It happened tonight in the NCAA 3rd round of March Madness. #1 seeded Pitt fell to Butler. I am sure it messed up a lot of people's brackets. But I also know a lot of people were cheering for Butler. How do I know? Because Butler was a big-time underdog and we like cheering for the underdog.
And it's not just basketball that we find ourselved rooting for the underdog. How about Susan Boyle, the frumpy, 47 year old lady that won America's got Talent? We like the story of David vs. Goliath. Rocky Balboa. Secretariat. Rudy. The 1980 U.S. Olympic hockey team. Just mention these underdogs and I bet you get a good feeling deep inside. There is something about them that we relate to.
Why do we like cheering for the underdog? I think there are several reasons. For example, some people like rooting for the underdog as a basis of bragging, especially if the underdog wins. Being able to brag that you supported to underdog implies a cleverness on your part.
It also implies that you aren't just following what is popular. Ironically, this also offers a safe psychological out if the underdog loses. In that sense it gives some people the best overall bet--you can either brag that your team won against the odds or can shrug off a loss and make the self-righteous claim that you didn't go with the obvious.
Perhaps we feel morally good about rooting for the underdog.
Maybe, it's part of our identity as a nation, after all, the Pilgrims landing at Plymouth rock seemed destined to fail from the start.
But, here's why I think we really like the underdog; because if they can do it, maybe, just maybe, we can do it too.
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