Volume CXXXIII, Number 14 February 1, 2002 f

Can underdogs win?
ANDREW MINESS
STAFF WRITER

Winning. If you know sports, you recognize that winning must be the mindset that an individual and team have going into the game. Without such a mindset, what would be the point of playing the game? There wouldn't be any, because believing in yourself and your teammates is more than half the battle. The game is not played on paper, anything can happen on any given day. If the favorite always won and the underdog always lost, we as sports fans would not need to watch the games. There would be no drama, no hope for a comeback, no surprises. The outcome would be decided before the game began. However, when it comes to sports, the favorite going into the game does not always walk away the winner. In fact, the belief that an underdog can beat the favorite provides sports fans with the incentive to watch the game, because something incredible can happen.

This adage of believing in the underdog does not falter this week. Amidst the hoopla of Super Bowl XXXVI, the Rams have been called the "greatest show on earth," while the Patriots have been deemed the bridesmaids. Many sports reporters have already discounted the Patriots; football expert John Clayton even went as far to say that, "the Patriots are unfortunate afterthoughts," claiming that they should be glad to have come this far.

Ugggghhh!!!! The Patriots have not come this far to roll over; they are in New Orleans to win and become the next underdog to upset the strong favorite. And by winning this Sunday, the Patriots will provide sports fans with more hope in the future that the game is not decided until the last whistle sounds. The Patriots do not have to look far for inspiration this week, they merely have to remember some of the greatest moments in sports history; Buster Douglas knocking out Tyson, Joe Namath leading the Jets to a Super Bowl victory in Super Bowl III, NC State knocking off the University of Houston to win the 1984 NCAA Championship. These are just several examples of David taking down Goliath, and thus the Patriots just have to believe in themselves.

The greatest part about this Sunday's game rests in the fact that the Patriots do control their own destiny. Although many analysts have termed them a team of "destiny," the players do not agree with such a reference. Lawyer Milloy, a safety for the Patriots, stated during an interview, "Our team is not a team of destiny. We see playoff commercials or whatever, and they have all the other teams on there. I don't see one guy from our team on that commercial. I mean, they have guys talking about playoff experience and the atmosphere, and the guys have never been to the playoffs before. That's crazy to me."

Milloy's words make it apparent that the Patriots do not see themselves as a team lucky to be where they are. With little expectations coming into the season, coupled with one of the smallest payrolls in the NFL and an injury to the franchise quarterback in week 2, many teams and reporters marked off games against the Patriots as sure wins. Now, with a Super Bowl in reach, I find myself asking why not? I mean, the Patriots have come this far and beaten the odds so many times, week in and week out avoiding defeat in games they were supposed to lose, why can't they win on Sunday?

Of course history does not favor the Patriots. As a 14 point underdog, their task does seem daunting, and add that to the fact that the Super Bowl has only been determined 10 times by 9 points or less. But all that should not matter come kickoff on Sunday. The game will come down to execution, and that is what continues to give the Patriots players and sports fans hope. This hope that the underdog will win is why we watch the games; it proves that spectacular things can happen. And in turn, this sense of hope goes beyond the realm of sports. It gives us all the belief that even we can do the unthinkable.