The Best of 2023

Merry Christmas Eve! 🎄 

This will be the final edition of 2023 – you won’t hear from me again until Sunday, January 7th.

So I wanted to do something special.

Since this was a banner year for The Underdog Newsletter, I wanted to recap the best stories, comments, and more from 2023.

This year, our Underdog Nation community grew from 1,245 of us to 10,161 strong 💪 

Thank you for making this the best little corner of the sports world!

Here's what’s coming today:

• Your 5 favorite underdog stories of 2023 (by the numbers)

• Your 10 best replies of the year

• The most-clicked Extra Innings links

Let’s dive in 👇

Just click the choice you think & the correct answer will be shown.

Your 5 Favorite Underdog Stories of 2023

These were your favorite stories of the year, according to my analytics dashboard. Have another favorite? Just hit reply & let me know!

🔥 "He should be in a coma — or dead." The improbable story of the D3 pitcher who went from near-death to throwing 100 MPH in the big leagues.

🏈 He never played a down of varsity football. Now he's a pro football legend. Meet Luis Perez – the best QB you’ve never heard of.

🛒 This guy went from bagging groceries at Safeway to slam-dunking on Michael Jordan. And he only played one year of high school basketball.

🍺 “I sometimes can’t believe it all worked out.” This Budweiser truck driver became an NFL All-Pro in the best underdog tale that Hollywood missed.

⚾️ Scouts ignored him. So he enrolled at a local college and worked night shifts at a factory. Then one tryout changed his life forever.

Your 10 Best Replies 💌

Below are some of my favorite replies to the newsletter this year. Feedback like this means the world to me. Thank you ALL! 🙌 

1. “This email always makes my day.” – Johnny C.

2. “You make a difference on my journey of life!” – Doak T.

3. “This story is so good. You need to make a book out of these 100%.” – Scott D.

4. “I always enjoy what I learn here. I have stuff to tell others. Thanks for that and all of your research!” – Marsha H.

5. “Your research is tremendous. Thanks so much for your hard work.” – Steve B.

6. “Getting used to this delightful newsletter. Thank you.” – Ray R.

7. “Just started getting your newsletter and find myself looking forward to the next story. Well done!!” – Tom C.

8. “The stories we love told the way they should be. Heartwarming…” – Jim J.

9. “This newsletter is a bright light in dark times.” – Dylan R.

10. “This is the only newsletter I think could ever make me cry.” – Ryan S.

The Most-Clicked Links in Extra Innings

Extra Innings is the section at the bottom where I put all the fun stuff that didn’t fit anywhere else. Here are your most-clicked links of 2023 👇

• You guys loved these baseball bat shot glasses from Dugout Mugs (which I think are still free + shipping). Fun fact: the National League Knob Shots outsold the American League by a wide margin!

• A police officer got a noise complaint about kids playing basketball in the street. So he brought in a surprise guest.

• This video takes an alternate view on a popular (fictional) underdog story.

• The stainless steel tumbler was your favorite Underdog Mentality merch of 2023. As one reader said: “It makes me feel unique and it's certainly less embarrassing to carry in public than the one my father-in-law got me that says (my name).”

• Your favorite non-sports news story was this one about the terminally ill Army vet who got to relive his tank gunner days.

• This $7 soccer story I posted on Facebook racked up an unexpected 627,422 impressions.

⭐ Trivia Answer:

C) Tim Wakefield – We lost one of baseball’s greatest underdogs this year. Rest in Peace ❤️

Thank you for a spectacular year! 🤝 

I appreciate each and every one of you for reading and being a part of this community.

With your continued support, 2024 will be even better.

Have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! 🎉 

See you in your inbox again on Sunday the 7th.

Til next time,
Tyler

P.S. I’ve got a spreadsheet of 300+ underdog stories that I’ve yet to write about. If you have a future story suggestion, just hit reply and let me know!