Despite their recent ups and downs, PSG and OM remain, along with Saint-Étienne, the only French clubs with a truly nationwide, faithful and passionate fan base, giving the country's biggest match a special atmosphere.

Despite having lost the test series to South Africa by game three, the Lions won the final test.

Despite its small size, 31 Caltech alumni and faculty have won the Nobel Prize and 66 have won the National Medal of Science or Technology.

Despite the fact that the Cubs had won 89 games, this fallout was decidedly unlovable, as the Cubs traded superstar Sammy Sosa after he had left the season's final game early and then lied about it publicly.

Despite the criticism, viewers were immediately drawn to the serial, won over by Coronation Streets ' ordinary ' characters.

Despite the drop on popularity of the romantic dramas, some of them have enjoyed big box office and critical success, as the controversial, groundbreaking Brokeback Mountain ( 2005 ) for example, that won several awards and Slumdog Millionaire ( 2008 ), a critically acclaimed romantic-drama that has been nominated for ten Academy Awards, and went on to win eight of them, including Best Picture.

Despite playing in five losing Grand Finals, four between 1989 – 1995, its fans waited 44 years until it won another premiership — an AFL-record 119-point victory in the 2007 AFL Grand Final.

Despite recording the most successful home and away season in the game's history, the club went one win short of back-to-back premierships in losing the 2008 AFL Grand Final, but won the 2009 Grand Final against St Kilda.

Despite this naval defeat, it was on the ground that this war would be won, Napoleon inflicted the Austrian and Russian Empires one of their greatest defeats at Austerlitz ( also known as the " Battle of the Three Emperors " on 2 December 1805 ), destroying the Third Coalition.

Despite being closely matched in ratings, Polgár won the match 6 – 2.

Despite being younger, 25 to Polgár's 33 years, and higher rated, 2708 to Polgár's 2682, Navara was crushed by Polgár who won the match 6 – 2.

Despite the many celebrated films he directed, many of which won Academy Awards in various categories, Frankenheimer was never nominated for a Best Director Oscar.

Despite the tactical victories won, they failed to achieve a decisive victory.

Despite finishing fifth in Benítez's first season, Liverpool won the 2004 – 05 UEFA Champions League, beating A. C. Milan 3 – 2 in a penalty shootout after the match ended with a score of 3 – 3.

Despite Gandhi's opposition, Bose won a second term as Congress President, against Gandhi's nominee, Dr. Pattabhi Sitaramayya ; but left the Congress when the All-India leaders resigned en masse in protest of his abandonment of the principles introduced by Gandhi.

Despite producing some of the best teams in NFL history over the years, the Vikings have not won a Super Bowl.

Despite the suspension, the Giants still won the 2012 NL West division.

Despite initial setbacks, he won increasing support among the natives.

Despite allegations of electoral fraud, Eyadéma won 57 % of the votes in the 2003 elections, which international observers from the African Union described as generally free and transparent.

Despite opposition by film aficionados, stars, and directors, the movie won over a section of the public, and Turner colorized a majority of films that he had owned.

Despite the information available at the time, Garfield made a strong showing at the convention in 1874, commanding over two-thirds of the delegates, and then won re-election against Democratic and Independent opponents, though by a smaller margin than in the past.

Despite running a vigorous campaign against the nation's business elite, Bryan suffered the worst loss in his three presidential campaigns, and Taft won by a comfortable margin.

Despite his narrow win, the 1916 election saw an increase in Wilson's popular vote from his election in 1912 when he won in a landslide.

Despite this, they won a complete victory, routing the enemy army from the field and inflicting heavy losses.

Despite receiving some negative reviews and a mixed, but complimentary review from the New York Times and one from Pauline Kael, the film was nominated for ten Academy Awards and won the award for best costumes.

Despite the arguments by the Giants, the league upheld O ' Day's decision and ordered the game replayed at the end of the season, if necessary.

Despite the move away from the Valley, Charlton were promoted to the First Division as Second Division runners-up at the end of 1985 – 86, and remained at this level for four years ( achieving a highest league finish of 14th ) often with late escapes, most notably against Leeds in 1987, where the Addicks triumphed in extra-time of the play-off final replay to secure their top flight place.

Despite the championship, the team did not draw enough fans to stay solvent at the major league level, as Detroit was at the time one of the smallest cities in the National League and its rapid industry-fueled growth was still several years in the future.

Despite general agreement that the rainbow uniforms identified with the team had become tired ( and looked too much like a minor league team according to the new owners ), the new uniforms and caps were never especially popular with fans.

Despite the success in domestic cups, Liverpool was 17th in the table over the second half of the season to finish the season eighth, their worst showing in the league since 1994, failing to qualify for Europe's Champions League for a third straight season.

Despite the ongoing merger, it was a commonly-held view that the NFL was a far superior league.

Despite an array of new signings made in the 2000 – 01 season, Arsenal were runners-up in the league for a third year in succession.

Despite the efforts, Feyenoord underperformed once again in the national league, finishing in a disappointing sixth place.

Despite the lack of a home stadium, the Warriors made it to the league championship series before being swept by Sonoma County, 3-0.

Despite their on-field success, the Pride suffered as a result of having one of the lowest average attendances and being the farthest team from the core of the league.

Despite losing as much as $ 4 million on the CBL, Mallett initially promised to bring the league back in 2004.

Despite only recording 12 home runs, the Greys led the league with 137 stolen bases.

Despite being hampered by injuries prior to and during 2005 – 06, the Flyers lived up to those expectations in the first half of the season, reaching the top of the league standings in January while simultaneously holding a ten-point lead in the Atlantic Division.

Despite investment in the team including Tore Andre Flo for a club record £ 12 million, European success beyond the Champions league group stages again proved elusive.

Despite this, McGrady led the league in scoring with 28. 0 ppg, made the All-NBA 2nd Team and his 4th consecutive All-Star Team.

Despite the team's poor play, Dwight Howard continued to develop and blossom in his third year in the league, culminating in his first selection to the Eastern Conference All-Star team.

Despite the team continuing to play well, their popularity continued to fall, with the team finishing twenty-first in the league in attendance for the season.

Despite the shortened 66-game NBA season due to the NBA lockout, the Spurs won 50 games and tied the Chicago Bulls for the best record in the league.

Despite the disappointment, Williams proved to be one of the elite point guards in the league, averaging 19. 4 points and 10. 8 assists per game, second in the league, despite playing the entire season with a lingering ankle injury.

Despite these personnel changes, PSV went on to win their 21st title, making it the third time in the history of the league that a team won four championships in a row, after HVV Den Haag ( 1900, 1901, 1902, 1903 ) and PSV ( 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989 ).

Despite being a foundation team in the league, St Kilda have only won a single premiership, a famous one-point win in the 1966 VFL Grand Final.

Despite having a two-year contract, NBC announced shortly after the season that it was getting out, as the season's later games had garnered the lowest ratings for a major American television network since the Nielsen ratings had begun tracking them, and the league folded shortly afterwards.

Despite its small land area, Singapore has a population, economy and armed forces that place it in a similar league to small, but full-fledged nations like New Zealand, Ireland, Israel and the Nordic countries ( i. e., Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden ), rather than semi-dependent microstates.

Despite attracting less media attention than AFL and rugby league, soccer is Australia's highest participation football code, with both boys and girls at junior level, as well with men and women at senior level.