Tribute to the Unsung Hero

There are countless nameless heroes throughout history. These are the lesser-known persons who encourage and inspire by example or deed. They are the champions of unrecognized contribution doing what comes naturally without effort, without question, whose bravery is unquestionable, unknown or unacknowledged. They Never, Ever Give Up! They are more often than not considered 'underdogs' who may not rise to the top of the ladder but without whom those at the top would not be where they are today.

December 19 is...

Underdog Day

 Being the underdog isn’t a bad thing. It might mean you have more at stake,
more to prove, more headroom to grow, and more reasons to succeed. 
 ~The Underdogs

For those that may not know, an “underdog” is a person in a competition or other event who is popularly expected to lose or fail. On Underdog Day honor goes to the world’s greatest unsung heroes, runners-up and unlikely winners who have pulled off the unexpected! Remember Susie Simple? How many times have you rooted for the underdog in major league sports event, especially when you didn't have a favored team playing?  

A Bit of 'UnderDog' Trivia...

Originally, an underdog was a shipbuilder who stood in a dark pit and helped to saw planks of wood from beneath whilst the overdog, a supervisor of sorts, sawed the planks from above. The underdog got all dirty and covered in sawdust, yet the overdog got all of the credit for the hard work carried out. The first recorded uses of the term occurred in the second half of the nineteenth century; its first meaning was “the beaten dog in a fight”.  An “underdog bet” was a bet on the underdog for which the odds were always considerably higher.

The most likely places to find innumerable underdogs are in our military, among our firefighters and within the police force. Our service men and women, military and community, give their all on a daily basis without thoughts of 'going for the gold', being the fastest, best or baddest, and becoming rich or famous. Their bravery is the epitome of one being an unsung hero.

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It is inherit for many of us to root for the underdog starting with our love of cartoons and comic books. Popeye the Sailor appears to be no match for Bruno, Superheros become their alter ego in hopes of saving the day (which in their normal state would never happen), and possibly a favorite from the 60s, Underdog himself, whose rhythmic tune stuck in our heads all day long.

The movies that always capture our hearts are those where inevitably the losers become winners in the end. Don't you just love The Karate Kid, Forrest Gump, Rocky and Braveheart! What about the humble sidekicks where the main heroes would not be who they are, and would not have achieved what they achieved, if it wasn’t for the underdogs. Imagine Batman without Robin, Sherlock Holmes without Watson, Lone Ranger without Tonto, Green Hornet without Kato, Buffy the Vampire Slayer without Willow. The list goes on. Not quite the same, right? 

Fact: Life tends to favor the underdog. More often than not, the underdog will try, try, try and try again sometimes realizing countless failures, few successes. After all, Life = Risk. One doesn't lose to say, "I quit. I'll only lose next time." When one loses one says, "I'll practice more. Try harder. Next time I may win."

If there's a contest or competition scheduled around the holidays, make sure to become involved but remember to root for the underdog!

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Next on the Calendar...Stay tuned!