be that much more hungrier the next time such a team plays a game.
In the National Football League (NFL), divisional rivalry games are huge. During the 2006-07 season, 3 point home underdogs covered at an amazing >90% clip. Backing such teams was quite profitable. Divisional teams usually know a lot of each other; hence games tend to be quite close.
In college sports (both basketball and football), where teams play their rivals at most two times, such games become monumental. In college football, rivals play only once a season, unless they meet up during bowl season—hence, rivalry games become big. Emotions play a major factor during these types of games, and hence, if a sports bettor is able to read the emotions of team, such a bettor will have a great advantage in betting.
In conclusion, rivalries bring out the best in teams. A sports bettor needs to realize that rivalries bring out different factors, such as added motivation and the like, in teams, and as such, capping such games take on a different meaning.