Every neutral sports fan loves the underdog. It is the reason why Cinderella stories have always had a special place in the media. As a fan and a player, I understand the range of emotions associated with being both an underdog and the favorite. Last week, my team and I went up in the first round of CIF playoffs against Servite HS. They were ranked #2 in the state and #12 in the nation. In comparison, our beloved Barons were sitting at #296 in state and #755 in the nation. Needless to say, with as much hope, belief, and inspiration that we came in with, we were completely pummeled 7-0. So thoroughly dismantled that most of us weren’t even mad after the game simply because they were a class above us and everyone knew it.
Going in, we all had hope. Every other school in the tournament wanted us to win. We were the Cinderella in this “dance”, the high school soccer version of the NCAA Tournament, as the bottom seed and facing the #1 seed in the first round and hoping to pull a magical rags-to-riches run deep into the post-season. It was a possibility, but with a very slim probability.
If it was so apparent that we would lose, why would other teams wish to see us pull the upset against the favorite? Besides the practical reason of eliminating a powerhouse from the tournament, I find the support for the underdog a very American trait, originating from the conception of our nation during the American Revolutionary War. The American rebels successfully defeated the world’s largest empire with little other than pure willpower and passion. Growing up with that history, many Americans therefore also support the underdogs in sports because they can associate it with our roots.
Photo © 2008 by Wally Gobetz (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)
Despite the crushing defeat, we still kept our head high. Last year, we didn’t even make it to the playoffs, losing every league game but the last. As a rebuilding year, we have seen many improvements and underclassmen make the transition onto the varsity level. We also had some relative success in the Sunset League (4-6 record, 4th place, at-large playoff bid), widely seen as the toughest high school soccer league in Southern California in terms of competition. And at the end of the day, I am thankful to be playing for our program. At least we aren’t this bad.
Only in Division 5 does this happen.
The World at My Feet 