It’s the middle of the summer and the middle of this year’s WNBA season. As you know from my Unrivaled dispatch back in February, my wife and I are huge women’s basketball fans.
Band-wagoners? Guilty as charged. We were introduced to the league with the Iowa Hawkeyes’ meteoric rise a couple of years ago and a certain star player who now plays for Indiana in her new signature Nikes. But that’s not who I want to talk about.
I want to talk about one of my absolute favorite players who’s also an Iowa alum – Kate Martin. “The glue.” I’ve followed her journey through the league as well, and I’m always on the edge of my seat to see what happens next with her through injuries, transfers, and repeated uncertainty about her future.
As I was talking with my wife about this, I realized why I’m so fascinated by Kate: I love her story.
Here’s why — along with a couple of story strategies for you.
Underdogs Rule
We love a good underdog story. Whether it’s Cinderella or Rocky Balboa, we’re drawn to people who have every reason imaginable not to achieve greatness and yet try to do so with grit and determination.
Kate Martin attended the 2024 WNBA draft in support of teammate Caitlin Clark. To the surprise of everyone — including Martin herself (go back and watch) — she was a second-round pick by the Las Vegas Aces. An unexpected win for the scrappy underdog.
But it hasn’t always been an upward trajectory. Sidelined by an injury, Martin was released from the Golden State Valkyries earlier this season (again, you can see Martin’s shock in an interview shortly after). She was in limbo until she received a development contract from the Los Angeles Sparks. When the Sparks signed her to a standard contract last week, I was genuinely elated.
That’s because when underdogs fight the odds and win, it ignites an especially emotional response. Psychologist Nadav Goldschmied found that our brains are literally wired for this. In one study filed under — I kid you not ‘Heroism Science’ — participants correctly remembered the underdog winning in Cinderella Man but incorrectly remembered Rocky beating Apollo Creed. He didn’t. We want underdogs to win so badly our brains rewrite the ending.
Most of us don’t identify with the polished superhero protagonist. We identify with the person who’s struggling, uncertain, and keeps going anyway. Because that’s most of us. That’s the connection Kate Martin makes — not despite her vulnerability but because of it.
The Struggle Is the Story
Last year when she was interviewed on Sue Bird’s podcast, Martin shared the story of her freshman year at Iowa. A promising recruit, she was on track to start until she tore her ACL before the season began.
Reflecting on this setback, she told Bird it was “the best thing that ever happened,” as she got to sit back, watch, and learn. “I learned how to be a good teammate first and cheer others on. It shaped my leadership. I’m really thankful that I had that entire year.”
While points, possessions, and assists are reliable stats to measure, leadership can be elusive to track. But it’s something Martin has been known for on every team she’s been a part of. At Iowa, Coach Lisa Bluder said, “Kate’s always been the glue. She holds this team together. She’s our captain, she’s our leader, she’s somebody we look to.” Transferred in the expansion draft to Golden State, her Las Vegas teammate and WNBA superstar A’ja Wilson expressed sorrow in losing her “baby.”
Like Kate, your struggle — and the drive to push through it — can be the glue that connects you to your teammates.
Story Strategy: Embrace Your Inner Underdog
The most compelling stories aren’t about polished protagonists. They’re about real people facing real odds.
Apply it: As you craft your own stories, don’t hide the struggle. Share the setbacks, the uncertainty, the moments you weren’t sure what came next. That’s what makes you an underdog to your audience. That’s the glue you can use to connect and lead.
A version of this first appeared in Story Strategies—my monthly email newsletter designed to help you connect with your audience through the power of story. Get the next issue delivered to your inbox.
