Dominance: Good or Bad?

Is being dominant a good thing? If you are part of a team or an organization that is dominating, it's a great thing. But to those on the outside looking in, it seems that it may depend on your point of view. Why are those who dominate often viewed so differently?

The Connecticut women's basketball team just won its 71st straight game; setting a new record for consecutive wins in women's college basketball . If Connecticut doesn't win the national championship in a few weeks, it will be deemed a major upset.

Coca-Cola historically commands the lion's share in every soft drink market, consistently outselling all other brands. Its percentage of the market share is unrivaled.

Prior to recent revelations of marital infidelity, Tiger Woods was the top-ranked player in professional golf. He was consistently among the final pairings playing on Sundays. When he did not win a tournament, especially a major, that often seemed surprising.

Jimmie Johnson has won the past four Sprint Cup championships. By winning last year's Sprint Cup, Johnson set a new record for consecutive championships.

But when considering each of these examples of dominance, it's interesting to note how each is received:
The Connecticut women are often disliked (somewhat due to their head coach's seeming arrogance), though their winning is almost expected;
Coca-Cola is so synonymous with the phrase "soft drink" that people will often order a "Coke" without any thought that a restaurant may serve Pepsi products;
Many golf fans will ignore the final rounds of a tournament if Tiger Woods is not in contention and will not even watch a tournament in which he does not participate. Often, he seems more popular than the field;
Thousands of NASCAR fans seem bored with the unprecedented efforts of Jimmie Johnson and his Hendrick Motorsports #48 Lowe's car as witnessed by lower TV ratings and declining attendance at NASCAR races.

Is dominance good or bad? In a society that often loves the underdog, I guess it just depends. Sometimes dominance is celebrated while other times it is ignored or disliked.