History Main / ChampionsOnTheInside

'''Warning! This is an EndingTrope, so all spoilers will be unmarked.'''

!! Examples

* ''Manga/HoshikuzuTelepath'': In chapter 21, [[spoiler: the Rocketry Research Association (badly) lose the model rocket competition by massively overshooting the target zone. However, when they return to school, their classmates cheer and gush over how their rocket flew so much higher than everybody else's -- even though that wasn't the point of the competition at all. Still, the RRA are proud they touched their classmates' hearts.]]

* At the end of ''WesternAnimation/{{Cars}}'', Lightning [=McQueen=] gives up the chance to win the big Piston Cup race so he can help The King finish his last race, but is still revered by everyone due to helping the King finish the race. On the other hand, Chick, who deliberately injured The King in the first place and only won because Lightning stopped in front of the finish line, not only loses the sponsorship of Dinoco, but the respect of most everyone.

** It comes up in the fifth season finale as well, where the club takes the loss at Nationals quite hard due to it happening just after Finn's death and it means they really are being shut down. However, they spent their last few club meetings together reminiscing about the good times, celebrating their graduating members, and assuring themselves that Finn would've been proud of their hard work.

* ''Series/{{Glee}}'': The [=McKinley=] High glee club lose at Regionals at the end of season one, but have a great time and get to continue glee club for another year.\\
\\
They lose Nationals at the end of season two as well. Though it might be more of a case of them deserving what they got since they were [[BrilliantButLazy more than capable of doing better, but were extremely poorly prepared]] and how [[LoveRuinsTheRealm their leads seem to care more about their tumultuous romance than the team's well-being]].

* In the baseball drama ''LightNovel/TaishoBaseballGirls'', the girls middle school baseball team loses by a single point to their nationals-contending boys team rivals when the protagonist is off by a few millimeters in her last second slide to home base. This is still considered to be a good ending as the girls have earned the respect of their rivals, and more importantly have proven to themselves that being girls does not mean that they can't achieve anything they put their minds to.
* ''{{Anime/Pokemon}}'': Save for the Orange Islands FillerArc, in the 22 years that the show has been on the air, Ash Ketchum successfully battles almost all the way to the championship, only for AlwaysSomeoneBetter, or, in the case of the Sinnoh and Kalos Leagues, straight up DiabolusExMachina, to rear its head. However, these defeats only temporarily discourage Ash, and instead are used to encourage him to keep going and train harder. [[spoiler:It isn't until Alola that Ash finally wins a League]].

->'''Summer:''' What's wrong?\\
'''Dewey:''' What's wrong? Summer, didn't you hear we LOST?!\\
'''Freddy:''' Hey, chill out, dude. Rock isn't about getting an A. The Sex Pistols never won anything.\\
'''Lawrence:''' Don't let the man get you down.
-->-- ''Film/SchoolOfRock''

* ''Film/{{Rocky}}'' and ''Film/RockyBalboa'' both have this as the point, with BasedOnATrueStory on the first film to boot.

[[RealityEnsues Except for this time]]. This time, the underdogs lose by one fourth of a point in the last two seconds of over-time because the star player [[TwistedAnkle twisted his ankle]] at the worst possible time. The team's spirit is utterly crushed and they feel like they let everyone down. But then, their fans all start to cheer, the JerkJock captain of the rival team comes to praise them for being such {{Worthy Opponent}}s, and their coach congratulates them on playing such a great game. When they ask why everyone is so excited that they lost, their coach tells them that it's because they're still winners. ''On the inside.''

-->-- Film/SchoolOfRock

->'''Summer:''' What's wrong?
->'''Dewey:''' What's wrong? Summer, didn't you hear we LOST?!
->'''Freddy:''' Hey, chill out, dude. Rock isn't about getting an A. The Sex Pistols never won anything.
->'''Lawrence:''' Don't let the man get you down.

* In ''Comrades of Summer'', the newly minted Soviet Olympic baseball team (only one of whom ever played baseball before being drafted for the team, which itself had only been training for all of about eight months) play an exhibition game against the New York Yankees before their appearance at the summer Olympics. They lose by two points. The Russians are downhearted at the loss, until one of the American sportscasters point out that they held the ''World Champion New York Yankees'' to only a two point lead despite being inexperienced amateur players.

* ''{{Anime/Pokemon}}'': Save for the Orange Islands FillerArc, in the nearly thriteen years that the show has been on the air, Ash Ketchum successfully battles almost all the way to the championship, only for AlwaysSomeoneBetter, or, in the case of the Sinnoh League, straight up DiabolusExMachina, to rear its head. However, these defeats only temporarily discourage Ash, and instead are used to encourage him to keep going and train harder.

* Averted BIG TIME in ''WesternAnimation/ABoyNamedCharlieBrown'' - Charlie Brown is [[HeroicBSOD devastated over his loss]] in the spelling bee. He gets [[DudeWheresMyRespect absolutely no hero's welcome or even consolation for his efforts]].

* ''Manga/TigerMask'' has it happen multiple times, usually to the title character. Most notably, the last match of the manga version, where he fought Dory Funk Jr. for the NWA World Heavyweight Championship and, after a hard fought match, won by disqualification when Funk punched the referee instead of submitting, thus missing the championship even after decisively winning, with everyone recognizing that Tiger Mask was the true champion.

* The original ''TheBadNewsBears''. They lose the big game but still feel like they won.

* In ''Mr. 3000'', the main character never actually reaches 3000 base hits, giving up his last opportunity in a sacrifice bunt because it's better for the team if he bunts. He is still in a good life position afterward, and helped his team to learn some things and win their last game.

* In ''Mr. 3000'', the main character never actually reaches 3000 base hits, giving up his last opportunity in a sacrifice bunt because its better for the team if he bunts. He is still in a good life position afterward, and helped his team to learn some things and win their last game.

* In ''WhipIt'', they lose the final match but the protagonist has won the respect and approval of her parents and peers.

* ''Manga/Tiger Mask'' has it happen multiple times, usually to the title character. Most notably, the last match of the manga version, where he fought Dory Funk Jr. for the NWA World Heavyweight Championship and, after a hard fought match, won by disqualification when Funk punched the referee instead of submitting, thus missing the championship even after decisively winning, with everyone recognizing that Tiger Mask was the true champion.

* Similar to ''{{Rocky}}'', ''Film/RealSteel'' has this. Atom loses to Zeus by points, but the final rounds is all about little Atom totally dominating the huge champion robot. The owners of Zeus proclaim that Zeus is the winner, as expected, but the crowd is all for Atom, and Atom is celebrated as "the People's Champion".

[[folder:Live Action TV]]

[[folder:Video Games]]
* At the end of ''VideoGame/PunchOut'', [[spoiler: after losing three times in Mac's Last Stand]].
--> '''Doc Louis''': Listen, son! You've had a great career! I'm proud of you, son! You're still the champion in my book!
[[/folder]]