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Cinderella

 
Dictionary: Cin·der·el·la
(sĭn'də-rĕl'ə) pronunciation
n.
One that unexpectedly achieves recognition or success after a period of obscurity and neglect.

[After Cinderella, the fairy-tale character who escapes from a life of drudgery and marries a prince, translation of French Cendrillon.]


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In American and Canadian sports, a Cinderella or "Cinderella Story" refers to a team or player who advances much further in a tournament than expected. Cinderellas tend to gain much media and fan attention as they move closer to the championship game at the end of the tournament. The term comes from the ending of the fairy tale Cinderella, and it implies unexpected success after a period of obscurity. The usage was popularized by Bill Murray in the 1980 hit movie Caddyshack where he pretends as the announcer to his own golf fantasy: "Cinderella story. Outta nowhere. A former greenskeeper, now, about to become the Masters champion."[1] Murray is said to have improvised the scene in one take from two lines of stage direction. This movie quote has been named to AFI's Top 100, one of only a few that are sports related.

Referring somewhat inaccurately to the plot details of the classic Cinderella story, the media will debate whether the given "Cinderella" team or player will "turn into a pumpkin," i.e. fail to win the prize and then return to its former obscurity. In the fairy tale, it was the carriage that turned into a pumpkin at midnight, not Cinderella herself. Another popular term is "strike midnight," when a Cinderella team does finally get beaten.

Prior to the widespread use of "Cinderella" in this way, the more common term for unexpected and dramatic success was "Miracle," as in the "Miracle Braves" of 1914, the "Miracle of Coogan's Bluff" in 1951, the "Miracle Mets" of 1969, and the "Miracle on Ice" in 1980.

In the United Kingdom, by contrast, a Cinderella team is one which usually underachieves (for example England in the Euro 2008), or is overshadowed by more successful neighbours (for example, Tranmere Rovers and Everton by Liverpool). This refers to the early part of the Cinderella fairy tale, where the heroine is downtrodden. A U.S.-style Cinderella team would be a surprise package or surprise packet, and their success would be termed a fairy-tale run.

A related concept is the giant-killer, which refers to a lesser competitor who defeats a favorite. The name reflects such stories as David and Goliath, and Jack the Giant-Killer.

Most Cinderellas send one strong message: a team or a player that has not had a good regular season can atone for the struggles with brilliance in a short period of time.

Contents

Examples of North American "Cinderellas"

Many teams are considered "Cinderella teams" when they seemingly overachieve. For example, the Tampa Bay Rays and the Arizona Cardinals went all the way to their respective leagues' championships in 2008 only to "turn into a pumpkin" at the end. This list is largely confined to "Cinderella teams" that won championships.

American football

Baseball

Basketball

Canadian football

College baseball

  • Fresno State (2008) – In one of the more improbable Cinderella stories in American sports history, the Bulldogs surmounted a daunting array of obstacles on their way to the NCAA title:[2][3]
    • Fresno State had never won an NCAA championship in any men's sport going into the 2008 tournament.
    • The Bulldogs entered the Western Athletic Conference tournament at 33-27; they would likely not have made the NCAA tournament without winning the WAC tournament, which they did.
    • They were the #4 seed in their regional. Since only four teams play in each of 16 regionals, this is the equivalent of a team seeded #13 or lower in the NCAA basketball tournament. No #4 seed had ever advanced to the College World Series. By contrast, no #13 or lower seed has ever made the "Elite 8" of the men's basketball tournament, which is arguably equivalent to the eight-team College World Series.
    • Six times in the NCAA tournament, including three times in the College World Series, they faced elimination with a loss. They won all six times.
    • They won a total of 10 tournament games against six different teams ranked in the top 20. ESPN pointed out that in terms of the NCAA basketball tournament, Fresno State's run would be equivalent to a 13 seed beating a 4 seed in the first round, a 5 seed in the second round, a top seed in the Sweet 16, a second seed in the Elite 8, another top seed in the Final Four, and still another 2 seed for the championship.

College/high school basketball

College football

Ice hockey

Examples of Cinderellas that did not win the championship

These Cinderellas made it to the finals in their respective leagues.

American Football

Baseball

Basketball

Canadian football

College basketball

College football

Cricket

Football (soccer)

Ice Hockey

  • Vancouver Canucks (1982 and 1994) – In 1982, despite having a losing record in the regular season, at 30-33-17, the Canucks made it to the Stanley Cup Finals for the first time, sweeping the Calgary Flames and then defeating the Los Angeles Kings and the Chicago Blackhawks, each in five games, but were swept by the two-time defending champion New York Islanders in the Finals. In 1994, the Canucks entered the playoffs as the #7 seed in the newly-renamed Western Conference. They upset Calgary in the first round, rallying from a 3-1 series deficit, and the Dallas Stars, seeded #4, and the Toronto Maple Leafs, seeded #3, each in five games. In the Finals against the New York Rangers (who had won the Presidents' Trophy during the season), they once again rallied after being down 3-1, but the rally was unsuccessful; the Canucks lost Game 7, which meant the Rangers would clinch the Stanley Cup for the first time in 54 years.
  • Minnesota North Stars (1991 Stanley Cup Finals) – Despite a losing record in the regular season and being the 16th seeded team in the NHL with only 68 points, the North Stars made it to the Stanley Cup Finals for the second time in franchise history. They knocked off the Chicago Blackhawks and St. Louis Blues (the top two teams in the NHL during the regular season) in six games each and the defending Stanley Cup Champion Edmonton Oilers in five games. The team fought hard against the eventual champion Pittsburgh Penguins, led by Mario Lemieux, winning two out of the first three contests before being obliterated 8-0 in Game 6 of the best-of-seven series.
  • Florida Panthers - 1996 - Stanley Cup Finals (CAN SOMEONE PLEASE PROVIDE THE INFO THANKS)
  • Carolina Hurricanes (2002 Stanley Cup Finals) – Though the Hurricanes were seeded third as a division winner, having won the Southeast Division, in actuality they had the second-lowest point total (91) for a playoff team not only in the Eastern Conference, but also the whole NHL. However, they defeated the New Jersey Devils, the Montreal Canadiens, and the Toronto Maple Leafs, each in 6 games to reach the Stanley Cup Finals for the first time, where they lost to the Detroit Red Wings in 5.
  • Mighty Ducks of Anaheim (2003 Stanley Cup Finals) – The Mighty Ducks entered the playoffs as the #7 seed and surprised many by sweeping the defending Stanley Cup champion Detroit Red Wings, who were the #2 seed, in the first round. They followed that series with a six-game series win over the top-seeded Dallas Stars and a four-game sweep over the sixth-ranked Minnesota Wild to advance to the Stanley Cup Finals. There, they met the Eastern Conference Champion New Jersey Devils, who beat the Ducks in seven games. Both teams won every home game played, but the Devils had home ice advantage and thus had a strong edge going into Game 7.
  • Edmonton Oilers (2006 Stanley Cup Finals) – The Oilers entered the Stanley Cup Playoffs as the eighth seed in the Western Conference. They upset the Red Wings (who had 124 points, the first time a team had had 120+ points since the 1995-96 Detroit Red Wings), and the San Jose Sharks each in six, and the Anaheim Mighty Ducks in five to reach the Stanley Cup Finals, where they faced the Carolina Hurricanes. The Oilers rallied from a 3-1 deficit to tie the series before finally losing in Game 7.

References

External Links


 
 
Learn More
Cindy Eller (1991 Drama Film)
Fairy Tales: Vol. 1 (1977 Children's/Family Film)
Pied Piper / Cinderella (1981 Children's/Family Film)

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Dictionary. The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.  Read more
Wikipedia. This article is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Cinderella (sports)" Read more