“The fact of being an underdog changes people in ways that we often fail to appreciate. It opens doors and creates opportunities and enlightens and permits things that might otherwise have seemed unthinkable.” - Malcolm Gladwell
"My whole career has been one of fighting for the underdog." – Congressman Louis Stokes ‘53
Tonight is Game 5 of the NBA Finals between our Cleveland Cavaliers and the heavily favored Golden State Warriors. Down 3-0, the CAVs avoided a sweep Friday night and handed Golden State their first loss of the postseason. Despite our epic 137-116 victory, we remain the clear underdog.
America is the story of the underdog. Since the Revolutionary War, our history is marked by inspiring stories of the improbable underdog victorious over the prohibitive favorite, and none are more memorable that those in sports. The New York Jets defeating the Baltimore Colts in the 1969 Super Bowl III. The U.S. Olympic Hockey Team defeating the four-time defending gold-medal winning Soviet Union team in the 1980 “Miracle on Ice.” And, of course, the 2016 Cleveland Cavaliers becoming the first professional basketball team to ever rally from a 3-1 deficit in the NBA Finals, thus ending Cleveland’s 52-year, 146 season professional sports championship drought.
In my first Monday Morning Message last August, I wrote that as a result of that historic 2016 victory, I sometimes refer to our law school as “Believeland-Marshall College of Law. Like life and law school, basketball is a game of skill and attitude. The team that wins tonight will likely be the team that most believes in itself.
C|M|Law is an institution where, in the words of LeBron James, “nothing is given; everything is earned.” Our students at Cleveland-Marshall College of Law have worked very hard to earn the right to attend a law school of quality and opportunity. We believe in them and we are committed to do everything we can to enable them to believe in themselves, no matter the odds.
C|M|Law is important to successive generations of young women and men seeking to make a difference. Many of our graduates spend much of their career “defending the land” and advocating for the underdog. Regardless of our graduates’ ideologies or the professional paths they take, we want all our graduates to have an appreciation for the crucial role that law and lawyers play in addressing the social and economic issues that confront our society. Our new video captures that ethos. Watch here: Justice is Calling You. Join Us. C|M|Law.
Together, we can take C|M|Law to the next level of excellence, impact, and distinctiveness as a great public law school in a championship city. Our attitude will determine our altitude.
In honor of our historic 120th anniversary, please help us “defend the land” by being “all in” our 120 Scholarship Campaign. Please consider a contribution or pledge today ranging from $120 to $12,000 to $120,000. The first 120 donors who contribute or pledge $1,200 or more by June 30 will receive a limited edition C|M|LAW 120 lapel pin, specially designed for this historic campaign. Please give here: Believe in C|M|LAW. Give Now. or send me an email with your pledge at: lee.fishernull@csuohio.nulledu. Your groundbreaking contribution will be the foundation of our campaign. It would mean a lot to us.
Have a great week.
My best,
Lee
For copies of past messages, please go to this link: Monday Morning Messages.