Media Portrayals of Underdogs and Top Dogs From Hertz-Avis to Israel-Palestine

Media Portrayals of Underdogs and Top Dogs From Hertz-Avis to Israel-Palestine

Scott Allison, JongHan Kim,

Sheila Hindle, and James Beggan

University of Richmond

University of Louisville

Thanks also to Al Goethals, Dafna Eylon, Jordan Phillips,

and Melinda Bigcountry

Scott Allison, JongHan Kim,

Sheila Hindle, and James Beggan

University of Richmond

University of Louisville

Thanks also to Al Goethals, Dafna Eylon, Jordan Phillips,

and Melinda Bigcountry

The Underdog Cartoon (1964-1973) "Have no fear -- Underdog is here!"

The Underdog Cartoon (1964-1973) "Have no fear -- Underdog is here!"

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What Claiming Underdog Status Can Do For YouWhat Claiming Underdog Status Can Do For You

It can attract public support for you It casts you in the role of the “good guy” or the person who

is on high moral ground You can more easily get away with slightly immoral

actions It can motivate you to work harder if complacency is a

possible problem

It can attract public support for you It casts you in the role of the “good guy” or the person who

is on high moral ground You can more easily get away with slightly immoral

actions It can motivate you to work harder if complacency is a

possible problem

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Sports Business

Underdog

Top Dog

Study 1: The Underdog Effect

Study 2: The Robustness of the Underdog Effect

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Underdog

Top Dog

What Claiming Underdog Status Can Do For YouWhat Claiming Underdog Status Can Do For You

It can attract public support for you It casts you in the role of the “good guy” or the person who

is on high moral ground You can more easily get away with slightly immoral

actions It can motivate you to work harder if complacency is a

possible problem

It can attract public support for you It casts you in the role of the “good guy” or the person who

is on high moral ground You can more easily get away with slightly immoral

actions It can motivate you to work harder if complacency is a

possible problem

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No Moral Infraction Moral Infraction

Underdog

Top Dog

Study 3: The Double Standard

What Claiming Underdog Status Can Do For YouWhat Claiming Underdog Status Can Do For You

It can attract public support for you It casts you in the role of the “good guy” or the person who

is on high moral ground You can more easily get away with slightly immoral

actions It can motivate you to work harder if complacency is a

possible problem

It can attract public support for you It casts you in the role of the “good guy” or the person who

is on high moral ground You can more easily get away with slightly immoral

actions It can motivate you to work harder if complacency is a

possible problem

Steelers notebook: Love being underdogs By Curt SylvesterSpecial to SuperBowl.com

Video: Steelers press conferenceDETROIT (Jan. 30, 2006) -- The underdog role has fit the Pittsburgh Steelers well during their playoff run and coach Bill Cowher apparently will continue to use it, even though his team is the favorite in Super Bowl XL against the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday.

Seahawks Get Comfortable as UnderdogBy Mark MaskeWashington Post Staff WriterMonday, January 30, 2006; Page E03

DEARBORN, Mich., Jan. 29 -- The Seattle Seahawks arrived in town a day earlier than their Super Bowl opponent, the Pittsburgh Steelers, and did their best Sunday to embrace their role as this week's underdog.

Underdog Pittsburgh steeled with resolveBy Jarrett Bell, USA TODAYPITTSBURGH — America loves an underdog, but this one is a lot like a pit bull.

Linebacker Joey Porter has served as the Steelers' emotional mouthpiece in recent weeks.By Denis Poroy, AP

The Pittsburgh Steelers, the first sixth seed to make a conference championship game, don't want to be anyone's sudden sentimental favorite. Not with Sunday's AFC title game at Denver offering the chance to reach a Super Bowl off three road wins in a row. (The Carolina Panthers, by beating the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday, also would reach the Super Bowl off three road wins in a row to match what only the 1985 New England Patriots have done.)

Olympic NewsUS embrace underdog role as guard changesBy Alan CrosbyTURIN (Reuters) - The United States are embracing the role of underdog as they head into the men's Olympic ice hockey tournament.

"It (being an underdog) can tend to be a bit of a motivating factor," Mike Modano, one of the veterans from a U.S. program that flourished in the late 1990s and earlier this decade, said before the team's first practice in Turin on Tuesday.

Jockeying for Position to be the UnderdogJockeying for Position to be the Underdog

YAHOO Columnist Abra Ca rne: “Over the years, the press has become more pro-Palestinian and less pro-Israel. Many believe that to the public, Israel has moved from being the “David” to becoming the “Goliath” and that the Palestinians are the new “David.” That simply means, that according to the opinions of many Americans, Israel no longer has to fight for defense the way they have in the past. Since 1967 and 1973, Israe l is not the underdog to the Arab nations. The press now sees the Palestinians as the ones who are struggling. Personally, I do not think that Israe l has become the “Goliath.” There are many issues that the Israel is struggle with, and…..”

General Schwarzkopf About Israel he had this to say: "I admire Israel because she is a democracy; I admire Israel because I love the underdog, I always loved the underdog, and as a military man I cannot help but admire Israel's military successes....”

Oliver Olinger

Palestinian word games -- The current "Road Map" to peace provides a pristine example of the very weaknesses that our enemy is exploiting. They are using our inherent sympathies for the underdog (having been the underdog ourselves once) and playing us for fools through colorful, but utterly meaningless, terminology and phraseology. The truth is that our enemy is not the underdog, because their support network is larger than anyone cares to admit.

What are the drawbacks to claiming Underdog status?

What are the drawbacks to claiming Underdog status?

People will expect you to work your hardest to overcome your underdog status

People will evaluate you harshly if you don’t give 100% effort

People will judge your performance to be inferior It doesn’t take much for people to abandon the

underdog

People will expect you to work your hardest to overcome your underdog status

People will evaluate you harshly if you don’t give 100% effort

People will judge your performance to be inferior It doesn’t take much for people to abandon the

underdog

Catching up to Bode, Chapter 2: 'I'm not a guy who looks back.'By Jim Litke, AP Sports Columnist | February 26, 2006

"That's what the Olympics are about ... underdogs, about providing an opportunity for people to do something they didn't know they were capable of," he said.

Miller came here as an overwhelming overdog, the defending overall World Cup championship, the first American to hold that title since 1983. Anybody who saw NBC's promotional campaign ahead of the Winter Olympics must have thought all the other skiers in the world were auditioning for parts as extras in Miller's highlight reel."I wanted an Olympic experience like in 'Miracle.' But how was it for the Russians?" Miller said, leaving little doubt which role was thrust on him. "Horrible."

Despite the hype surrounding Miller in the weeks prior to the 2006 Winter Olympics , every one of Miller's five medal bids in the Turin Games fell short: he finished a disappointing 5th in the Downhill , was disqualified -- while in first place at the time -- during the second leg of the Combined event, received a DNF (Did Not Finish) in the Super G, tied for 6th in the Giant Slalom , and claimed another DNF after missing a gate in the Slalom. While his Oly mpic Alpine Skiing finishes were respectable by historical American standards, it disappointed expectations and was widely perceived as a personal and team failure. Miller has been the subject of severe criticism in the wake of his Turin performance. Bob Costas ' prime-time editorial, after an unapologetic Miller interview with Tom Brokaw, featured the uncharacteristically savage conclusion that Mil ler might finally get what he wanted: to be unceremoniously forgotten. Miller was subsequently vilified in the American and international media; editorials focused mostly on his attitude, accusing him of simply not caring about the Olympics or about his pe rformance. Many perceived his "whatever" attitude a violation of the "Olympic Spirit," and in contrast to Miller's big -money deals with dedication-oriented sponsors like Nike which espouses to "Just Do It."

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Rooting For Perceived Quality

Underdog

Top Dog

The Art Study

What are the drawbacks to claiming Underdog status?

What are the drawbacks to claiming Underdog status?

People will expect you to work your hardest to overcome your underdog status

People will evaluate you harshly if you don’t give 100% effort

People will judge your performance to be inferior It doesn’t take much for people to abandon the

underdog

People will expect you to work your hardest to overcome your underdog status

People will evaluate you harshly if you don’t give 100% effort

People will judge your performance to be inferior It doesn’t take much for people to abandon the

underdog

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Underdog

Top Dog

Abandoning the Underdog