# Competition movies where the protagonist loses (SPOILERS) **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [April 19, 2005, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/competition-movies-where-the-protagonist-loses-spoilers/300083 "2005-04-19T17:04:22Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Reloy3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c68b51/32.png) [@Reloy3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reloy3)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2005, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/competition-movies-where-the-protagonist-loses-spoilers/300083/1 "2005-04-19T17:04:22Z")
I was watching _Hoosiers_ last night, and it reminded me of the deleted scene in _Dodge Ball_ where they filmed an ending where the bad guys won in the end. Anyway, it got me thinking about movies where the main character/team lost the big competition in the end (or came in second). The only one I could think of was _Bring it on_. Any others? ---
**Author:** ![Gangster\_Octopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a8b319/32.png) [@Gangster\_Octopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gangster_Octopus)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2005, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/competition-movies-where-the-protagonist-loses-spoilers/300083/2 "2005-04-19T17:10:27Z")
_Bad News Bears_ _Mystery, Alaska_ _Rocky_ ---
**Author:** ![cainxinth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7bcc69/32.png) [@cainxinth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cainxinth)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2005, 5:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/competition-movies-where-the-protagonist-loses-spoilers/300083/3 "2005-04-19T17:15:44Z")
Mods… you might to add a spoiler altert to the title. _Friday Night Lights_ ---
**Author:** ![Reloy3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c68b51/32.png) [@Reloy3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reloy3)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2005, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/competition-movies-where-the-protagonist-loses-spoilers/300083/4 "2005-04-19T17:26:06Z")
> [@cainxinth](#): > > Mods… you might to add a spoiler altert to the title. > _Friday Night Lights_ Your probably right - sorry ---
**Author:** ![dotchan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9d8465/32.png) [@dotchan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dotchan)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2005, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/competition-movies-where-the-protagonist-loses-spoilers/300083/5 "2005-04-19T18:50:31Z")
And it’s _loses_. :mad: (Ob anime) The starring team/player in sports anime often wins the Climactic Big Game, and then promptly loses, or doesn’t make it very far afterwards. (/Ob anime) ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2005, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/competition-movies-where-the-protagonist-loses-spoilers/300083/6 "2005-04-19T18:54:08Z")
\*Rocky \* - you remember, the original, where the protagonist was still a real guy and not the comic-book character of the sequels. He lost the fight to Apollo Creed, but even so, he really won, because all he wanted to do was go the distance. ---
**Author:** ![NDP](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ndp/32/55_2.png) [@NDP](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NDP)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2005, 6:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/competition-movies-where-the-protagonist-loses-spoilers/300083/7 "2005-04-19T18:55:07Z")
Two very different films: –**The Best Man (1964)–Henry Fonda’s character fails to get his party’s nomination for president;** – **A Boy Named Charlie Brown** –Charlie Brown finishes second in a national spelling bee after missing the word “beagle” ---
**Author:** ![Birdmonster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/71e660/32.png) [@Birdmonster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Birdmonster)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2005, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/competition-movies-where-the-protagonist-loses-spoilers/300083/8 "2005-04-19T20:00:11Z")
Speaking of Sylvester Stallone, in “Victory” (a god-awful, yet totally hilarious movie), the US POW football (soccer) team ties the German Nationals in a WWII propaganda stunt gone wrong. Not exactly a loss, but certainly worth seeing if you’ve ever wanted to see Sly try and play keeper. Pele also cameos. I’m laughing just thinking about it. ---
**Author:** ![dare\_devil007](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/3bc359/32.png) [@dare\_devil007](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dare_devil007)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2005, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/competition-movies-where-the-protagonist-loses-spoilers/300083/9 "2005-04-19T20:03:21Z")
_Bring It On_. Kirsten Dunst’s character’s cheerleading team loses at a national cheerleading competition, even though they were six-time champions there. Instead, a first-time squad (i.e., their main rivals in the movie) wins. ---
**Author:** ![dare\_devil007](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/3bc359/32.png) [@dare\_devil007](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dare_devil007)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2005, 8:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/competition-movies-where-the-protagonist-loses-spoilers/300083/10 "2005-04-19T20:04:36Z")
> [@dare\_devil007\_](#): > > _Bring It On_. Kirsten Dunst’s character’s cheerleading team loses at a national cheerleading competition, even though they were six-time champions there. Instead, a first-time squad (i.e., their main rivals in the movie) wins. Aaaaand, I just reread the OP. :smack: ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Some\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ad7895/32.png) [@Just\_Some\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Some_Guy)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2005, 8:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/competition-movies-where-the-protagonist-loses-spoilers/300083/11 "2005-04-19T20:10:47Z")
> [@](#): > > (Ob anime) > The starring team/player in sports anime often wins the Climactic Big Game, and then promptly loses, or doesn’t make it very far afterwards. > (/Ob anime) Actually, it really depends on the show. In programs like Battle Athletes where the fate of the world hinges on the outcome of a sporting event then the protagonist is going to win. In shows like Princess Nine where its the story about the growing skills of a particular player or team they typically lose the big game by a narrow margin to their rivals but learn a valuable life lesson in the process. And of course, it wouldn’t be sports anime if the main character didn’t often have major setbacks losing on a regular basis. ---
**Author:** ![BigDummy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ee59a6/32.png) [@BigDummy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigDummy)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2005, 8:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/competition-movies-where-the-protagonist-loses-spoilers/300083/12 "2005-04-19T20:46:06Z")
_North Dallas Forty_. ---
**Author:** ![Kizarvexius](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/da6949/32.png) [@Kizarvexius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kizarvexius)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2005, 8:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/competition-movies-where-the-protagonist-loses-spoilers/300083/13 "2005-04-19T20:54:06Z")
_A Leage of Their Own_ ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2005, 2:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/competition-movies-where-the-protagonist-loses-spoilers/300083/14 "2005-04-20T02:48:14Z")
**Tin Cup** Costner is leading the US Open, but refuses to play it safe and puts the ball into the water on the final hole. He then continues to do so until he’s down to his last ball. He makes a terrific shot that clears the water and goes into the cup. Though he doesn’t win, he finishes in the top 10 for an automatic exemption for the next year. ---
**Author:** ![Odinoneeye](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/97f17d/32.png) [@Odinoneeye](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Odinoneeye)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2005, 2:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/competition-movies-where-the-protagonist-loses-spoilers/300083/15 "2005-04-20T02:59:29Z")
Cool Runnings ---
**Author:** ![HPL](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/3da27b/32.png) [@HPL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HPL)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2005, 4:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/competition-movies-where-the-protagonist-loses-spoilers/300083/16 "2005-04-20T04:12:41Z")
Nobody’s mentioned **Kingpin** yet? ---
**Author:** ![Selkie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bbce88/32.png) [@Selkie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Selkie)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2005, 4:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/competition-movies-where-the-protagonist-loses-spoilers/300083/17 "2005-04-20T04:21:32Z")
It’s been many years so I can’t recall for sure, but I think [The Competition](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0080556/) qualifies. ---
**Author:** ![don\_Jaime](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b4bc9f/32.png) [@don\_Jaime](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_Jaime)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2005, 4:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/competition-movies-where-the-protagonist-loses-spoilers/300083/18 "2005-04-20T04:23:47Z")
_The Great Race_ ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2005, 2:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/competition-movies-where-the-protagonist-loses-spoilers/300083/19 "2005-04-20T14:57:53Z")
This is my first law of sports movies, the best ones are when the ending goes against type. _The Bad News Bears_ is a good comedy where the heroes lose at the end. _The Hustler_ is a great drama where Fast Eddie wins the final game and it means nothing. Regarding _Tin Cup_, it just seems like there are too many big flaws about how the movie ends. If the green is so sloped that a 250-yard-shot will roll backwards into the creek, what good is it to lay up and hit a short shot? And if you do roll off the green into the water, aren’t you allowed to drop a new ball on far side, where it entered the hazard? That never comes up. And we learn that Costner’s nickname comes from when he was a catcher on his high school baseball team, but isn’t Costner left handed? ---
**Author:** ![Gangster\_Octopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a8b319/32.png) [@Gangster\_Octopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gangster_Octopus)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2005, 3:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/competition-movies-where-the-protagonist-loses-spoilers/300083/20 "2005-04-20T15:40:02Z")
> [@Robot Arm](#): > > And if you do roll off the green into the water, aren’t you allowed to drop a new ball on far side, where it entered the hazard? That’s the point, he has the choice to take a drop from where he hit the original shot or from where it rolled into the water or the far side (not sure since it rolled in off the green). He knows he can take the closer drop and maybe salvage the hole and the tournament, but he goes for the harder shot because he is obstinate and egotistical. It is mentioned a couple of times that he is passing up the chance to drop it closer to the hole. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/competition-movies-where-the-protagonist-loses-spoilers/300083.md?page=2)