History RedOniBlueOni / Sports

** Conor [=McGregor=] (red) vs. Nate Diaz (blue), though in most other rivalries it is the Diaz brother who is the red, e.g. Nick Diaz (red) vs. Georges St. Pierre (blue)

** [[TheDeterminator Rafael Nadal]] has a famous "passionate, bullheaded LightningBruiser who treats every match like a war of attrition vs. calm, graceful CombatAestheticist who never seems to sweat and has perfect hair after playing 4 hours of UsefulNotes/{{tennis}}" rivalry with [[TheAce Roger Federer]].

* Anaheim Angels and Los Angeles Dodgers (just for color, they both used to be blue)

** Mesut Özil and Alexis Sanchez during their days at Arsenal. Özil is the cooler, less expressive and less flashy player, who prefers passes and assists. His cooler side leads to him being accused of not caring, just because he tends to show no real emotion or frustration when compared to the rest of his team, despite him putting in one of the highest work rates of anyone. Alexis Sanchez, on the other hand, is the flashy, expressive, emotive winger who is not afraid to let his feelings be made known, and has caused major transfer drama as a result, eventually culminating in a move to rivals Manchester United.

* [[UsefulNotes/NationalFootballLeague Dallas Cowboys (blue and silver) and Washington Redskins (burgundy and gold)]]. Coincidentally, the Redskins are currently one of the only two teams who has an official marching band and one of the few to have their own fight song (Hail to the Redskins).

* The two faces of the New England Patriots, Tom Brady is the red and Bill Belichick is the blue. Tom Brady is a fiery leader and oftentimes serves as TheHeart of the team, even being one of the main motivators in the late stages of the game when they are down. He is also very expressive, routinely high-fiving other players ([[https://usatthebiglead.files.wordpress.com/2013/12/tom-brady-needs-a-high-five.gif when they actually return them]]) and even [[https://media.giphy.com/media/2dto08eaL5vXO/giphy.gif outright jumping for joy when Malcom Butler made his game-winning interception against the Seahawks in Super Bowl XLIX]], and that's not even counting his social media activity. Bill Belichick, however, is... not. His unflappable exterior has reached memetic levels, he refuses to play the social media game his quarterback does, is often seen as a StopHavingFunGuy due to his incredible focus on winning (he once banished a player to [[ButtMonkey the Cleveland Browns]] for asking for more money, after which the Patriots went on to win the Super Bowl), and even once spent the Super Bowl Parade trying to start a "No Days Off!" chant.

* The Seattle Seahawks are known for 2 players. On one hand you have the brash, outspoken, hype-machine that is cornerback Richard Sherman. On the other hand you have the calm, cool and collected quarterback known as Russell Wilson.

** American Football is red to association football (AKA Soccer)'s blue [[FootballHooligans (its fandom notwithstanding)]]. Australian football is somewhere in the infra-red spectrum.

* Some college archrivals have the proper contrasting colors but generally avert this. Harvard (crimson) and Yale (blue) are both very elite and exclusive, with Harvard probably having a very slightly higher reputation. UC Berkeley (blue and gold) and Stanford (cardinal and white) have similar reputations, with Stanford, as a private school, being a touch more elite. But the notorious antics of the [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stanford_Band Stanford Marching Band]] are firmly in Red Oni territory.

** Conor McGregor (red) vs. Nate Diaz (blue), though in most other rivalries it is the Diaz brother who is the red, e.g. Nick Diaz (red) vs. Georges St. Pierre (blue)

* During the 2017 and 2018 NFL seasons, the Philadelphia Eagles' quarterbacks were Carson Wentz (red) and backup QB Nick Foles (blue), with Carson being [[FieryRedhead a redhead]], too.

* The 2013 and 2017 America's Cups pitted Team USA's HotBlooded, extroverted Australian captain Jimmy Spithill (red, and appropriately red-headed) against the steely, [[TheStoic stoic]] New Zealanders Dean Barker and Peter Burling (blue). Even [[http://www.nytimes.com/2013/09/23/sports/global/in-americas-cup-rivalry-starts-at-helm.html?mcubz=1 the New York Times]] noted [[https://www.nytimes.com/2017/06/16/sports/sailing/americas-cup-oracle-team-usa-emirates-new-zealand.html their personality contrasts]].

* As of late, Napoli's defensive duo of Kostas Manolas and Kalidou Koulibaly can be best described as this: Manolas is the feisty, combative Red to Koulibaly's serene, collected Blue.

** Manchester United and Manchester City. United is the much more fiery one, given their huge fanbase (accounting to 5% of the world's population) and the number of silverware they accumulated over the years. City is much more closer to the upper class Mancunians and residents of the city proper, in contrast to United's wider demographic.

** Kobe Bryant (Red) of the Los Angeles Lakers and Tim Duncan (Blue) of the San Antonio Spurs were both hard-working "greatest-of-all-time"-caliber superstars whose careers basically ran parallel to each other's[[note]]Not only were their rookie debuts only one year apart, but they both stayed with the same team their entire career (with whom they played a leading role in winning five championships each), and even retired in the exact same season[[/note]], but could not be more different in terms of public persona. Kobe was outspoken, fashionable, and had a breathtakingly athletic playstyle that won him a massive worldwide fanbase (plus major endorsement and business deals) as "The Black Mamba", but also gained somewhat of a reputation for being a selfish player who enjoyed playing the heel. On his end, Duncan's efficient and unflashy playstyle won him accolades as "The Big Fundamental", a super-consistent and team-first player who didn't need flashy moves to beat the best, but his low-key personality (including a tendency to eschew most endorsements) and rather unfashionable dress sense led to multiple jokes about him being the NBA's most boring superstar (and a [[https://www.theonion.com/tag/tim-duncan long-running series]] in ''Website/TheOnion'' affectionately ribbing him for being ''too'' nice and sensible for the NBA).

* Kobe Bryant (Red) of the Los Angeles Lakers and Tim Duncan (Blue) of the San Antonio Spurs were both hard-working "greatest-of-all-time"-caliber superstars whose careers basically ran parallel to each other's[[note]]Not only were their rookie debuts only one year apart, but they both stayed with the same team their entire career (with whom they played a leading role in winning five championships each), and even retired in the exact same season[[/note]], but could not be more different in terms of public persona. Kobe was outspoken, fashionable, and had a breathtakingly athletic playstyle that won him a massive worldwide fanbase (plus major endorsement and business deals) as "The Black Mamba", but also gained somewhat of a reputation for being a selfish player who enjoyed playing the heel. On his end, Duncan's efficient and unflashy playstyle won him accolades as "The Big Fundamental", a super-consistent and team-first player who didn't need flashy moves to beat the best, but his low-key personality (including a tendency to eschew most endorsements) and rather unfashionable dress sense led to multiple jokes about him being the NBA's most boring superstar (and a [[https://www.theonion.com/tag/tim-duncan long-running series]] in ''Website/TheOnion'' affectionately ribbing him for being ''too'' nice and sensible for the NBA).
* Karl Malone was the blue (blue-collar work-ethic, more reserved demeanor) to Charles Barkley's red oni (party animal, loud, very outspoken). Among the Utah Jazz, though, Malone was red (earthy Southerner) and John Stockton (serious Pacific Northwesterner) was blue.

* Shaquille O'Neal (red) and Tim Duncan (blue)

** Merseyside's [[UsefulNotes/{{BritishFootyTeams}} Liverpool FC and Everton FC]] play in red and blue respectively. Liverpool's supporters also have the incredibly passionate theme song [[{{CrowningMusicofAwesome}} ''You'll Never Walk Alone'']].

* The Paris St. Germain strike pairing of the arrogant, explosive Zlatan Ibrahimović and the calm, methodical Edinson Cavani.

* From the 80's {{Chess}}, Anatoly "It"s important for players to avoid displaying emotions" Karpov versus Garry "I am emotional and ready to take risks" Kasparov.

* In British football:

** Luis Suárez, the fiery Uruguayan with a penchant for spectacular goals and a knack for being controversial, is the red oni to the blue oni of Sergio Agüero, the methodical Argentine who's a cold-blooded, clutch finisher with sound fundamentals. [[ColorCodedForYourConvenience This becomes even better when you look at the jerseys of their clubs.]] (Luis Suárez - Liverpool, Sergio Agüero - Manchester City)
** Mesut Özil and Alexis Sanchez of Arsenal. Özil is the cooler, less expressive and less flashy player, who prefers passes and assists. His cooler side leads to him being accused of not caring, just because he tends to show no real emotion or frustration when compared to the rest of his team. Alexis Sanchez, on the other hand, is the flashy, expressive, emotive winger who is not afraid to let his feelings be made known, and has caused major transfer drama as a result.

* In British football, Luis Suárez, the fiery Uruguayan with a penchant for spectacular goals and a knack for being controversial, is the red oni to the blue oni of Sergio Agüero, the methodical Argentine who's a cold-blooded, clutch finisher with sound fundamentals. [[ColorCodedForYourConvenience This becomes even better when you look at the jerseys of their clubs.]] (Luis Suárez - Liverpool, Sergio Agüero - Manchester City)

** Dominick Cruz (red) vs. Team Alpha Male (blue). Fittingly, whenever a Team Alpha Male fighter would fight Cruz, they would fight in blue shorts. Though this began to reverse during the actual fight of Garbrandt-Cruz.

** [[TheDeterminator Rafael Nadal]] has a famous "passionate, bullheaded LightningBruiser who treats every match like a war of attrition vs. calm, graceful CombatAestheticist who never seems to sweat and has perfect hair after playing 4 hours of {{tennis}}" rivalry with [[TheAce Roger Federer]].

* University of UsefulNotes/{{Utah}} (crimson and white) and [[UsefulNotes/{{Mormonism}} Brigham Young University]] (blue and white) fit their colors well. BYU, as a church-operated school, comes across as serious and a bit aloof. Utah has taken on the role of the boisterous counterpart pretty much by default, but some fans really get into it. A lot of it is affected, though, since BYU and Utah are very similar academically (though because of enrollment caps BYU is harder to get into).

** Conor McGregor (red) vs. Nate Diaz (blue)
*** Though interestingly, in most other rivalries it is the Diaz brother who is the red, e.g. Nick Diaz (red) vs. Georges St. Pierre (blue)
** Chael Sonnen is pretty much always the red to his opponent's blue.

** Dominick Cruz (red) vs. Team Alpha Male (blue). Fittingly, whenever a Team Alpha Male fighter would fight Cruz, they would fight in blue shorts.
*** Though this began to reverse during the actual fight of Garbrandt-Cruz.

* In golf, Arnold Palmer and later Lee Trevino (both red) to UsefulNotes/JackNicklaus (blue).

** Venus Williams (blue oni) and Serena Williams (red oni)

** Merseyside's [[{{BritishFootyTeams}} Liverpool FC and Everton FC]] play in red and blue respectively. Liverpool's supporters also have the incredibly passionate theme song [[{{CrowningMusicofAwesome}} ''You'll Never Walk Alone'']].

* The Calgary Flames and Edmonton Oilers of the late '80s were an inversion. The blue-coloured Oilers were young and high-scoring, led by the likes of Wayne Gretzky, Mark Messier, and Jarri Kurri, while the red-coloured Flames played more of a defensive, tight-checking game.

** American Football is red to association football (AKA Soccer)'s blue [[FootballHooligans (its fandom notwithstanding.)]] Australian football is somewhere in the infra-red spectrum.

** The very jovial, talkative, and friendly Helio Castroneves is the red oni to the much more calm, stoic, and businesslike blue oni of Scott Dixon, who beat him out for the 2013 championship. Ironically, Castroneves's normal livery is a black and white one (with the occasional red and yellow or blue and white livery depending on the event), whereas Dixon always drives a red car.

* Brazil had in their female basketball [[http://www.hoophall.com/hall-of-famers/tag/hortencia-de-fatima-marcari Hortência]] (Red) and [[http://www.wbhof.com/Goncalves.html Paula]] (Blue), who had sort of a rivalry (they noted that every tournament ended with a final between their teams) but then turned into a FriendlyRivalry in the national team, that even beat the US Team in the 1994 World Championship - two years before losing to them in the UsefulNotes/OlympicGames final, but the silver medal was the first for Brazilian basketball in over 30 years!
* University of Utah (crimson and white) and Brigham Young University (blue and white) fit their colors well. BYU, as a church-operated school, comes across as serious and a bit aloof. Utah has taken on the role of the boisterous counterpart pretty much by default, but some fans really get into it. A lot of it is affected, though, since BYU and Utah are very similar academically (though because of enrollment caps BYU is harder to get into).
* School colors also hold true for University of Nevada, Reno (blue and silver) and University of Nevada, Las Vegas (scarlet and gray). UNR is older, more academically respected and started branding their sports as "Nevada" after UNLV became prominent, hoping to distance themselves from their rival and emphasize that they're older. UNLV is larger and has had frequent run-ins with the NCAA. And it extends to the cities as well: Vegas as a flashy party town, Reno as more sedate and humble.

* In New Zealand rugby, the Auckland Blues (team colour: blue and white) and the Canterbury Crusaders (team colour: red and black) inverts this trope. The Blues play with attacking flair but are prone to errors, whereas the Crusaders are traditionally known for their structured plays.

* In the Philippine Basketball Association, Barangay Ginebra (red) and Star (blue), especially when their rivalry was just heating up in the late '80s-early '90s. Ginebra, with matching red uniforms, was known as a blue-collar team in the fashion of the Detroit Pistons "Bad Boys" of the same era, and has been known as the "team of the masses" since the mid-'80s. Star, then called Purefoods and wearing matching blue uniforms, was a team of young, good-looking, yet talented "glamour boys" and generally appealed to more upscale PBA fans.

* In German football, the passionate, attacking Borussia Dortmund (red, although they wear yellow) to the relatively calmer Schalke 04 (blue.)

* From the 80's {{Chess}}, Anatoly "It"s important for players to avoid displaying emotions" Karpov versus Garry "I am emotional and ready to take risks" Kasparov.

* Vince Lombardi and Tom Landry (Red and blue respectively) coached one of the greatest games in UsefulNotes/AmericanFootball history against each other, the 1967 Championship game. Lombardi was described as a very impassioned, [[HotBlooded hot-blooded]] coach who would celebrate every success and and mourn every setback with equal gusto, whereas Landry was considered [[TheStoic a very calm and stoic coach]]. Ultimately, Lombardi's Packers beat Landry's Cowboys 21-17. They also played the same red/blue roles when together as assistants for the NY Giants - Lombardi coaching the offense and Landry coaching the defense.

* Karl Malone was the blue (blue-collar work-ethic, more reserved demeanor) to Charles Barkley's red oni (party animal, loud, very outspoken).
** Among the Utah Jazz, though, Malone was red (earthy Southerner) and John Stockton (serious Pacific Northwesterner) was blue.

* Boston Red Sox (blue collar, ironically) and New York Yankees (metropolitan)
** Like [[ComicBook/{{Watchmen}} Dr. Manhattan]], ''everyone'' is a hot-blooded underdog compared to the New York Yankees.

** Another one: the Paris St. Germain strike pairing of the arrogant, explosive Zlatan Ibrahimović and the calm, methodical Edinson Cavani.

* The two [[UsefulNotes/NationalFootballLeague NFL]] teams in the [[BigApplesauce NYC]] area: The Giants tend to be the Blue Oni (reserved, hard-working players in a clear-cut meritocracy where production on the field is all that matters) to the Jets' Red Oni (even though the Jets actually wear green, and the Giants have more red in their color scheme than the Jets do), who tend to have [[LargeHam a lot of bluster]].
** This came to a head in 2011 when both teams faced each other on Christmas Eve: the Jets talked a lot of trash before the game, even covering up the Giants' mural of previous Super Bowl championships (both teams share the stadium, but as the designated "home" team, the Jets had control over the stadium itself). The Giants didn't respond much to this... at least in the media. On the other hand, they [[CurbStompBattle completely destroyed]] the Jets, ending their playoff hopes and starting the Giants on a journey to their fourth Super Bowl title.

** All of the things said about Carroll could be said about Jim's brother John Harbaugh. John and Jim coached opposite of each other in Super Bowl XLVII and the difference in temperament was astounding.
** The Seattle Seahawks are known for 2 players. On one hand you have the brash, outspoken, hype-machine that is cornerback Richard Sherman. On the other hand you have the calm, cool and collected quarterback known as Russell Wilson.

* In UsefulNotes/IndyCar, the very jovial, talkative, and friendly Helio Castroneves is the red oni to the much more calm, stoic, and businesslike blue oni of Scott Dixon, who beat him out for the 2013 championship. Ironically, Castroneves's normal livery is a black and white one (with the occasional red and yellow or blue and white livery depending on the event), whereas Dixon always drives a red car.

** Aryton Senna (red) to Alain Prost (blue)