Psychology says people supporting a losing team are not always expecting victory; they may be just identifying with the underdog

Why do some fans stay loyal to teams that rarely win? Why do people continue cheering for a struggling club even when the odds of success appear almost impossible? For many supporters, backing a losing team may not be about believing that victory is guaranteed.

Instead, psychology suggests that the emotional connection comes from something deeper, the desire to identify with a competitor facing difficult circumstances and fighting against overwhelming odds.

A 2008 study published in the Journal of Applied Social Psychology by JongHan Kim and colleagues, titled Rooting for (and Then Abandoning) the Underdog, examined why people often support underdogs and what causes them to withdraw that support. Researchers found that people are drawn toward those perceived as disadvantaged, but this emotional attachment can weaken when personal interests are involved.

People are drawn to the "lovable loser"

The researchers began with the idea that people have two competing tendencies: a desire to associate with winners and an emotional pull toward those who face disadvantages.

The study states, "Although people prefer to associate with winners, there is also a strong desire to support the lovable loser or underdog." The researchers described the underdog effect as a tendency to support a person, group, or competitor that appears to have fewer advantages and a lower chance of success compared with a stronger opponent.


To examine this behavior, the researchers conducted four studies across different situations, including athletic competitions, business contests, artistic judgments, and even situations involving animated shapes. The goal was to understand whether people's support for underdogs was limited to sports or whether it reflected a broader psychological pattern.

Underdogs receive more emotional support

In the first studies, participants were presented with competitions involving clear favorites and underdogs. The researchers found that participants were more likely to support the competitor who appeared to face greater challenges.

The paper reports, "In Studies 1 and 2, participants rooted for the underdog in judgments of athletic, business, and artistic competition."

The researchers found that the underdog effect was not simply based on believing the weaker competitor would win. Instead, emotional reactions such as sympathy played a major role.

The study explains, "The results showed that participants showed more rooting, sympathy, and identification with struggling shapes than with nonstruggling ones."

This finding was particularly significant because one experiment removed almost every human element from the situation. Participants watched simple animated geometric shapes, with one shape appearing to struggle while another moved more easily.

Even without names, personalities, or real-world backgrounds, people still preferred the figure that appeared to be struggling. The researchers suggested that the perception of difficulty itself can trigger a supportive response.

When struggle creates a connection

The study suggests that people may identify with underdogs because struggle creates an emotional connection. A competitor facing obstacles represents effort, persistence, and the possibility of overcoming difficult circumstances. This can make their journey feel more meaningful than simply watching a powerful favorite succeed.

The emotional appeal comes not necessarily from the expectation of victory but from seeing someone continue despite disadvantages.

This helps explain why fans may remain attached to struggling teams through losing seasons. Their connection may be tied to the team's journey, challenges, and hope rather than only its results.

But people abandon underdogs when consequences become personal

The researchers also examined whether underdog support remains strong in every situation. Their final study looked at circumstances where participants had something personally at stake. The findings showed that emotional support for underdogs could disappear when personal consequences increased.

The paper states, "Study 4 identified conditions under which people abandon the underdog, showing that participants rooted for the underdog only when both self-relevance and consequences were low."

When there was little personal risk, participants were comfortable supporting the weaker competitor. However, when their own interests were involved, they became more likely to choose the stronger option.

This suggests that people may enjoy supporting an underdog emotionally, but practical concerns can change their choices.

Supporting a losing team may be about the fight, not the final score

The study's findings suggest that loyalty toward struggling teams may not always come from confidence that the team will win. Instead, it may come from a psychological tendency to connect with those facing difficult odds. The underdog represents a story of challenge, persistence, and the possibility of overcoming barriers.

However, the research also shows that this emotional connection has limits. When personal consequences become important, people may move away from the underdog and toward the safer choice.

As the researchers conclude, "The results are discussed in terms of a schema-based theory of the underdog effect."

Supporting a losing team, therefore, may not simply be about expecting victory. It may be about seeing something familiar in the struggle, the desire to keep fighting even when success is uncertain.