tug-of-war

tug-of-war  {n.}

1. A game in which two teams pull on opposite ends of a rope, trying to pull the other team over a line marked on the ground.

The tug-of-war ended when both teams tumbled in a heap.

2. A contest in which two sides try to defeat each other; struggle.

A tug-of-war developed between the boys who wanted to go fishing and those who wanted to go hiking.

Betty felt a tug-of-war between her wish to go to the movies and her realizing she had to do her homework.