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One of the more historic and high profile annual match ups during the college football season is the always anticipated scrum between intrastate rivals the Ole Miss Rebels and the Mississippi State University Bulldogs when they play in a contest dubbed the Battle of the Golden Egg, or the Egg Bowl as it is commonly shortened to. Of the multitude of rivalry games with specific titles and trophies attached to them this particular series that determines who holds the Golden Egg Trophy for the following year is the tenth oldest continuously played rivalry in all of college football. The longevity of this annual event is especially impressive when considering that it is more typical for states on the eastern seaboard to hold American longevity records because that area was populated earlier.

Mississippi State and Ole Miss (the University of Mississippi at Oxford) have been playing each other in football since 1901 but the Battle for the Golden Egg moniker did not become popular until 1927. Many casual followers of the rivalry are confused about the significance of the word egg and assume it to be a southern reference indicative of the Mississippi culture. In the instance of the Battle of the Golden Egg the word egg actually refers to a football. Early twentieth century versions of footballs were more round than the oblong shaped apparatuses used today that have more defined pointed ends. The slang term for what became an old fashioned style football was an egg. Calling a rounded football an egg is akin to basketball players calling a basketball a rock simply because of the shared shape.

The nickname Egg Bowl can be confusing for two reasons. In addition to the alternative meaning of the word egg that was discussed in the previous paragraph the word bowl normally refers to a postseason game like the Orange Bowl or the Sugar Bowl. The annual meeting between Ole Miss and Mississippi State is simply another regular season game played between conference opponents who currently each compete in the West division of the Southeastern Conference (SEC), arguably the best conference in college football on a regular basis. The use of the word bowl is simply utilized to relay the significance of this important game that trumps other more pedestrian regular season competitions.

While the two competing institutions of higher learning in the state of Mississippi have been playing each other since 1901 a number of football historians only recognize games from 1927 on for the purposes of explaining which team leads the Battle of the Golden Egg rivalry. The year 1927 has been chosen as the cutoff because that was when the traveling Golden Egg Trophy was introduced. Looking at figures from 1927 and beyond shows that Ole Miss leads the series with a record of 53-23-6 against their in state rival Bulldogs.

Contrary to the beliefs of many northerners late autumn can be very chilly in parts of Mississippi. In several pockets of the state household rooting interests can be identified by whether a family owns a Mississippi State University blanket or an Ole Miss Rebels blanket. In numerous households these decorative items are actually prominently hung on walls as public displays of school spirit and are not confined to bedrooms and linen closets.

College football is unique in the aspect that there are so many historical rivalries involving opposing colleges that are in many instances simply a short drive away. Further adding to the interesting dynamic of the rivalry relationship is that in college football these adversaries only compete against each other once every calendar year, thus maximizing the anticipation and the taste of victory or the agony of the defeat that much more intense.

With regards to the Ben Schwartzwalder Trophy that is awarded annually to the winner of the Syracuse University (SU) Orange versus West Virginia Mountaineers (WVU) contest there is actually the memory of an influential man memorialized every time the game or trophy is discussed. The honoring of a specific individual in the naming of this traveling trophy is unique to other rivalries that often times name their trophies after goofy myths as is the case with the Battle for Paul Bunyan’s Axe (played between the University of Minnesota and the University of Wisconsin) and the Battle for the Golden Boot (played between the University of Arkansas and LSU). In other instances instead of chooses to honor an esteemed individual who has passed away colleges instead decide to name their traveling trophies after abstract concepts like the Founder’s Cup (played between Washington University in St. Louis and the University of Chicago).

Ben Schwartzwalder was a football player at West Virginia University (WVU) as a youth and an accomplished head football coach at Syracuse University (SU) as an adult. Mr. Schwartzwalder passed away in June of 1993 shortly after celebrating his 84th birthday. In remembrance of the late influential football personality West Virginia University and Syracuse University began recognizing the man who impacted both of the schools by honoring him through naming a traveling trophy after him. The trophy, which was sculpted by a former Syracuse football player who played eight years in the NFL (Jim Ridlon), weighs a stout 55 pounds which is ironic considering that Schwartzwalder was known for being an undersized player when he played center at WVU at only 146 pounds.

The inaugural Ben Schwartzwalder Trophy was won by the alma mater of the namesake when WVU dominated SU in a 43-0 thumping in 1993. Of the 17 contests that have been played for the Ben Schwartzwalder Trophy the West Virginia Mountaineers have a commanding series lead with eleven wins to six that the Syracuse Orange have.

When the annual contest is played in Syracuse, New York the teams square off in the Carrier Dome which shields both players and fans from the elements. Inclement weather however does not stop outdoor pregame partying by raucous fans who find ways to stay warm. For a Mountaineers fan the best option is usually a West Virginia University (WVU) blanket while a fan of the opposing team will likely drape a Syracuse University blanket over his shoulders to stay warm. Regardless of what method is chosen something needs to be done to stave off the cold temperatures that are abundant in upstate New York in October and November.

For most people especially for those who can’t play the sport, football is something entertaining. For the Americans, football is something that is always looked forward to. During the football season in the US, Americans flock to the football stadium to watch their favorite players play and cheer whenever their favorite teams win. In the United Kingdom, soccer as what they call it there is very popular. They have their own rules to play the game and they have their own version of the sport.

Football basically is a team sport played by many players in a team geared towards one common goal. The goal of this particular sport, however, depends on the kind of football. There are very many kinds of football around the world. However, there are just few kinds of football being played and known by most people.

One of the common kinds is soccer. In the United Kingdom, people call it association football but countries such as USA and Australia prefer to call soccer. This game is played by two teams using a spherical ball. Each team is composed of 11 players including the goalkeeper who is allowed to touch the ball while others are not. The goal of each team is to kick the ball towards their post and kick it to enter the goal. By that, the team gets one point and when time expires the team with the highest score wins. This sport is considered the most popular sport in the world. People always look forward to some international events such as the World Cup which is held every four years.

Another kind of football and is considered the widely-watched sport in the USA is what they call rugby or the American football. Just like in soccer, each team has 11 players at one time but the team can have as many as 50 players in it. However, unlike soccer, the American football is more complicated when it comes to the scoring system. For the spectators of the game, this sport is a struggle for territory or possession. The team has to protect the ball as he runs pass through his opponent aiming for a touch down which will give the team the highest score: 6. The player holding the ball with the aim of advancing it the opponent’s end to get a higher score, is protected by his teammates blocking every opponent who can stop the ball from being advanced. The team who gets the highest score when the time expires wins the game.

May it be American football or association football, this sport has become a business professionally. Once there is a football event, TV networks televised them knowing that people from all over the country are waiting to watch it and they would pay just to be able to watch and their for their favorites. More and more brands scout football players to endorse their products because they know that these players have great impact on the people. These are just some of the manifestations that indeed football has grown into a huge and professional sport over time.

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