Well,

The timing is with the super bowl and the olympics. Most people, me included, love the idea of the underdog. My kids favorite movie is Real Steal, which is basically a rip off of the "Rocky" meme. I like the movie too.

I think it is just a play on those feelings, with this small challenger coming from nowhere to shake up the "big boys" as it were. Patience, perseverance, etc., is rewarded in the end. Anyway, that's how I saw it.