Underdogs and comebacks

The chestnut colt was third from last at the half mile mark. That seemed about right for the 80-1 longshot who was only getting a chance to run in the prestigious Kentucky Derby because another horse had scratched on Friday. Undeterred, Venezuelan jockey Sonny Leon began navigating Rich Strike through a field run ragged by the blistering opening pace…..

What is this fascination with sports so many of us have? Perhaps it is the drama. No, it IS the drama! Like watching plays whose endings no one yet knows. Sport is in essence a form of storytelling which is as ancient as man itself. We have always needed our heroes and villains. David, the shepherd boy, who took on a nine-foot giant Goliath and with one perfectly aimed pebble struck him between the eyes. Or Jesus, with just the clothes on his back, rides into Jerusalem on a donkey, challenges the Pharisees and the mighty Roman Empire, is crucified. Only to rise again – the ultimate Comeback Kid. Perhaps that is why we describe sports in biblical terms such as “redemption”, “in the wilderness”,  “a last minute miracle” or “Hail Marys”. 

Sport has been described as war in peacetime stirring up international rivalries that are passionate but also (mostly) contained to the stadium. So it is not surprising we also talk about sports using war metaphors: “Laying siege” to an opponent’s goal, “out flanking” them, “marching down the field”, throwing “long bombs” or “blitzing” the quarterback.  

Sports, politics and war share familiar themes: in particular that of the underdog. Fidel Castro holed up in the Sierra Maestra mountains; America with its myth making and the Boston Tea Party, characterised as plucky underdog merchants unwilling to submit to the British imposition of taxes. Underdogs and outsiders abound in politics even if most are self described. 

In sports there are actual underdogs such as Lewis Hamilton, the kid from Stevenage who endured discrimination to become the only black (still and one with the most wins) Formula One driver. Tiger Woods, also put up with racist remarks even as he completely dominated his sport, ranking No 1 for  264 weeks in a row. More than that he has delivered some of the most magical moments in golfing history.  

Additionally he is an example of another compelling sporting theme: the career comeback. In fact he has had several, after high profile personal struggles and numerous surgeries to his knees and back. By 2018 Woods himself had declared he was “done” playing at the top level of the game. However through sheer willpower he won the 2019 Masters and became possibly even more admired than before.     

As they entered the home straight Rich Strike was still several lengths back from the favourites Epicenter and Zandon who were obliviously engaged in a head to head tussle that they must have thought would result in glory for one of them….

For more comebacks, we need only look at Manchester City’s past two weeks. Leading in the Champions League semi-final, they were ahead of Real Madrid 5-3 on aggregate with one minute of regulation time to go. Game over. Then in a bewildering turn of events substitute Rodrygo scored twice in 90 seconds and in the extra time Karim Benzema struck a penalty sending his team into the final against Liverpool.

Last Sunday it was City’s turn: Down 2- 0 with 15 minutes to go against a dogged Aston Villa and needing a win to secure the Premier League title (assuming a Liverpool win) they scored three goals and went from agony to ecstasy in five minutes. And for those Manchester United fans it was also a lesson in the difference between a team that believes in itself and one full of highly paid individuals. In cricket there are too many comebacks to choose from, but the 2016 ICC 20/20 Final between the West Indies and England was a classic: Needing 20 runs off the last over a savage Carlos Braithwaite proceeded to smack four consecutive sixes off Ben Stokes who would himself go on to lead the unlikeliest of comebacks against Australia in the Third Test at Headingley in 2019.    

Finally one other essential component for sports is deceit: the dummy pass or sidestep in rugby or basketball; the fake punt in American football (almost always disastrous), the disguised serve in table tennis, or drop shot in lawn tennis, the googly or slow ball in cricket or the knuckleball in baseball. Those flashes of individual creativity and sleight of hand at a pivotal moment generate confusion and hesitation in the opposition. The greatest goal ever scored? Many say Maradona’s dribble past five England players in the 1986 World Cup. Sublime even if it was after the ultimate deceit – the “Hand of God” goal (in the days before VAR).   

With two furlongs to go Rich Strike was back in fifth and momentarily blocked by the tiring Messier. But jockey Leon’s manoeuvre seemed to ignite something in his horse. Finding the rail again, with ears pinned back, he burst to the front with such acceleration it caught the television commentator completely off guard: “….Rich Strike is coming up on the inside! Oh my goodness, the longest shot has won the Kentucky Derby…in a stunning, unbelievable upset!”

What this moment and all these other great sporting moments have delivered is pure euphoria even as they resolved the uncertainty and tension that is at the heart of all sport. In this way it is like the Greek tragedies, allowing for the experience and display of extreme emotions amidst the drudgery of our everyday lives. Let’s hope today’s Champions League Final delivers similar high drama. (Go Liverpool!).