Why do we root for underdogs?

Brain on Sports

March Madness has descended upon the sports world once again, and from casual fans to diehard bracket-trackers, everyone is on high alert for the next team from a little-known school to take the NCAA tournament by storm. But why are we so predisposed to pulling for the little guy? On this week’s episode, USF professor Joe Vandello joins the show to discuss his research on this topic and its impact not only on how Americans view the tournament and other big sporting events but how they approach presidential elections and other major world events.