Before Super Bowl XLVI between the New York Giants and New England Patriots, sports enthusiasts were comparing this rivalry to the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox.

While observing the discussion on ESPN, other great professional sports rivalries came to mind, such as the Dallas Cowboys and San Francisco 49ers, and the Boston Celtics and Los Angeles Lakers.

Before Super Bowl XLVI began, fans were wondering about the outcome of the game. There was thinking of whether quarterback Tom Brady and the New England Patriots could get revenge on Eli Manning and the New York Giants for ruining the Patriot’s hope of getting a 19-0 record in 2007.

There were fans wondering if Manning would create a spectacular play for the Giants against probably the worst Patriots' defense compared to the 2007 Patriot’s defense.

However, there were some fans comparing the game to the Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees rivalry in Major League Baseball.

Sports Rivalries have made games more exciting in all sports – baseball football, basketball and hockey.

One of the best professional sports' rivalries is the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox, which has been intense.

One example is the 1978 season when the Red Sox were ahead by 14 games in the division over the Yankees. The Yankees came back and a one game playoff was scheduled to decide who would win the division. Bucky Dent hit the game winning home run for the Yankees and the Yankees went on to win the World Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Football has had many great rivalries in the past. One of the best has to be the Dallas Cowboys and San Francisco 49ers.

The Cowboys and the 49ers have played each other six times in the NFC championships. The most famous game was in 1981.

With the Cowboys up 27-21 near end of the fourth quarter, quarterback Joe Montana led San Francisco on a game-winning drive. In Cowboy’s territory, Montana threw the ball to tight end Dwight Clark to tie the game, and then kicker Ray Wersching kicked the extra point to give the 49ers the 28-27 victory. That was called "The Catch" and the San Francisco 49ers dynasty began after that NFC championship game.

One of basketball’s greatest rivalries is the Boston Celtics and Los Angeles Lakers. The first time the two teams met was during in 1959 season when the Lakers were in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

The Celtics swept the Lakers, but that wasn't the greatest game for that rivalry. The greatest was during the 1969 season.

The Lakers got center Wilt Chamberlain from the Philadelphia 76ers and with the help of Jerry West the Lakers had the best record in the Western Conference.

The Celtics’ star players, which included center Bill Russell, were getting old. The Celtics faced the Lakers in the finals, with Boston expected to lose. But, they forced a game 7 and beat the Lakers.

The Montreal Canadiens and Toronto Maple Leafs rivalry has made a huge impact in ice hockey.

When the rivalry first started, the English speaking Canadiens were Maple Leafs fans, but the French speaking Canadiens were Canadians fans. Of course, the rivalry has gotten bigger since both sides have a large number of fans everywhere. T

he two teams used to play each other in intense Stanley Cup matches. The last time they met in a Stanley Cup final was 1967. The Maple Leafs had older players, while the Canadien's players were much younger. Still, the Maple Leafs was able to beat the Canadiens in six games and won the last Stanley Cup in the "Original Six" era. Their rivalry still goes on, while the two our divisional rivals now.