There are many reasons why people enter the journalism profession. Of my many reasons, the most interesting of which was underdog stories. I have a soft spot for rooting for the underdog, which is part of the reason I love writing about sports when I can.
In almost any sport or competition involving more than one person, there is potentially an underdog story. A player who overcame all odds to score that final goal in a hockey playoff; the driver who lost all his sponsors at the start of the season, and won the championship; the athlete who no one thought would do well, proving everyone wrong. For every underdog story told, there are many more untold.
It’s no secret that I am a football (soccer) fan. The sport is not for everyone , but it is the number one played and watched sport in the world, so it must be doing something right. This past weekend was a mix of all the right things – a classic underdog story.
The top level of professional football is the Premier League with clubs like Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester United, and perennial champions Manchester City. Those are only a few of the 20 teams that play, and each year the worst three clubs of the season are dropped into the level down from the Premier League. The best three teams from the next lower level are promoted up. There are the usual team rivalries, all which are compelling and as interesting to watch as seeing fans debate Leafs vs. Habs, or hating the Bruins.
For promotion, the top two teams in the Championship are automatically bumped into the Premier League for next season. The third-to-sixth place teams playoff, with the championship settled at Wembley Stadium. The winning team earns a spot in the Premier League, lots of money, and a bunch of hardware. It sounds weird that winning third place in your league means you’re first, but it’s England.
This year’s final was a true underdog story: Luton Town FC, a smaller club located northwest of London, played against Coventry City FC, a team from Birmingham. The teams were tied 1-1 after the 90 minutes of regulation time were played. A further 30 minutes of overtime took place, and the score was still tied 1-1, which resulted in a penalty shoot out.
The rules for penalty shoot outs are so restrictive, it’s rare that a goalkeeper is able to stop the ball anymore. Penalty shoot outs are largely a competition of which goal kicker will miss their shot. After playing the mandatory five shots per side, still tied, the game entered sudden death. The first shot missed essentially spelled the end. Coventry’s Fankaty Dabo fired his shot high and wide of the Luton goal, a £170 million miss (there is a lot of money in English football.)
Aside from the on-field drama of the game, is the Luton Town team itself. The team played in the top level of English football before the Premier League was founded. Through successive bad seasons, the team dropped as low as the fifth tier of English football, which is only considered semi-professional. In 10 years, the team has moved back up through the levels to get to the top.
The club plays at a stadium that is one-quarter the size of an average Premier League club. Picture an NHL team playing in your local hockey arena but set on Coronation Street. To get to the visitor stands, you enter between two townhouses, and climb stairs overlooking people’s backyards.
Unlike some clubs, there are no billionaires or “Ryan Reynolds” type of owners throwing money around – about 1/6th of the team is owned by the community. In fact, there is no big money way of buying your way up. Just hard work and perseverance by the team, a little luck sprinkled in, and a very expensive missed penalty kick. It’s the modern classic underdog story in sport – until the next one.