It would have to have come from before the 1920's if you're referring to the usage of "upset" in sports writing. A few years ago the NY Times made full-text searching of its databases available, and a researcher found several instances dating back to 1865. I expect the origin came from the saying "upset the apple cart", meaning to disturb the order of things.
According to Wikipedia online Encyclopedia, it originated in 1920. Who's right, I am not sure. I heard this a long time ago from a college professor who used trivia as an ice breaker with his class. I heard it again last night and decided to do an internet search. What I heard was backed up by this search. So, maybe this is not the "Original" reason, but it is the reason that made the use of the term "Upset" popular in sports and it happened in 1920. :wink: Apple carts had been upset many times by then! How's that for meeting you in the middle :?: :lol:
Hint: The champion that lost the event that made "Upset" a popular sports phrase in 1920 won 95.238% (20 out of 21) of his events. He was so good, that for a period of time, he could not compete due to no willing challengers. He "retired" after his 21st event. He led a very happy and active life after retirement... just not a very long one by our standards. He died in 1947.
Is it possible that the horse was named "Upset" in the first place because the term was already popular in the sports vernacular? Laura Hillenbrand, the horse racing writer and author of "Seabiscuit" has written that in newspaper accounts of the day reporting the race in which Upset beat Man o'War, reporters made note of the coincidence that the horse was named "Upset".
You got it Rick... From 1919 to 1920, The race horse “Man O’ War” won 20 out of 21 races. The one he lost was to a long shot horse named….. “Upset” http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Man_O'_War_(horse) Coding did not work - copy and paste the address