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There’s just something about the underdog, the little guy.

Something that makes you want to see him take out the bigger, “badder” opponent in an unexpected blaze of glory.

Something that gets you hopeful for attention to be paid where it’s due.

I think UCLA’s Olympic sports – all sports other than men’s basketball and football – fall into that category.

Not because they lose; most of the time that’s hardly the case.

But these teams don’t get nearly the same amount of consideration as the two sports that respectively fill up the Rose Bowl and Pauley Pavilion during their seasons.

Sure, that’s just logical. The seemingly most popular (read: “most moneymaking”) teams without question will have the backing of the UCLA athletic powers that be and presumably the eye of media outlets eager for ad revenues.

Still, I’m not sure that means the smaller, certainly more successful sports should be left in the dust to fend for fans and resources.

Of course, the 20 teams that aren’t football and men’s basketball shouldn’t get equal treatment if they don’t produce as much, in terms of support for the school.

But they deserve at least a few concessions when they play games that have more at stake traditionally for the Bruins.

The No. 1 men’s volleyball team, for example, had a game Friday against crosstown rival USC. Although the Bruins held an 11-game winning streak over the No. 13 Trojans going into the contest, the win definitely didn’t fall into the home team’s lap as expected.

Maybe that was because of some deeper issue within the team. But superficially, at least, it seems something else was going on.

Though Pauley wasn’t quiet by any means, there was a certain strangeness to the unaccompanied “We Are the Mighty Bruins,” “Sons of Westwood” and the alma mater coming from the de facto student section.

And I’m not sure why, but the whole thing seemed nonchalant from an official perspective. Where was the band? The Spirit Squad? Wasn’t this a game against USC, a game in which Bruins are supposed to pull out all the stops and show no scruples when it comes to proving which team is superior?

I can’t help but notice that, without fail, there’s a musical and ... uh ... spiritual presence at home football and men’s basketball games. But this was a volleyball game, so I guess that makes it less important.

Or not.

I’m not saying that the Spirit Squad and band should be at every UCLA sporting event. (No need to send hate mail if you’re on the golf and tennis teams.)

But I think we can recognize that certain games carry more importance than others. In this past football season, a lot of fans would have forgotten many of the season’s wrongs had the Bruins beaten USC.

And in men’s basketball, if UCLA takes down the Trojans on Saturday, maybe we’ll forget the embarrassment that was this past weekend.

It’s just the same, though, with every other sport: The USC game means a little something more than the others. A loss to Oregon State doesn’t carry nearly the agony that a loss to the Trojans does. Likewise, beating the team across town feels just a little bit sweeter.

The athletic department needs to recognize that idea.

It needs to make sure UCLA’s official voice is heard whenever possible.

After all, doesn’t it seem a little stingy that the most attention is given to two of the Bruins’ worst teams and not the 20 other squads that actually know what it means to win consistently?

Looper thinks “The Mighty Bruins” is in an unsingable key. E-mail him at elooper@media.ucla.edu.