Upset (competition)
Introduction


An **upset** occurs in a [competition](/wiki/Competition "Competition"), frequently in [electoral politics](/wiki/Electoral_politics "Electoral politics") or [sports](/wiki/Sports "Sports"), when the party popularly expected to win (the "favorite") is defeated by (or, in the case of sports, ties with) an [underdog](/wiki/Underdog "Underdog") whom the majority expects to lose, defying the [conventional wisdom](/wiki/Conventional_wisdom "Conventional wisdom"). It is often used in reference to beating the betting odds in sports, or beating the [opinion polls](/wiki/Opinion_poll "Opinion poll") in electoral politics.


Can an upset lead to positive change in society?