The Underdog Paradigm – Why We Tend To Root For Them

What is it about the ‘underdogs’? Why is it that in the battle of David vs Goliath, it is always David that our heart beats for? What wrong did Goliath do? He is not to be blamed for the immense resources at his disposal, in the case of the legend, his gigantic proportion and humongous power. There was a time when even he started from scratch and through years of toil and grind, managed to be where he was eventually. Yes, that’s right, he must have been an underdog once as well.

The underdog paradigm exposes us to an important paradox prevalent in our society. In every field it is the end result that we seek for. It is the success story that we celebrate. But whenever, there is the slightest possibility of the champion getting undone by his lesser rated rival, we immediately switch loyalties and put our energies behind the underdog. This paradox is more so visible in the field of sport than anywhere else. So for what it’s worth, while the result is what determines the satisfaction levels, the journey is the one that takes care of the excitement levels.

I think that one of the primary reasons for the connect with the underdogs is the parallel that we tend to draw with their own journeys. It is all but a common perception of feeling under-compensated for all our efforts. Be it academics or in relationships or on the professional front, we seldom come across people who feel that their returns match their efforts. And so is the underdog story as well. And hence, that tendency to push our weight behind the contender who appears to have put in greater effort but who in the end, as we know it, is going to get the raw end of the deal.

 What also adds to this underdog vs favorite hysteria is the occurrence of the former coming on top. Had this been a common phenomenon, it wouldn’t have evoked the same kind of curiosity that it does. It is similar to love stories with tragic endings that have stayed put in the legends since time immemorial. What made them legendary was the fact that they didn’t buoy down to the conventional ‘happily ever after’ ending. They always leave you with a sense of incompleteness and a what-if scenario, one similar to whenever we see an underdog go down in fight.

The underdog story is a reflection of the lives of an everyday common man, who has to fight his daily battles with the higher powers that have a significant say in the way his life works. And once in a while, it feels good to see one of them fighting the adversity and coming out victorious. It gives the others hope, it gives the others belief. And this is exactly why every time we have a David facing a Goliath, we believe that David will overcome the odds and testify what determination and spirit can do. And that right there, is why we cheer for the underdogs.