Sports rivalries continue even as participation drops

Eva Shellaberger, Features Editor

Every few weeks, the rocks outside South change colors-haphazardly painted over with the name of another school, until another South student returns to paint over in black and orange. Supposedly, the rocks were put out in front of the schools so that the building itself would not be vandalized.
In effect, the two rocks outside South show which schools are out to get us- in football, basketball, cross country, or in general. South’s rivals have changed over the years as schools grow, shrink, and change populations.

Now, rivalries may not be based on neighborhoods but on resources, players, and values. The playing field has shifted

Without fail, interviewees agreed that Southwest is South’s biggest rival, even though it’s further away than other Minneapolis public schools, and very different from South.“We have a frenemy relationship with Southwest,” said Nailah Abdullah, a sophomore who runs on South’s Track and Cross Country teams.

Even though Roosevelt is the school closest to us, it’s not considered as huge of a rival for South as Washburn and Southwest are.

“I don’t like Southwest, but it’s finding a balance…I don’t like this team, I don’t like this school, but you still have to have respect,” commented Shovanna Malloy Rydeen, who has managed both basketball and football. Rivalries between schools do generally remain respectful, however times have changed.

Over the years, South’s rocks have shown who our biggest rivals are. Even though the participation in sports has decreased, South still has strong rivals in other schools. Photo: Eva Shellaberger
Over the years, South’s rocks have shown who our biggest rivals are. Even though the participation in sports has decreased, South still has strong rivals in other schools. Photo: Eva Shellaberger

Football coach Leonard Sedlock remembers back to when he played football at South, and every weekend crowds would gather to watch the games.

“It’s amazing how there was a real respect when I played. Minneapolis was the best place to be. There were literally 10,000 people at the state game.” Now, it’s hard to imagine thousands of people showing up to a South football game.

Sedlock also recollects that, “When we were on the field, we were on each other, but when the game was over we would all go to the McDonald’s on Lake Street together.” Now at games, there is less of a focus on neighborhood pride, and instead of clashing schools.

Open enrollment has allowed students and families to choose which school is the best fit for them, which has opened up options that weren’t there before. However, this also means that the schools with the best facilities, teams and coaches can draw in the best players.

“Recruitment is rampant,” said Sedlock. “Our facilities haven’t changed since I played here,” he added. Other schools may look better to prospective athletes because of their superior equipment and programs.

Players have got to make a conscious decision to attend South, and with recruitment by other school’s coaches, the teams may be affected. Schools with better facilities have an advantage over schools with fewer resources.

As demographics of Minneapolis have changed, so too have our values. “Our population isn’t one where football is important,” said Sedlock. “Numbers are dropping across the board, that’s at every school,” he continued. Sports don’t seem to be as much of a central focus in schools as they used to be. Boy’s hockey in Minneapolis public schools has dropped to a team of only 20 players.

Minneapolis is no longer the hot spot it once was for sports, but that doesn’t mean we’ve lost passionate young players. Having rivalries still motivates and inspires South’s athletes. “Rivals cause people to be more competitive… If we didn’t have competition, our teams wouldn’t be as good as they are,” said Abdullah. For players, there’s a greater significance when up against a big rival.

“As a manager for basketball, you can just tell how our coaches talk when we have a huge rival coming up. All of us are there, and we know what’s about to go down,” said Malloy Rydeen. Although they’ve changed, sports rivalries show no sign of disappearing at South.