Some years back at a quiz a question referred to the genesis of the word ‘underdog.’ Several of the teams linked it to the runt of the litter, the smallest and weakest of the puppies and that made a great deal of sense.
From that image to being elevated to the grandest element in sport, the underdog has come a long way. Except that it has nothing to do with litters though the puppies get a lyrical look in.
The label is actually derived from a 1928 poem by Robert Frost called Canis Major (Top Dog) and it goes like this: “I’m a poor underdog, But tonight I will bark, With the great overdog, That romps through the dark.”
Clearly a reference to the odds on favourite and the rank outsider who takes him on and occasionally wins.
This sentiment of rooting for the ‘nobody’ was once intrinsic to public school values. I still have a little cup in silver given to me at Sherwood College half a century ago which says ‘Best Loser’ – recognition that I took my thrashing in a boxing bout with a better fighter like a man, whatever that meant.
To think there was a time of such innocence that we could anoint the word ‘loser’ with glory unlike the modern era where a loser is consigned to the bonfires of contempt.
And yet, when Afghanistan beats the Windies in a World T20 match, won’t 2016 be written in golden letters forever in that mountain country: we beat the world champions?
When two unknown teams like Pune and Gujarat, first timers in the Indian IPL circus, last week destroy preceding years’ finalists Mumbai and Punjab, there is such a terrific surge of joy. Much as we love our home team, when someone sneaks up from way behind and wins it gives us all hope for ourselves and that ‘feel good’ sensation is what makes sport such a heroic endeavour.
Like Venezia, Napoli, Kaiserslautern, Boavista & Greece; Leicester continues the love affair we lobe to have with the underdogs of football.
— Sivan John™ (@SivanJohn) April 10, 2016
‘Remember the Titans’ is not just a movie. It happened in real life. I witnessed LA Lakers and Detroit Pistons’ five-game war in 2004. The Lakers were looking for a third win and had powerhouses like Kobe Bryant, Shaquille O’Neal, Karl Malone, and Gary Payton. The result was a no brainer.
The Detroit vanguard had the chance of an ice cube in hell…that was before the series began. Never has courtside been such bedlam at the whistle.
James Braddock, an unknown boxer at 30, ‘allowed’ a final shot at the title, was given no chance against world champ Max Baer in 1835. Labelled as a non-fight the boxing world was stunned as Braddock put Baer on the canvas.
If you get a chance locate archived TV video of a 1975 fight in which an unknown pugilist called Chuck Wepner was pitted against Muhammad Ali in what was called a ‘warm up’ for Ali. A lowly club fighter, Wepner traded blow for blow for 15 rounds, looked like a winner until one punch stopped him with 15 seconds of the fight left.
The cheering for him lasted six minutes and even Ali saluted him. This battle of the unequals was the inspiration for the Rocky series.
Even as one revels in the never say die approach, the reason for this subject is a ‘must see’ recent bio-epic ‘Race’ with Stephan James as the legendary Jesse Owens. It traces the hard terrain traversed by Owens to ultimately run in the 1936 Olympics, taking on adversity, racial prejudice, scorn and Hitler’s Aryan supremacy.
Truly the sporting world’s number one underdog who stood on top of the podium even after Hitler refused to shake his hand.
And, if this is your bag, go for the second course with The Gabby Douglas story. From the point of quitting to becoming the first Afro American to win a gymnastics gold in 2012, her guts and glory speak volumes.
As classic as the determination it echoes from Ullysses: to strive, to seek, to find and not to yield. Time to polish the ‘best loser’ trophy.
