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UAAP Finals: Ateneo alumnus Olsen Racela says La Salle rivalry fiercer in his time

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ABS-CBN News

MANILA, Philippines — It seems this isn&#x27;t your dad&#x27;s Ateneo-La Salle rivalry.No two teams have endured a much longer sporting feud than the schools competing for this year&#x27;s UAAP men&#x27;s basketball championship.The mutual animosity has gone on for decades, although that characteristic appears to have tapered off recently.At least that&#x27;s how Olsen Racela sees it.<figure class="op-interactive"><div id="IVS_ABS_Body_Video_1_Container"> <ivs-player id="IVS_ABS_Body_Video_1" data-ivs-spid="3001339" data-ivs-key="e8c22c015ca9eafa76f1e3edfa03c603" data-ivs-vid="1461126" data-ivs-floating="1"></ivs-player> <script src="https://player.ivideosmart.com/ivsplayer/v4/dist/js/iframe-parent.js"></script> <script src="https://player.ivideosmart.com/ivsplayer/v4/dist/js/loader.js"></script> </div></figure>&quot;Nung panahon namin, galit-galit mga players unlike now medyo magkakaibigan yung mga players kaya feeling ko mas grabe yung rivalry dati,&quot; the former Blue Eagle told sports broadcaster TJ Manotoc on &quot;TV Patrol&quot; on Thursday.(During our time, there was a mutual dislike between both teams, unlike now where players seem to be more friendly with one another. That&#x27;s why I feel the rivalry back then was fiercer.)Racela played for Ateneo from 1987 to 1991 and was part of the 1988 team that gave the Blue Eagles their first championship in the UAAP, so that old-school persuasion runs deep — a time when the Blue-Green hate was, well, real hate.Meanwhile, Chris Tiu, who was only 2 years old at the time Racela was a freshman Blue Eagle, said in the same &quot;TV Patrol&quot; segment that maybe rivalries aren&#x27;t for everyone.&quot;These kinds of games bring out the best and the worst of every player,&quot; who donned the Ateneo blue and white from 2004 to 2008, winning the championship in his last year.&quot;I say the worst because sometimes you get so emotional, you get so involved in a negative way that it could distract you.&quot;Ateneo and La Salle blew each other out in their two games this season, so late-game nerves haven&#x27;t been tested yet. It&#x27;ll be interesting to see if that ferocity comes to the forefront when the games become tight and the pressure is on.For more sports coverage, visit the <a href="http://sports.abs-cbn.com/">ABS-CBN Sports website</a>.

Ateneo alumnus Olsen Racela, instead of talking smack at La Salle, took what sounded like a dig at today's players.

Ateneo alumnus Olsen Racela, instead of talking smack at La Salle, took what sounded like a dig at today's players.