New Rivalry Documentary To Feature NKU Professor, Know Rivalry Project

Nov. 17, 2022 - A new documentary on sport rivalry featuring NKU Professor Dr. Joe Cobbs is airing locally on Bally Sports Ohio and Star 64. The documentary is based on the research from the Know Rivalry Project, a collaborative research effort co-founded by Dr. Cobbs and Dr. David Tyler of University of Massachusetts Amherst.

Using the football rivalry between Ohio State and Michigan as a case study, the documentary, titled RIVALS, leans heavily on content featured in Cobbs’ class at NKU that explores the meaning of rivalry, its antecedents and its outcomes.

"We're thrilled to see our research and the NKU class featured in this way," Dr. Cobbs said. "Peter (Karl, the film's director) wanted to understand the psychology of fan rivalry, and we were grateful for the opportunity to invite the film crew into class and share results from our last decade of work."

JR Winston was a sophomore student in the class as it was filmed. “Getting to sit in on and experience a professional film crew from Los Angeles coming to your class to film snippets for an upcoming documentary series was a one-of-a-kind experience” he stated.

"Our goal is always to educate as many people as possible, and this film helps the findings reach a broader audience," said Dr. Tyler.Cobbs and Tyler consulted with the directorial/production group from DLP Media (best known for producing ESPN 30 for 30 episodes as well as films for FOX Sports, NFL Media and Netflix) several times during 2021 and 2022, beginning with the early conceptualizations of the film and culminating with weeks of on-campus filming last February and March.

The film takes a more scientific approach to rivalry than most other sports documentaries. Cobbs and Tyler began studying rivalry as UMass doctoral students in 2008. Not long after, they formed the Know Rivalry Project to research fan perceptions of rivalry, provide guidance for industry professionals and develop methods for teaching consumer research and data analytics to students.

Academy Award-winning actor J.K. Simmons (who was born in Michigan but remains a rabid Ohio State fan), narrates as RIVALS tells the story of these two historic Division I football programs through the "rivalry ingredients" uncovered by Cobbs and Tyler’s research (e.g., conspicuous moments, shared supply pool). The film gleans the perspective of more than 30 individuals whose lives were impacted by the rivalry, including Archie Griffin, the only two-time Heisman Trophy winner; legendary players Dan Dierdorf and Keith Byars; broadcasters Rich Eisen and Joe Klatt; historians Jack Park and John Bacon; and veteran journalists from around Columbus, Ohio, and Ann Arbor, Michigan, the homes of Ohio State and Michigan, respectively.

The Sports Business & Event Management program in the Haile College of Business at NKU will host an informal open watch party at Mac’s Pizza Pub near campus (42 Martha Layne Collins Blvd, Cold Spring, KY 41076) for the documentary’s local debut on STAR64 this Sunday, Nov. 20, at 8 p.m.

Tyler is an associate professor in the McCormack Department of Sport Management within the Isenberg School of Management at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. Cobbs is a professor and department chair in the Haile College of Business at NKU. The rivalry class at NKU, entitled “SPB 200: Rivalry & Ritual in International Sport,” has been offered since 2014 and was named “coolest class” by NKU Magazine in 2016.

Additional information on RIVALS can be found at RivalsDocuseries.com, including program schedules and trailers.

To learn more about the Know Rivalry Project, visit its website.