Joker Mag is a digital media platform dedicated to inspiring underdog stories in sports.
By celebrating the underdog mentality, our mission is to inspire athletes, coaches, and sports fans to conquer obstacles and overcome adversity.
Since launching in November of 2017, our work has been featured in publications such as FOX Sports, The Sporting News, The New York Post, ClutchPoints, and more.
Why We Exist
New readers always ask our founder, Tyler O’Shea, why he started a brand completely dedicated to underdog stories.
Growing up, he was always smaller than the other kids. But that physical disadvantage ended up being a blessing in disguise.
The seed for this media brand was planted the moment a coach slammed the door shut on a locker room full of middle schoolers 👇
Why “Joker Mag”?
The site’s mascot is named after our founder’s family bulldog, Joker. He was the runt of the litter and the O’Shea family picked him out after learning that he was the outcast that no one else wanted.
Joker has had a tough journey – overcoming two hip replacements, breathing problems, and other ailments. Joker is a literal underdog in every sense of the word and represents everything we’re about here.
In case you’re still wondering, he got his name from the black spot around his eye that’s reminiscent of the infamous Batman villain!
Meet The Team
Tyler O’Shea – Founder & Lead Editor
Tyler O’Shea is a former Division 3 athlete (McDaniel College) dedicated to building the first digital media platform for inspiring underdog stories. After getting cut from the baseball team in 7th grade, he found inspiration in the stories of undersized athletes who succeeded against the odds. He decided to stick with it and ended up playing baseball through college – being named Honorable Mention on the All-Centennial Conference team his senior season. Here’s his full story.
Alex Horowitz – Director of PR and Partnerships & Contributing Writer
A 2019 graduate from Muhlenberg College, Alex Horowitz has a B.A. in Media & Communication. He resides in New York City and is passionate about giving a voice to the world’s underdogs. Alex is a contributing writer and also helps run our partnerships and PR initiatives.
The Underdog Newsletter
Each week, we scour the deepest corners of the sports world to uncover the best underdog stories. Our Underdog Newsletter captures the most inspiring, interesting, and entertaining stories all in one place.
Tens of thousands of subscribers love it (proof here), and you will too.
Want the next edition in your inbox? Subscribe here.
The Underdog Mentality
The Underdog Mentality is the attitude of never giving up in the face of adversity. It’s the belief that anything is possible if you have the drive and determination to overcome any obstacle in the way of your goals.
The Underdog Mentality: Sports Stories That Will Change How You See the Game (and Yourself) was published on March 14th, 2025.
Written by our founder, Tyler O’Shea, the stories in this book prove that talent alone isn’t what separates the winners – it’s resilience, work ethic, and an unshakable mindset.
Within the first day, The Underdog Mentality hit the top-10 in two Amazon Best Seller categories, surging past authors like Tom Brady, Bill Belichick, and Deion Sanders.
Our Stories
Each month, over 50,000 readers look forward to our original underdog stories.
Each article we publish shines a light on the underrated and overlooked. The long-shots and little guys who’ve beaten the odds and overcome adversity.
We pride ourselves in our in-depth research process, scouring every possible resource to find the nitty-gritty details behind every person we cover.
Whether it means combing through the Wayback Machine for old newspaper clippings or unearthing a decade-old YouTube video, we do whatever it takes to capture the full story.
Because we cover underdog stories in every sport, there’s something for everyone. Below are some of our most popular stories to get you started.
Popular Athlete Stories:
Meet The Budweiser Truck Driver Who Became An NFL All-Pro
From FedEx Driver to MLB Pitcher: The Story of Jose Cuas
How Tony Conigliaro Made The Most Miraculous Comeback In MLB History
Popular Columns:
The Greatest Comebacks in Sports History
Division 3 Baseball Players Who Made it to MLB
Shortest NBA Players: Now & Throughout Basketball History
Our Exclusive Interviews
Over the years, we’ve been able to connect with inspiring individuals from all walks of life, including:
- 2 World Series champions
- Super Bowl champion
- NBA player
- Olympic silver medalist
- Paralympic gold medalist
- Overseas pro athletes
- Pro football scout
- Pro sports agents
- Team USA snowboarder
- MLB scouting analyst
- Hall of Fame college baseball coach
Our mission is to showcase their real-life underdog stories to inspire our readers to overcome adversity in their own lives. You can check out our library of exclusive interviews here.
Testimonials
“Tyler was fun to chat with. He had great energy which made for a fantastic interview. I had a good time!”
– Jim Morris, MLB Pitcher, Subject of Disney’s The Rookie
“I was impressed by the preparation and thought that went into our conversation. I am very grateful that Joker Mag is using their platform to promote women’s lacrosse and helping to inspire the next generation.
– Dempsey Arsenault, Professional Lacrosse Player
The team at Joker Mag has been terrific to work with throughout and, most importantly, they are focused on telling truly engaging stories. I’m a fan of the content and love the opportunity to further highlight amazing TBT players!”
– Steve Gottlieb, VP of Marketing at The Basketball Tournament
“The entire process has always been highly organized and professional. The interviews and articles produced were phenomenal and uplifting. This type of content is much needed in our world today!”
– Brittany Gilman, Sports Agent, CEO of BG Sports Enterprises Inc.
Our Community
We’re proud of the relationships we’ve built with our strong, budding community.
The Underdog Mentality is the heart of our message. It’s the attitude of never giving up in the face of adversity.
What makes this so powerful is that everyone has their own underdog story to tell.
Don’t just take our word for it. Check out our reader testimonials to see firsthand how our stories are making a real, personal impact.
Advertise With Us!
If you’re interested in learning more about our various partnership opportunities, please fill out this form here. Or you can reach out to Tyler directly – founder [at] jokermag [dot] com.