Cheering for the Underdog

Sometimes I don’t know what to watch on the streaming services. When that happens, I just accept the offered recommendations. I mean, most of the time, it’s just background noise anyway. The suggested movie the other day was called, The Longshots. 

It’s about a small-town girl (Jasmine Plummer) who spends her days reading. She loves books as she’s lonely and shunned by popular cliques. Due to a couple of events, she finds her stride in an unlikely place as she becomes the local high school star quarterback. She embraces her talent and moves toward the unexpected. She becomes the first female quarterback to ever play in the Pop Warner Super Bowl. 

She did not do this all on her own.

Her “Uncle Curtis (Ice Cube)”, having been forced to babysit, discovers her talent. Curtis continually encourages and coaches Jasmine (Keke Palmer). He stands by her - always. 

I haven’t really followed sports for quite some time and this movie would not have been a choice I would make. But I like it when I’m pleasantly surprised. There’s really nothing better than a heartwarming story of an underdog’s success. 

I know we used to cheer for the underdog. Do we still do that?

In no specific order, my fingers identified the following 'underdogs'.

1. The Underprivileged
2. The Minority
3. The Bullied
4. The Loner
5. The Handicapped
6. The Addict
7. The Weak
8. The Young
9. The Misfit
10. The Old
11. The Homeless
12. The Survivor
13. The Different
14. The Children
15. The Women
16. The Helpless
17. The Poor
18. The Oppressed
19. The Shy
20. The Defeated
21. The Introvert
22. The Loser
23. The Neglected
24. The Feeble
25. The Lonely
26. The Hurting
27. The Talentless
28. The Geek
29. The Hopeless
30. The Lost
31. The Broke
32. The Sick
33. The Unemployed
34. The Underemployed
35. The Loveless
36. The Friendless
37. The Powerless
38. The Controlled
39. The Nonconformers
40. The Unique
41. The Fatherless
42. The Motherless
43. The Shut-in
44. The Orphan
45. The Unaccomplished
46. The Disavowed
47. The Imprisoned
48. The Despairing
49. The Broken
50. The Rejected
51. The Terrified
52. The Disposable
53. The Weird
54. The Unwanted
55. The Discarded
56. The Fearful
57. The Victim
58. And, of course, The Longshots

I was surprised at how quickly this list came together. There was little concentration needed. And I'm betting I missed as many as were identified.

I was also shocked to notice how many I was able to see in myself - not all at once, but throughout my life. I should have realized that we are all underdogs at some point, and we all need others for encouragement, hope, help, and comfort. 

While I was compiling this list, another thought came to mind. Some on the list are underdogs because of what someone else does to them. This creates a new category of 'hidden underdogs' (the "someone else") if you will. 

These are a few examples of those who don't appear to fit the title but are just better at projecting a sense of bravado to avoid the appearance of being underdogs. If you think about it deeply, you'll see what I mean. Examples:

• The Privileged
• The Heartless
• The Bully
• The Powerful
• The Controller
• The Extrovert
• The User
• The Ruler

Like Jasmine, we do not overcome our 'underdogness' on our own. We need others. Others need us. And this is true whether we are underdogs of the first category or the second.

I heard a quote from an unknown source this week.  "God's house is not holy because all are welcome, God's house is holy because all belong." This is to say that God's house is filled with underdogs. 

I believe that to be very good news.

Just two things before I wrap up.

1. God's House can be any church, synagogue, chapel, beach, tent city, garden, mountain top, igloo, condo, yurt, or mansion. This I think, was God's intentional choice.
2.  All are welcome and belong in these spaces but in my opinion, this rests entirely on the decision we make. We will either agree with God and open our hearts and spaces, or we will agree with the world and close them to the underdog. 

The whole time I was writing, I kept hearing All Are Welcome, by Marty Haugen

"Let us build a house where hands will reach
    beyond the wood and stone.
To heal and strengthen, serve and teach,
    and live the word they’ve known.
Here the outcast and the stranger
    bear the image of God’s face;
Let us bring an end to fear and danger.
All are welcome.
All are welcome.
All are welcome in this place."