Underdog (competition)

An underdog is a party in a competition, frequently in electoral politics or sports, who is popularly expected to lose. If the underdog wins, the event is known as an upset.

Related Topics:
Competition - Electoral politics - Sports - Upset

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Victorious underdogs:

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• The Bibilcal David who slew Goliath.
• The ancient Greeks over the mighty Persian Empire at the Battle of Salamis.
• The defending British fleet was victorious over the "invincible" Spanish Armada in June 1588.
• U.S. President Harry Truman in the 1948 presidential election
• In 1980, the United States hockey team consisting of amateurs and college players defeated the Olympic hockey superpower, the Soviet Union. The amazing upset was called the "Miracle on Ice"
• The 1985 Villanova University basketball team (8 seed) defeated the Georgetown University basketball team (1 seed) in the Men's NCAA Tournament Final
• Boxer James "Buster" Douglas, given odds of 42-to-1 by one Las Vegas sports book, handed the previously-undefeated Mike Tyson his first ever professional defeat in Tokyo, Japan on February 11, 1990
• Minnesota Senator Paul Wellstone in 1990
• Wisconsin Senator Russ Feingold in 1992
• Tennessee Senator Bill Frist in 1994
• Minnesota Governor Jesse Ventura in 1998
• In 2001, the hugely favored Iowa State University basketball team (2 seed) lost to the Hampton University basketball team (15 seed) in the first round of the NCAA Tournament
• 150-1 odds for the Greece Football Team in the European Championships 2004, who ended up beating the hosts Portugal twice, the holders France and the favourites Czech Republic, and eventually won the tournament.
• One of the pre-tournament favourites AC Milan lost to Liverpool F.C. in the UEFA Champions League final from a seemingly unassailable 3-0 half-time scoreline in the 2005 club competition.
• The 2004 victory of the Detroit Pistons over the Los Angeles Lakers