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Why Butler Bulldogs Want to Be Underdogs

douglashicks Written by douglashicks, Friday April 02 2010
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These underdogs are actually dogs—Bulldogs, that is. Butler University may be the hometown school for this weekend’s Final Four in Indianapolis, but at 3,900 undergraduates, the school is dwarfed by athletic powerhouses Michigan State, West Virginia, and Duke.
 
The Butler players have enjoyed their role as underdogs, and it fits their style. They would prefer that the nation think they are still the little team from Hoosiers that plays in a bandbox gym.
 
But Butler is actually a slight favorite to beat Michigan State in Saturday’s semifinal. The Bulldogs have already beaten #1 seeded Syracuse and #2 seeded Kansas State. Their defense is, well, dogged.
 
So why have Coach Brad Stevens and his Butler players tried all week to deny that they are favored to win? 
 
Butler has good reason to desire being viewed by fans as the underdog. Research on the “underdog effect” shows that people root for underdogs, sympathize with them, and hold them to a lower standard of behavior. By positioning itself as an underdog, Butler would be excused for losing—and they would be hailed as great heroes should they triumph. 
 
The underdog label also carries the added advantage of giving Butler players extra motivation to succeed. Being the top dog can lead to complacency. To continue its successful run to the NCAA championship, Butler players need to remain convinced they are The Little Engine That Could: A small, overmatched team that needs to dig deep to overcome the tall challenges awaiting them.
 
The underdog effect matters a lot in Indianapolis on Saturday. It could produce tens of thousands of Butler fans at the game (not to mention countless longer-term benefits for the school). Lucas Oil Stadium will seat about 70,000 fans for the Final Four. Butler received a small allotment of seats as the host school for the games, and they received a few thousand more as one of the four teams who earned their way (back) to Indy. 
 
But by far the majority of tickets have gone to “neutral parties”—many who bought their tickets a year ago through a lottery before they knew which teams would be playing. They love basketball, but unless their favorite team is playing, they can be swayed to root for one team or the other.  The underdog team from the weaker conference – Butler – could be their team. 
 
How will the Butler Bulldogs respond to overwhelming crowd support at game time? The fans could be their “sixth man” – a great advantage. Or it could serve as added pressure to perform in front of their hometown. Only time will tell.
 
Fans of the two “other” teams—Duke and West Virginia—could be swayed to cheer for either Butler or Michigan State. If Butler is seen to be the underdog in this game, the Duke and WVU fans could turn their support to the Bulldogs—due to the underdog effect and also their desire to see the weaker (underdog) team advance to possibly play their team on Monday night for the NCAA championship. 
 
Top dogs are often torn. They’d prefer to play the weaker team, of course, but no one wants to play the hot and streaking underdog who fearlessly plays with everything to gain and nothing to lose.
 
The Bulldogs may be the slight odds-on favorite, but it is fan perception, not the gambling line that matters. Underdogs in their own hometown? These Bulldogs tenaciously want you to believe that. We will be among their fans.
  
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Douglas A. Hicks is professor of leadership studies and Scott T. Allison is professor of social psychology at the University of Richmond, in Virginia.

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