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Cheering on the most unlikely champions -

It's true: we love to cheer on unlikely winners. Stories, where the "weaker" party triumphs over a mammoth opponent are just more satisfying.

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Cheering on the most unlikely champions -

Some of the most compelling stories in business, sport, the arts, and ancient myth and legend follow a similar theme—the unlikeliness of the protagonist to reach the heights they did.

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Underdog studies -

Unfortunately, there are very few psychological studies examining why we love to root for the underdog.

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Underdog studies -

The few studies out there help to give a little more context about why we like to get behind people who don't have the odds in their favor. 

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The obsession with status -

It's ironic given that in our society, there is an obsession with status. Yet the underdog effect appears to run counter to this.

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Social identity theory -

According to social identity theory, part of our self-concept comes from our perceived membership of a relevant social group. 

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Identification with group success -

This identification with group success is why we take the defeat of our "team" to heart, often processing it as a personal failing.

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Identification with group success -

This is why, bizarrely, when our idol or hero suffers a defeat, it can actually make us feel less capable regarding our own abilities! 

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University of South Florida study -

To study if the underdog effect is indeed real, the University of South Florida conducted experiments in the run-up to the Athens 2004 Summer Olympic Games.

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University of South Florida study -

After participants were given information about the number of gold medals held by five countries, they were asked to choose which team they would like to see win when presented with various combinations of two of those teams.

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University of South Florida study -

In every pairing, the majority of US students surveyed chose the team that had historically won fewer medals as their preference to win gold. 

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The results -

Interestingly, the final results of the survey showed that 75% of the students would choose to root for the country team that had historically won fewer gold medals.

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Qualifying the results -

To see if certain factors would increase or reduce the effect, in the same study the researchers presented the students with two basketball teams: CSKA Moscow and Maccabi Tel Aviv.

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Qualifying the results -

They painted one team as the underdog and the other as champions, but switched around which was which between the participants, who were split into two groups.

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The likable underdog -

In both groups, the participants presumed there would be more effort on the part of the "underdog" to close the gap between them and the top dog team. This effort seems to be what renders them more likable.

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Track record vs. cash flow -

In the final part of the study, participants rated their favorite sports teams from various combinations of pairings. The participants picked the team with a bad track record in most cases. However, if they found out that the team had ample money, the sympathy garnered by their poor record evaporated.

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Perceived injustice -

These interesting findings revealed the crux of the reason for the underdog's popularity: perceived injustice.

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Rectification of injustice -

The research team noted in its paper: "Disadvantage arouses a sense of injustice in most people that they wish to see rectified." 

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Children side with the strongest -

However, children are more likely to protect their interests. They tend to side with the strongest option available in their younger years.

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Learning about morals -

Only once children have learned about moral values do they seek to balance any perceived injustices between people. 

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The emotions of the underdog -

In a 2021 study examining how people interpret the emotions of underdogs, participants were shown comic book strips. One of the characters was dominant, telling the other what to do

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The emotions of the underdog -

Afterward, they were asked, "How does this person feel?" Without specification, most automatically chose to consider the emotions of the character in the serving role rather than the one in the dominant position.

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High power perception -

The researchers considered whether being perceived as having a lot of power correlated to being more cut off from emotions. Many people don't think those in power experience the same spectrum of emotions they do, which may be why people considered theirs less.

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The underdog prevalence in culture -

The underdog represents a powerful archetype in our collective psyche. Seeing someone win against the odds reaffirms a sense of possibility and offers a beacon of hope.

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Hard work and determination -

Underdog success stories reinforce the belief that despite things being stacked against you, hard work and determination can win out in the end.

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Achieving the unexpected -

"There is an inherent romance in having someone or a team beat the odds to achieve an unexpected outcome," says Robert Lount, a professor of management and human resources at Ohio State University.

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Personal inspiration -

In an interview with the BBC, Lount speculated that we often draw personal inspiration from these stories, which is what makes them so appealing.

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Underdogs and a promotion mindset -

Underdogs, such as the Jamaican bobsleigh team who were the subject of 'Cool Runnings' (1993), are believed to enter competitions with a promotion mindset, completely focused on winning. 

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Favorites and a prevention mindset -

In contrast, favorites are more likely to focus on a prevention mindset, trying to avoid a loss, according to the research by Lount's team. 

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What we can take from these findings -

Our support for the underdog is a sentiment that translates to many different areas of life. It can be used to effect real change in many domains because nothing captures the triumph of the human spirit quite like the success of the underdog.

Sources: (BBC Future) (The Cut) (The Athletic) (Forbes) 

See also: How do Olympic athletes actually make money?

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