History Main / OpposingSportsTeam

* Kituragi Academy's boys' baseball team in ''PrincessNine''.
* ''{{Eyeshield 21}}'' features a few of these. The Amino Cyborgs are the "soulless regimen" type, while the Zokugaku Chameleons start out as the "filthy cheaters" type. The Hakushuu Dinosaurs would be considered cheaters in most other series, as their game revolves around injuring the opposition, but they're just looked down on as unfair and mean. Lastly, the Teikoku Alexanders have the anti-aesop thing going, since the rivalry inside the team is almost bigger than that against their opponents. The series also averts this, as many of the opposing teams are portrayed sympathetically, or as [[TheRival rivals]]. The series doesn't play down the fact that the Devil Bats are crushing many, many other players' dreams, either; In some games, the opposition comes off so well, you almost root for ''them''.

* Renko's slate of Student Council candidates in episode 1 of ''KujibikiUnbalance''.
* As a basketball manga, ''HarlemBeat'' is of course loaded with these.

subverts this trope with Garasyuama High rugby team: Their defeat comes as a result of a [[TheSpartanWay gruelling, soulless regimen]] inflicted on the RagtagBunchOfMisfits by Sousuke. While presented in the usual unsympathetic light, they ''probably'' didn't deserve the excessive violence that resulted. Then again, it was a [[RuleOfFunny lot funnier that way]].

* ''Anime/FullMetalPanicFumoffu'' subverts this trope with Garasyuama High rugby team: Their defeat comes as a result of a [[TheSpartanWay gruelling, soulless regimen]] inflicted on the RagtagBunchOfMisfits by Sousuke. While presented in the usual unsympathetic light, they ''probably'' didn't deserve the excessive violence that resulted. Then again, it was a [[RuleOfFunny lot funnier that way]].

-->--'''''TheOnion'''''

* In ''FinalFantasyX'', you encounter some [[JerkAss irritating]] blitzball players on the Luca Goers team; while very difficult in the forced blitzball game, they aren't actually that tough afterwards.

* In ''Mario Smash Footbal'' (aka ''SuperMarioStrikers'') the final battle of the last Super Cup is a match against [[spoiler: Team Omega, robots based on Next-Level Games's mascot.]] They're the strongest team in the game, both due to their perfect stats and because [[spoiler: they all act as captains, which means they can all use super shots.]]

** Season 7 has interesting case, where Santos and Vinnick face off for the presidency. Although Santos and his campaign are the closest to being the "heroes," Vinnick and his people are very well characterized and sympathetic. Vinnick repeatedly shows himself to be an honorable person and politician, sometimes even more honorable than Santos (Santos and Russell both take an ethanol pledge that they know is ridiculous, Vinnick refuses).

* ''DisneyFairies: Pixie Hollow Games'' has the Lightning Fairies, who have won four Championship Rings over the past four games and are aiming for "One for the thumb!" [[JerkJock Rumble]] plays the trope completely straight, while his partner Glimmer is a SpiritedCompetitor and GracefulLoser who doesn't realize at first just how determined her partner is to win.

* The Slytherin quidditch team in ''Literature/HarryPotter''.

In 1980s-and 1990s vintage sports movies, this team is the posse of [[PrivilegedRival bullying, snobbish, white private school rich kids,]] while the hero's team comprises [[RagtagBunchOfMisfits ethnically diverse middle- to lower-class public schoolers.]] Watch for a dirty scheme to close the neighborhood rec center, and lots of [[AmericanAccents northeastern-accented]] [[TrashTalk trash-talk]].

* The sailboat race in the John Cusack-DemiMoore vehicle ''OneCrazySummer''.

* Spoofed with [[http://www.collegehumor.com/video:1896300 this]] ''Website/CollegeHumor'' video. As it turns out, it's the same group playing in multiple sports, trying (and failing) to win against a werewolf pointguard, a field goal kicking horse, and a child in magic shoes. And finally, with a cry of, "We are ''done'' being made the fool! OOH-RAAAAAAAH!" the team turns rather...psychotic.

** While the characters fit the trope to an absolute tee, their usage is a surprising aversion to the usual formula. Most movies are exclusively about beating these guys. In ''the Sandlot'', they just spank 'em and move on--with nary an aesom learned.

* Quite aptly, the New Zealand All Blacks compared to the rest of the world's rugby teams. They are by far the most dominant rugby team in the world, and have a winning record against ''every other national team'' they've played against to boot.

* The Slytherin quidditch team in ''HarryPotter''.

* From ''IGPXImmortalGrandPrix'', there's Team White Snow, who displays levels of cheating and douchebaggery that makes Team Sledge Mamma look like saints.

* Kevin O'Shea's Cowboys in ''LittleGiants'', which goes a little more in depth into an opposing team than most.

* ''{{Eyeshield 21}}'' features a few of these. The Amino Cyborgs are the "soulless regimen" type, while the Zokugaku Chameleons start out as the "filthy cheaters" type. Lastly, the Teikoku Alexanders have the anti-aesop thing going, since the rivalry inside the team is almost bigger than that against their opponents. The series also averts this, as many of the opposing teams are portrayed sympathetically, or as [[TheRival rivals]]. The series doesn't play down the fact that the Devil Bats are crushing many, many other players' dreams, either; In some games, the opposition comes off so well, you almost root for ''them''.
** [[TheSociopath Agon]] of the Shinryuuji Nagas fulfills this trope [[OneManArmy pretty much all by himself]]; he manages to drag an otherwise pleasant team down by being overtly villainous, cruel, and hateful. The Hakushuu Dinosaurs are an interesting variant: they're led by a ManipulativeBastard, and their two key players are a BloodKnight and [[TheJuggernaut Juggernaut]] who enjoys crushing other teams and quarterbacks for kicks, and an InLoveWithYourCarnage AmbiguouslyGay cornerback with a serious man-crush on said Blood Knight and a tendency towards dislocating recievers' arms. The team relies on breaking other teams' players instead of winning on talent, and they are often seen by other teams as unfair players. Yet they remain sympathetic, and their leader, Marco, is revealed to be an AffablyEvil victim of LoveMakesYouEvil who is only doing what he is doing to try and impress his crush, the team's CuteSportsClubManager. The trope is played very straight by the American Pentagram; on a team led by [[JerkJock Clifford]] and [[TheJuggernaut Mr. Don]], only [[TokenGoodTeammate Panther]] is remotely sympathetic.

If the competition is international, expect the Opposing Sports Team to be either [[MotherRussiaMakesYouStrong Soviet]] (Red Commies trained [[TheSpartanWay from birth in athlete factories]] and pumped on [[SuperSerum steroids]]) or [[GermanicEfficiency German]] ([[SuperSoldier hyper-efficient]], [[ArrogantKungFuGuy arrogant]], and we'll never forgive them for [[WorldWarTwo the war]]). For bonus points, they could be East German, combining both. Nowadays the reputation of the [[TheSpartanWay from birth]] [[TrainingFromHell athlete factory]] has largely shifted towards the Chinese, as Russia [[WhyWeReBummedCommunismFell radically downscaled old Soviet youth sports programs]], while China took this tactic and ran with it.

* ''TheAdventuresOfTeddyRuxpin'': The Mashers in the [[BaseballEpisode Grungeball Episode]] and Tweeg's team (composed of himself, his mother and the bounders) in the Wizard Week.

[[caption-width-right:350:[[UnneccessaryRoughness Sometimes they also]] [[UseYourHead headbutt.]]]]

[[caption-width-right:350:[[DickDastardlyStopsToCheat Sometimes they also headbutt.]]]]