Everyone Loves an Underdog: The Psychological Benefits of Being Perceived as One
It’s a story as old as time we are drawn to the team nobody expects to win, the athlete with something to prove and the story of someone overcoming the odds. From Leicester cities unbelieve premier league win, Grimsby Town’s win over Man United in the EFL Cup, even the Jamaican Bobsleigh team everybody loves an underdog. Research also supports this: people often show greater support for competitors perceived as disadvantaged, partly because they associate underdogs with increased effort and determination
However, being the underdog may offer more than public support. It can also influence how athletes approach competition, sometimes providing additional motivation, freedom and focus.
As the new football season begins, I’m drawn to the story of my beloved West Ham United, who offer an interesting example of what happens when those roles are reversed
From underdog to the team everyone wants to beat
Following a gripping end to the 25/26 season, the last game of the season saw the Hammers 14 year stay in the top flight of football come to an end and saw them relegated back into the Championship. Currently sat at 7/4 odds to win the league at the time of writing this, West Ham sit as most bookmakers’ and even the Supercomputer’s favourite to win the league and earn promotion back to Premier League football, a position they have been in before.
On paper, whilst getting relegated is damaging, being able to retain some of their star players should be positive as it shows the buy-in from the club, the players, the manager, even the fans with a breathtaking 50,000 season tickets sold.
However, psychologically, this might be a different story.
We have seen it before teams enter games with that expectation on everyone’s shoulders that they should win. Meaning their opposition can approach the same fixture with little to lose and an opportunity to cause a bit of an upset. This is the peculiar position West Ham now find themselves in, from lifting a European Trophy to the team everyone wants to beat.
The question is whether that expectation creates confidence or becomes a burden.
The motivation to prove people wrong
One potential benefit of being an underdog is the motivation created by other people’s doubts.
Nurmohamed (2020) found that underdog expectations could improve performance through a desire to prove others wrong. When people believed that others had underestimated them, that judgement could create additional effort, focus and determination.
This is partly explained through psychological reactance. When somebody places a limit on what we can achieve, we may become motivated to challenge that judgement and restore our sense of competence.
The message becomes:
“You don’t believe in me? Let me show you that I can.”
Something to gain rather than something to protect
Underdogs and favourites may also enter competition with different motivational mindsets.
Lount, Pettit, and Doyle (2017) found that underdogs were more likely to adopt a promotion focus. Their attention was directed towards what they could gain from succeeding. Whereas Favourites were more likely to adopt a prevention focus, concentrating on what they could lose if they failed.
For an underdog, winning can offer the possibility of recognition, progress and Memorable achievement, whilst defeat may be disappointing it is what is expected, therefore creating a “nothing to lose and everything to gain” mentality. For the favourite, the psychological equation can be reversed. Winning may simply satisfy expectations, while losing could bring criticism, embarrassment, even self-doubt and frustration.
One team is playing to create an opportunity. The other may begin playing to avoid a disaster.
This does not mean underdogs always perform freely or favourites always struggle. However, it highlights how the meaning attached to a match can influence motivation, attention and behaviour.
When expectation becomes pressure
There is an important difference between believing you can win and feeling that you must win.
Research by Baumeister, Hamilton, and Tice (1985) found that performers’ own expectations of success could improve performance. In contrast, expectations coming from an audience sometimes created additional pressure, particularly when the performer did not privately share the same confidence.
In simple terms:
“We believe we can win” can support confidence.
“Everyone expects us to win” can create pressure.
“We cannot afford to lose” can move attention towards threat and consequences.
Looking across football, we can see this played out in penalty shootouts where players of high status in major international tournaments performed worse than players whose status was still developing (Jordet, 2009). This does not mean every established player will struggle under pressure it does show how reputation and expectation can add weight to demanding moments.
For West Ham, the challenge may become particularly noticeable when matches are not going to plan. What happens if an expected early goal does not arrive? What happens after conceding against a team they were expected to beat? What happens if a few losses come in a row?
Expectation can produce frustration, rushed decisions or an excessive focus on the score. Players may begin trying to force the outcome rather than remaining connected to the behaviours that give them the best chance of achieving a win or turning a game around.
Using either label to your advantage
Being the underdog is not automatically beneficial, just as being the favourite is not automatically harmful. What matters is how athletes and teams interpret the position they are in.
An underdog still needs enough genuine confidence to believe an upset is possible. Without that belief, low expectations may become a reason to disengage rather than a source of motivation.
Equally, a favourite can use expectations as evidence of previous success and preparation. The aim is to recognise that status without becoming trapped by the need to protect it.
For West Ham, promotion may be the destination (Fingers crossed), but it cannot become the sole focus during every match. Attention needs to return to the next action, the team’s playing principles and how players respond to inevitable difficult moments across a long season.
How do you feel about your upcoming season?
As your own season approaches, how do you feel other people perceive you?
Are you the underdog with something to prove? Are you expected to succeed? Perhaps you are trying to establish yourself at a new level, return from injury, earn selection or maintain the standards you achieved last season.
More importantly, what effect is that perception having on you?
If expectations are affecting your confidence, motivation or ability to perform freely, sport psychology can help you develop confidence that is less dependent on predictions, rankings and other people’s opinions.
If you would like support preparing mentally for your upcoming season, please get in touch.
References
Baumeister, R. F., Hamilton, J. C., & Tice, D. M. (1985). Public versus private expectancy of success: Confidence booster or performance pressure?. Journal of personality and social psychology, 48(6), 1447.
Jordet, G. (2009). Why do English players fail in soccer penalty shootouts? A study of team status, self-regulation, and choking under pressure. Journal of Sports Sciences, 27(2), 97-106.
Lount Jr, R. B., Pettit, N. C., & Doyle, S. P. (2017). Motivating underdogs and favorites. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 141, 82-93.
Nurmohamed, S. (2020). The underdog effect: When low expectations increase performance. Academy of Management Journal, 63(4), 1106-1133.
Vandello, J. A., Goldschmied, N. P., & Richards, D. A. (2007). The appeal of the underdog. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 33(12), 1603-1616.