The Battle of the Bay[1] is a U.S. college football rivalry between the Hampton Pirates and the Norfolk State Spartans.

It is a match-up between two historically black NCAA Division I FCS programs in the Hampton Roads area of Virginia.

As the name of the rivalry suggests, the James River empties into the Chesapeake Bay just downstream.

Hampton and Norfolk State were both members of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference in the FCS.

On November 16, 2017, Hampton announced that they were becoming a member of the Big South Conference in 2018.