I have a confession. I used to love being underestimated. Like 100% absolutely lived for it. It’s great to walk into a new season on top, ranked #1, all eyes on you. But there was something about preseason rankings coming out and seeing our team sitting lower than we thought we deserved that instantly added a little extra fuel to the fire.
Even better?
Reading a quote in the newspaper from an upcoming opponent saying they weren’t really worried about us. Or that playing us was basically a “down week.”
Oh. Okay then. Game on.
Nothing gets a competitive athlete moving quite like somebody else deciding you’ve already lost before you ever walk onto the court. I don’t know if that’s healthy. But I do know it worked.
Because suddenly practice felt a little sharper.
Every sprint mattered a little more.
Every drill got a little more attention.
And when game day finally arrived?
You didn’t need a motivational speech.
Somebody had already written one for you. They just happened to print it in the newspaper.
There’s a special kind of energy that comes from being underestimated. Not because you want people to doubt you, but because doubt can create space. Now, hear this clearly. Other people’s doubt of us never affected how we felt about our capabilities. That’s not a thing. But it added a little edge, a chip on your shoulder, an extra air of “go ahead…doubt me” that fed that competitive fire.
While everyone is watching the team they’re expecting to win…You get to work. Quietly. No spotlight. No enormous expectations. No pressure to live up to everybody else’s prediction.
Just preparation. And possibility.
Sports taught me early that people are going to make assumptions about you.
Too short.
Too slow.
Not strong enough.
Wrong position.
Not experienced enough.
Not the player anybody needs to worry about.
And if you’re competitive enough, those assumptions can become gasoline. They certainly did for me.
There was nothing I loved more than the feeling of: Go ahead. Keep thinking that. We’ll see.
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But the older I’ve gotten, I’ve really honed in on something that never occurred to me in my younger athlete days. Being underestimated only works in your favor if you don’t start believing it too. Because that’s the real danger. It’s not that somebody else thinks you can’t do it.
It’s when their voice becomes yours.
Maybe they’re right. Maybe I’m not ready. Maybe I’m not good enough. Maybe I don’t belong here. And once that happens…The opponent doesn’t even have to guard you anymore. You’re guarding yourself. That’s where the lesson changes.
When I was younger, being underestimated made me want to prove people wrong.
Now?
I don’t think I need that nearly as much. There are probably people who have underestimated me who still do. That’s okay. (They are allowed to be wrong, we can’t fix everyone.) They don’t have to change their minds for me to keep changing my life.
I don’t need everybody in the gym to think I can make the shot. I know I can. I just need enough confidence to take it. And honestly, that’s a much quieter kind of strength.
Because proving somebody wrong is temporary. Knowing who you are lasts a whole lot longer.
Adulthood gives us plenty of chances to be underestimated too. Sometimes it’s because of age. Experience. Job title. Education. Where you’re from. How you look. How loudly—or quietly—you walk into a room. Sometimes people simply haven’t seen what you can do yet.
And maybe that’s not always a bad thing.
Sometimes being underestimated gives you room to build without an audience.
Room to make mistakes. Room to grow. Room to surprise even yourself.
The trick—and this isn’t just in adulthood—is understanding that you truly don’t have to prove anything to anyone. Knowing who you are and what you’re capable of—without doubt—is one of the most important pieces of knowledge about ourselves that we’re responsible for carrying.
And I truly believe sport gifted me with that beautiful piece of my personality.
I know who I am.
I don’t necessarily need you to know or understand.
So go ahead and doubt me if you need to.
That’s not about me at all.
Because eventually there comes a point where the best response to being underestimated isn’t: “I’ll show you.”
It’s: “Okay.” And then you get to work.
No announcement. No argument. No social media manifesto.
Just work.
Because the scoreboard has a funny way of settling a lot of conversations. And life does too.
So if somebody has decided you’re not ready…
Not capable…
Not experienced enough…
Not the one to worry about…
Maybe you don’t have to fight them for the last word. Maybe you just keep preparing. Keep showing up. Keep taking the shot.
And let them figure it out whenever or if ever they figure it out.
Because being underestimated can be powerful.
But believing in yourself whether anyone else ever does?
That’s where the real advantage begins.
And that’s how the ball really bounces.
Read more from How the Ball Bounces with Bekka in the archives at www.mysaline.com/bounces.
About the author: Bekka Wilkerson is a lifelong lover of all things sports. Raised in a super athletic household it was no surprise when she too began to love sports at a young age. It seems like from the time she could walk she had a softball bat in her hands, but her true athletic passion came from all things Basketball. That love served her well as a Bryant High School Lady Hornet and ultimately earned her a full scholarship to play at the University of Central Arkansas – among many other adventures.
These days Bekka can be found running around Saline County with her husband, Speedy, or chasing one of her grandsons. She is also the Executive Director of The EMpact One Foundation, a Saline County Nonprofit Organization that helps young people stay connected to extracurricular activities through tuition assistance and equipment provisions.
Reach out to Bekka with questions and/or ideas about things you want to see in this column at [email protected] and learn more about The EMpact One Foundation at www.empactone.org.
