The Long Shadow of Rivalry: Rivalry Motivates Performance Today and Tomorrow

• Published in: Psychological science Vol. 29; no. 5; pp. 804 - 813
• Main Authors: Pike, Brian E., Kilduff, Gavin J., Galinsky, Adam D.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Los Angeles, CA SAGE Publications 01-05-2018; SAGE PUBLICATIONS, INC
• Subjects: Adult; Athletic Performance - physiology; Baseball; Basketball; Competitive Behavior - physiology; Follow-Up Studies; Football; Hockey; Humans; Interpersonal Relations; Long term; Male; Media rights; Men; Motivation; Motivation - physiology; Professional baseball; Sports; Sports - physiology; Teams; Young Adult; intergroup interaction; motivation; interpersonal interaction; goal setting; competition; open data; rivalry
• ISSN: 0956-7976; 1467-9280
• DOI: 10.1177/0956797617744796

Research has established that competing head to head against a rival boosts motivation and performance. The present research investigated whether rivalry can affect performance over time and in contests without rivals. We examined the long-term effects of rivalry through archival analyses of postseason performance in multiple high-stakes sports contexts: National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I Men’s Basketball and the major U.S. professional sports leagues: National Basketball Association (NBA), National Football League (NFL), Major League Baseball (MLB), and National Hockey League (NHL). Econometric analyses revealed that postseason performance of a focal team’s rival in year N predicted that focal team’s postseason performance in year N + 1. Follow-up analyses suggested that the performance boost was especially pronounced when one’s rival won the previous tournament. These results establish that rivalry has a long shadow: A rival team’s success exerts such a powerful motivational force that it drives performance outside of direct competition with one’s rival and even after a significant delay.