Anatomy of a Comeback

The comeback. Everyone loves a comeback, right? A person or team is down, not performing well, and hope is fading; but then things change, their performance picks up, the deficit is erased, and the result is a victory. Everyone loves that story, except of course where your favorite is on the losing end.

The elements are basic:

• Starting Point - Everyone starts at a comparable level, relatively speaking
• Adversity - Events occur that cause one team (or person) to fall behind
• Turning Point - One or more events signal a reversal in fortune
• Victory - The successful outcome having triumphed over adversity to prevail in the end

Some may contend that victory is not a requirement, that it can still be considered a comeback even if you fall short of the goal. A moral victory. In competition, a moral victory is still a loss so then the comeback is not a true comeback.

But all comebacks are not created equal. Here are a few types:

• The Wake Up Call - The same main participants are involved throughout the entire competition. In the beginning (and middle) they are outperformed, causing them to fall behind. Then fortunes turn and they become the outperformers which leads to victory.
• Addition by Subtraction - Important participants for the opposition are removed from the competition or their ability diminished due to injury or other factors. Because of this, the dynamics of the competition change making the comeback possible.
• The Hero - New participants in key positions are introduced into the competition or a new plan is put into place, playing an instrumental role in achieving victory.

So which of these is the real feel good story?

The Wake Up Call really means that you dug yourself into a hole and were able to get out of it. You created the deficit that you're now celebrating having overcome. How about not creating the deficit in the first place?  Wouldn't that be a better story?

Addition by Subtraction means that you won only because of hardship suffered by the opposition. Otherwise, you were going to lose. It's still nice to win, but it doesn't reflect well on your ability.

The Hero is the true feel good comeback story, in my opinion. Those who contributed to digging the hole are replaced by ones who can fill it and then some. It may be that the people with the shovels remain the same but the person instructing them what to do is replaced or the plan is fundamentally changed. In any case, the comeback and victory is the result of deliberate action introducing new participants or plans. And that, I argue, is the essence of a true comeback.