What the Rivalry Is Really About

It’s rivalry week.

You know what that means. The electricity in the room is different. The preparation has a different edge. Something about this game pulls at people in ways that a regular game doesn’t.

That’s not a problem. It’s appropriate. This game matters. I just want to make sure we’re clear on what it matters for.

Read this passage slowly.

Let that sit for a second before you move.

I come against you in the name of the Lord Almighty. David isn’t performing bravado. He’s stating his foundation. What he’s competing from. The sword and spear are real threats. He’s not minimizing them. He’s identifying what he’s competing from that Goliath doesn’t have access to.

The rivalry game has its own emotional logic. The history, the stakes, the identity that gets wrapped up in the outcome. And all of that can be a source of motivation or a source of distraction — depending on how well you manage it.

Managed well: the rivalry intensity produces full preparation, heightened focus, and a competitive energy that elevates the performance. Managed poorly: it produces anxiety, anger, a focus on the opponent rather than on your own game, and the kind of emotionally reactive playing that leads to costly mistakes.

What are you competing from this week? Not against them — from yourself. What is the foundation of your preparation and your performance that this game doesn’t get to touch? Identify it. Ground yourself in it. And let the rivalry intensity fuel the game rather than consume you before it starts.

The distinction between competing from a foundation versus competing against an opponent is the point. The foundation question is more stabilizing than the opponent question.