Why us Aussies love the underdog so bloody much

Everybody loves the underdog, don’t they?

So many American movies are based on the under dog – the little guy takes on the big guy, a small town takes on a massive corporation, the slow-witted but kind-hearted guy fobs off bullies and goes off to war and runs across America. You know the stories. We’ve been watching these movies all our lives. Whether it’s Rocky or Erin Brockovich or Forest Gump (jeez I’m showing my age with my movie choices!) or every Adam Sandler flick ever made, we love to barrack for the underdog.

So, what is an underdog?

The underdog is a story trope that pervades Australian culture. It goes hand in hand with our belief that everyone deserves a fair go. We’ll stand up for the little guy, cheering him on as he takes on the system.

Shows like A Current Affair are famous for milking these stories week in and week out, demanding we shake our fists in rage at the telly because we’re unable to stand by and watch these acts of injustice against the Little Aussie Battler.

The love of the underdog in Australian culture is unique in this one, special way – us Aussies will happily support an underdog, even if we know they are going to lose (OK fair enough, Rocky loses a bunch of times too). You took on the system and won? Bloody brilliant! You took on the system and lost? Good ya for havin’ a crack, right? If Darryl Kerrigan lost his home in The Castle, we wouldn’t have loved him any less.

Do you remember when Eric the Eel made his appearance at the Sydney Olympic Games in 2000? Eric Moussambani from Equatorial Guinea won a wildcard draw to swim in the 100m freestyle heats. The whole stadium got behind the guy who swam like he was not much past the floatie stage and we loved him for it and cheered him home, in twice the time of his rivals. He became a media sensation. If an #erictheeel hashtags was available back then, it would’ve flooded our social media feeds. There was no gold medal or a place on a podium. We loved him simply for having a go.

This love of the underdog is rooted deeply in our young history – from the convicts and folk hero (and killer) Ned Kelly to the Eureka Stockade and the shores of Gallipoli – there are a lot of non-winners in these stories and yet they spark that sense of outrage in us and we want to pat these under dogs on the back posthumously for having a crack.

Today, the Western Bulldogs take on the Sydney Swans in the 2016 AFL Grand Final.  Here’s a team that’s been kicked and beaten, doesn’t have the member numbers and backing or sponsorship of the bigger, elite clubs. It’s a team that almost folded and almost merged yet survived tumultuous financial times. Here’s a team that hasn’t won a flag since the premiership in 1954. The underdogs. And I still call them Footscray.

Here’s a team the entire nation (excluding Swans supporters, and even some of them probably wouldn’t mind it if Footscray won) are getting behind. More than 100,000 people turned up for the Grand Final Parade yesterday – a new record.

Growing up in Seddon and later Werribee (I’m a true Westie!) this is the team I watched play at the Western Oval as a kid with my dad, siblings, uncles, cousins and family friends for many years (one of whom snapped this pic in Seddon yesterday – thanks Tracy!) I got my Kelloggs Junior Supports card punched for my five free games each year, collected autographs from players my sister Al was too shy to approach, heckled umpires and opposition players, made shakers with stones in Carlton cans, got two bucks from dad for pies, cherry ripes and chocolate Big Ms.

My Facebook feed filled with cousins and friends crying from their happiness at being given a chance to watch the Doggies have a crack at the granny in their lifetime. Then the joy and elation at getting tickets to join the crowd at the MCG for their long-term support of this dilapidated old club. Even non-Footscray supporters have added a ‘Doggies Temporary Supporter’ filter to their Facebook profile picture.

I’m in Nha Trang, Vietnam. Far from a telly screening the Grand Final. (Last week I caught the game by live updates online and with Whatsapp messages from my sister.) My brother is running a 100-mile ultramarathon (go Kev!) See, Doggies supporters never had to develop a knack for taking footy finals, let alone a grand final, into account when making plans.

I kinda wish I was home and watching the grand final with my dad. I bet his 81 year-old-self will be kicking goals and taking marks from his armchair, reliving the glory of 1954.

Carn the underdogs. Literally.

Edit: Yes! The Doggies did it. True underdogs. No team has ever won the grand final after placing 7th at the end of the season. And Kev won his 100 miler. Two wins for the Muller family yesterday. Happy days.

Edit 2017: Go Tiges!