Yes, the Tyne-and-Wear football rivalry is a bitter sweet - and occasionally funny - expression of that, agreed.
Over a decade and half ago, I once spent a year in the northeast, teaching in one of the universities. Actually, I have to say that I really liked the people, and was appalled and horrified at the economic devastation that had been wrought on the region, and the deprivation that resulted from that.
However, the almost ludicrously intense footballing rivalry astounded me, given that the deprivation was so intense, and support for Labour very strong in both cities.
Actually, I would have thought that they had far more in common than they had to differentiate between them. Fir that matter, I used to ask colleagues at the university (people from both Sunderland and Newcastle taught and studied there), the basis of the ''hatred" - one or two tried - a somewhat unconvincingly - to argue that it went back to the English Civil War and the days of the New Model Army. Some of the students would mumble, "I dunno. I just hate them," when I'd press them for a reason for the intensity of their feelings on the subject.
While in footballing terms, both teams fully deserve to relegate (based on performance this year), I have to say that I'm sorry to see this happen, and sorrier still that the north east will be deprived of having a presence in the Premiership next season.