Beware the Underdog

We love to cheer for the underdog. Their struggle mirrors our own deepest hopes, that we can overcome doubt, adversity, and the odds stacked against us. Watching someone with less power, privilege, or preparation rise to the occasion stirs the belief in us that effort and heart can outweigh advantage.

But… sometimes, the story takes an unexpected turn.

Consider this

Nate was the bumbling, self-conscious locker room assistant on Ted Lasso was routinely bullied by the football players, Ted Lasso takes him under his wing, nicknames him Nate The Great, and eventually promotes him to assistant coach. It’s a feel-good moment we all cheer for. But within seconds of gaining rank, Nate starts to bully and demean the new locker room boy. The underdog we rooted for becomes the worst-ever alpha dog: cruel, demeaning, and yes, a bully. Nate falls into one of power’s oldest traps—wielding power from a place of lingering powerlessness.

Putting it Into Play

Nate fell for the biggest trap of power: using power to bolster a sense of inferiority. When a gain in rank isn’t supported by an inner sense of power, we risk abusing it, using our newfound authority in self-serving ways, putting others down to compensate for our own inner inadequacy. This can show up in a few ways:

• Revenge: Using power to punish those who doubted or mistreated us, letting old hurts dictate new actions.
  
• Compensation: Acting superior, demanding allegiance, or displaying wealth and status to soothe a fragile ego.
  
• Preservation: Clinging to power and consolidating it at all costs, because external rank becomes the only source of validation.

Nate The Great shows us that the more we rely on outer rank as our sole source of self-support, the more vulnerable, and desperate, we become. This is why cultivating personal, inner power alongside positional power is essential. It’s not just about confidence or feeling good; it’s a safeguard against the very traps that can turn an underdog into a bully.