The lovable loser is a character archetype portrayed as a sympathetic, likable, or well-meaning person for whom bad luck continually prevents their various efforts from succeeding, and from obtaining the things they feel will bring them happiness,[1] particularly an idealized true love.[2]

Description

Lovable losers are often defined by ambitions exceeding their capabilities, and by their over-zealous, and sometimes self-defeating, efforts to obtain their desires.[1] They are prone to fall for get-rich-quick schemes, and advertised shortcuts to finding wealth, success, or love, and to act impulsively in the pursuit of these things,[1] but at the same time may be prone to act ethically and selflessly, resisting efforts to lure them into behavior that would actually harm others.[2] They are often depicted as falling into a dynamic where their friends are disdainful of their efforts, or offer bad advice or other counterproductive help.[2]

Usage

In fiction

Examples of lovable losers in media include Charlie Brown, the main character of the Peanuts comic strip by Charles M. Schulz,[3] whose exploits in futility include an inability to fly a kite without getting it stuck in a tree, never receiving valentines from anyone in his school class, being the pitcher on a winless baseball team, and repeatedly being convinced by Lucy to try to kick a football, only for her to yank it away at the last second; Chandler Bing on Friends, who for most of the show's run was unable to find romance (in contrast with his roommate, Joey Tribbiani, who easily fell into meaningless relationships);[1] and Andy, the main character in The 40-Year-Old Virgin, who must deal with overly forward efforts by his friends and coworkers who want to help him lose his virginity.[2]

At one time it was noted that "[a]lmost every top-rated series has a regular, dependable loser; a patsy who always gets the short end of the stick, a fall guy who is left with egg on his face".[4] It has been argued that "the lovable loser plays a big part in the American dream", because "the lovable loser--as long as he is on the side of the angels--rescues the country from its excesses, and thus represents an indispensable national trait".[5]

In real life

In sports, the phrase specifically refers to athletes or sports teams that, despite their best efforts, are consistently unable to win.[6] The term was particularly applied to the Chicago Cubs baseball team for a long stretch of their existence, during which a World Series championship eluded the team until 2016.[7][8] A 1961 college football game preview predicting a loss for Indiana University described the team's head coach, Phil Dickens as a "big lovable loser".[9] Golfer Sam Snead, who had close losses in a number of golf tournaments, was characterized as a lovable loser in 1963, although he was a winner of three of the four major golf tournaments, which included three PGA Championships.[10] A 1963 Chicago Tribune headline named the New York Mets lovable losers.[11] The Mets went on to win the World Series six years later.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Scott Sedita, The Eight Characters of Comedy: A Guide to Sitcom Acting and Writing (2014), p. 71-86.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Susanne Kord, Elisabeth Krimmer, Contemporary Hollywood Masculinities: Gender, Genre, and Politics (2011), p. 197-220.
  3. ↑ Castles, Simon (December 31, 2015). "Charlie Brown the loveable loser gives hope to us all". The Sydney Morning Herald.
  4. ↑ Vernon Scott, "Many Actors Make Fame By Being Lovable Losers", Lubbock Avalanche-Journal (January 18, 1965), p. A-11.
  5. ↑ Roger Rosenblatt, Where We Stand: 30 Reasons for Loving Our Country (2002), p. 62.
  6. ↑ Eric Braun, Pro Baseball's Underdogs: Players and Teams Who Shocked the Baseball World (2017), p. 16.
  7. ↑ Blackburn, Pete (November 4, 2016). "Why Cubs fans will miss being the 'lovable losers'". Fox Sports. Retrieved September 30, 2017.
  8. ↑ Mary Schmich, "'Lovable losers' dysfunctional, but they're ours", Chicago Tribune (October 1, 2003), Sec. 1, p. 7.
  9. ↑ Corky Lamm, "Watch That Big Fullback, I.U., and Tackle Him When You Can", The Indianapolis News (November 10, 1961), p. 18.
  10. ↑ Dwayne Netland, "The Lovable 'Loser'--Always So Close", Minneapolis Star Tribune (April 14, 1963), p. 6.
  11. ↑ Jimmy Breslin, "The Mets: Lovable Losers", Chicago Tribune (May 12, 1963), p. 20.
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