COLUMN: Why we love the underdog
As much as I hate to admit it, I actually paid attention to golf this weekend, and I learned something from it.
No, my important lesson was not learning that polo shirts make most guys look 30 pounds heavier than they actually are. No, it wasn’t that golf is painfully boring to watch on TV – I already knew that.
What I learned was a lesson that I’ve always known somewhere in the back of my mind but has never been realized until now: There’s something about the underdog that makes us want to cheer for him or her.
Zach Johnson, a 31-year-old golfer from Iowa City, Iowa, stole the glory and a green jacket from the sport’s most famous and popular icon, Tiger Woods, as he won his first ever Masters. After a tough tournament that left the favorites struggling, Johnson pulled ahead and secured his win.
Not only did he putt his way into a victory, he also walked away from the tournament $1.3 million richer. Talk about going from zero to hero in the blink of an eye.
Even though Johnson won the most coveted award in golf – the elusive green jacket – he is by and large being overshadowed by the coverage on Woods. The sports pundits and commentators are busy scratching their heads wondering just exactly went wrong. It was one of the highest-scoring Masters ever and nobody looked all that good, not even Woods. Something must have gone wrong. After all, the Masters belongs to Woods, right? Woods is the only golfer with a name and a chance at winning, right?
Wrong.
Golf, like every other sport, has temporary heroes. These athletic titans come in with a bang, catch the sporting world by surprise and establish a legacy. Woods has been a long-time favorite in the world of golf and has brought a considerable amount of attention to this ritzy sport. He became an icon as he broke racial barriers and showed once again, in a Jackie Robinson sort of way, that a talented athlete is successful because of his heart and dedication rather than the color of his skin.
But Woods isn’t infallible. He’s had his fair share of ups and downs. While he will go down in the annals of time as one of the best golfers the world has ever seen, he too will likely one day be dethroned.
It happens in every sport. As powerful, fast and talented as an athlete might be, there will invariably come along a David to bring down the Goliath. And there will always be those who cheer for the little guy.
It’s the underdog syndrome. In sports, upsets are expected and part of the game. It’s often unexplainable how the little guys, the people nobody expects have a chance to win, pull off major upsets. Yet this happens all the time, and it brings out the best in sports.
So why do we cheer for the underdog? How come we revel in the glory of the little guy defeating the giant? It’s because it gives us hope. It’s an extension of the American dream – something that seems to be all but forgotten in our generation of “I want it now and my way.”
The American dream was all about starting out with nothing, working hard and becoming something great. It is what inspired, and still inspires, thousands of immigrants to come to this country for a chance to fulfill that dream.
Deep down inside us all is that desire to do something truly heroic, something that will be remembered. Most of us are average in most aspects of our lives. We may excel at one thing or another, but rarely does someone lead the pack in everything. But most people want to be better than they currently are; they want to become something great.
That’s why we cheer when guys like Johnson win the Masters. That’s why we get excited when we remember the victory of the 1980 USA Olympic hockey team that defeated the undefeatable Russian team. That’s why we cheer for the runner that is far behind the competition but continues to run his race without fear or shame so he will know that he finished the race.
Too often the sporting world is portrayed in a negative light. It seems the news is filled with stories about athletes abusing substances, abusing others, breaking the law and showing poor sportsmanship.
But sports are much more than that. Sports are all about giving it your all. Sometimes the chips fall your way and sometimes they don’t, but the critical thing is that the best effort is given. Sports inspire us to be more than we are, and when we see the little guy win, we see that it is possible for us to win.
This message is something we should take away in everything we do in our lives. Not all of us are athletes, and very few athletes in the NCAA go pro in their sport. But the lessons we learn from sports to keep on fighting, to push a little harder and finish the race, are what give us hope that our dreams are achievable. These lessons are what give us hope that the American dream really does still exist and we can achieve it.
As long as there are monumental obstacles and challenges that stand in the way, there will be an underdog who will push the limits and come out the champion. The question is: Who is that underdog going to be? Me? You? It really comes down to you and how badly you want to accomplish your dreams. So do something more than sit and daydream about it – go out and be that victorious underdog.
Seth Hawkins is a junior majoring in public relations. He is all about cheering for the underdog – that’s why he wishes the USU gymnastics team luck as they head to their regional tournament. He can be reached at sethhawkins@cc.usu.edu