This is Your Fault

Your inbox is probably flooded, so I’ll keep this short and value-packed.

2025 was our biggest year yet…and it’s all your fault!

Thanks to your support:

• The Underdog Mentality hit the top-10 in two Amazon Best Seller categories, surging past authors like Tom Brady, Bill Belichick, and Deion Sanders.

• We broke into video storytelling and cracked 1,000 YouTube subscribers in less than 8 months.

• This very newsletter surpassed 30,000 subscribers!

It’s been a heck of a ride, and we’re just getting started 🤝 

In today’s edition…

• Our most-clicked stories

• Our most-viewed mini-docs

• Shorts that went long

• PLUS: A behind-the-scenes business update

Let’s dive in 👇

Our Most-Clicked Stories of 2025 👀 

More than 519,294 people visited JokerMag.com this year. Here are the stories that got the most love:

🏀 The True Story Behind the Real Coach Carter: The film's producers took some creative liberties, but the heart of the movie is grounded in reality.

⚾️ Meet The Most Confident Pitcher in Baseball: Cut three times in high school, this former junior college walk-on ignored the doubters and “bugged” his way into pro baseball.

🏈 This NFL Player's Journey Began as a Homeless Child: Here’s how his fight for survival landed him in the NFL – after playing just one year of football.

🤯 After Countless Rejections, Jose Altuve Refused to Take 'No' for an Answer: Eight MLB teams turned him down – including the one that eventually signed him. Here's the truth of how it happened.

Our Most-Viewed Mini-Docs 🎥 

In April, I published my first YouTube mini-doc. 661,183 views later, here are the videos you enjoyed the most:

⚾️ The 260-Pound Kid Who Shocked MLB Scouts: How 5’8″ Alejandro Kirk broke the mold of what a Major League Baseball player “should” look like.

⭐️ The MLB Star No One Wanted: From giving up the sport in high school, to being rejected as a walk-on at Arkansas, here's how Blake Treinen carved out a remarkable path to winning multiple World Series championships.

🔥 The Hall of Famer Who Broke Every Rule: Billy Wagner broke his right arm twice, taught himself how to throw left-handed, was only 5'5" as a high school senior, and walked on at a Division 3 school. Here's how he became one of the most dominant closers in MLB history – the man himself watched & endorsed this video!

Shorts That Went Long 🚀 

After 7+ years of publishing written content, I decided to turn the camera on myself and start telling these stories in casual, bite-sized videos. The result? We went from 1,000 to 25,000 Instagram followers in under 3 months! Here are the short videos that traveled the furthest:

If you haven’t already, throw me a follow on Instagram.

Behind-the-Scenes Business Update 📈 

As Sinatra would say, “It was a very good year.”

2025 was the start of Joker Mag’s evolution from a passion project to a burgeoning media business.

Between publishing my first book and hitting growth milestones I thought were years away, our stories are reaching more people than ever.

More and more, when people hear underdog, they think Joker Mag.

But as we grow, the “how” is changing.

While our website traffic hit record highs this year, I’m diversifying.

You’ve seen me put out tons of video content this year. That’s my way of meeting our audience where they are – making sure our stories live on, regardless of search engine algorithms.

How we work: Right now, Joker Mag is powered by my “off-hours" (mornings, nights, and weekends), plus 3 talented freelancers who help with writing and video editing. We’ve found our rhythm, and it’s working.

What’s coming in 2026: To keep the momentum going, I’m exploring new ways to keep the lights on and grow: brand partnerships, sponsored giveaway contests, and maybe even an enterprise offering (for coaches & athletic directors).

How you can help: Joker Mag is 100% free to read and powered by your support. If our underdog stories have made a positive impact on you this year, consider supporting our independent sports storytelling with a reader contribution:

Thank you for being the reason Joker Mag is still here after 8+ years.

Here’s to an even better 2026 🤝 

Enjoy the rest of the holiday season, and I’ll see you next year! 🥂 

Til next time,
Tyler

Extra Innings…

🌟 Trivia Answer: B) Andy Reid. Here’s the full photo from 2017.

🫎 This is not AI: Here’s a look at the incredibly rare white moose.

😂 Hilarious: “What I think will happen when a car drives past and sees me make a basket.”

📕 Start the new year off right with 25 short, inspiring stories in my book, The Underdog Mentality (5 stars on Amazon).

👀 In case you missed it: Larry Allen’s journey from near-death to D2 to Pro Football Hall of Fame.

😎 In my best Arnold voice, “I’ll be back” in your inbox next Sunday with a fresh underdog story to kick off the new year.