What do 800,000,000 people know about underdogs?
With March Madness in full swing, it’s time for (not-so-sick) sick days and chipping $5 into the office pool. Regardless your teams of choice, what we know about mega-events like the NCAA Championships in the U.S.A. or the Olympics or World Cup globally, is that everyone loves an underdog.
Earlier this week, Associated Press cited 25 different studies concluding that, all else being equal, we are drawn to overachievers. We root for those that should have no chance to win. And we thrive on unbelievable achievements from the most unlikely of performers.
Over 800,000,000 people will be tuning into the nation’s premier collegiate basketball tournament, lending proof to what I call the Underdog Paradox.
While we desire, aspire and require the best, we paradoxically yearn to except something less. We’ll sacrifice the perfect for the human, if we can see ourselves in the process. We want to witness excellence emerge from unlikely places and from unlikely people. We want to believe that if it can happen to them, it can happen to us.
So, as we dream of finally starting a new business, writing the next great American novel, getting the “green light” for our initiative or being tapped for a job we never really thought we’d get – remember to accentuate your STORY as much as your QUALIFICATIONS.
In a hyper-competitive world of over-achievers, it’s hard for even the best-of-the-best to stand out. The science of sports “fan-ship” reminds us that success is as much about our hearts as our minds.
While my force of will and deep desire to believe in the impossible may never help me sink a half-court shot at the buzzer, I know that together we can do just about anything…
So here’s a cheer to the Underdog Paradox and the belief that we are more and can do more and can be more than the words on our resumes suggest!
Source: Associated Press, Science shows March Madness fans cannot resist an underdog by (Pellis, Eddie). Retrieved March 18, 2015 at http://m.apnews.com/ap/db_268750/contentdetail.htm?contentguid=ZJGXy5Gq
