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Border Battle can refer to many different rivalries between two sports teams in neighboring states. This page highlights the rivalries between Minnesota and Wisconsin sports clubs, but border battle rivalries are intense throughout the country.
Football
[edit]The Minnesota Vikings and Green Bay Packers are considered by many sportswriters and fans to be one of the more intense rivalries in the NFL. They play each other twice a year as they are both members of the NFC North division. The Vikings won their only postseason encounter, in a highly emotional 2004 matchup at Lambeau Field, but the Packers swept the Vikings in the 2006 season.
Baseball
[edit]The Milwaukee Brewers and Minnesota Twins rivalry has been present since the Seattle Pilots moved to Milwaukee. The rivalry was never especially intense, as the Brewers played in the American League Eastern Division (1972-1993), and the Twins played in the American League West (1969-1993) (though the two were divisional rivals in both the West (1970-1971) and Central (1994-1997) Divisions). Since the Brewers switched to the National League in 1998, there have been even fewer chances for competition between these teams. With the creation of interleague play, the Brewers and Twins play two series against each other per year, and these series tend to take on a more congenial tone, at least among fans. While there is plenty of venom between Wisconsin and Minnesota sports fans (particularly Vikings-Packers and Badgers-Gophers), this rivalry is more social than intense.
Basketball
[edit]Because of a lack of history between the Minnesota Timberwolves and Milwaukee Bucks NBA teams, there is little rivalry between the teams. One reason that has been put forth is that the Minnesota Timberwolves are currently in the Western Conference, whereas the Bucks are members of the Eastern Conference.
Minor League Sports
[edit]Even in minor league athletics, there are rivalries between teams from Minnesota and teams from Wisconsin, such as the Minnesota Thunder and the Milwaukee Wave United in A-League Soccer.
College Sports
[edit]University of Minnesota and University of Wisconsin-Madison, both members of the Big Ten Conference, also have rivalries.
In football, the rivalry has extra importance due to the Paul Bunyan's Axe traveling trophy. Wisconsin has dominated this rivalry for more than a decade, winning 10 out of the last 12 contests between the two schools, but Minnesota holds the all-time edge at 59-49-8.
In hockey the two teams play in the Western Collegiate Hockey Association where each team gets two home regular season each year. The rivalry is more pronounced in the WCHA Final Five.
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