Sports, like so much of life, are filled with adversity.
Team down two.
Ball in your hands.
Clock with three seconds.
Can you pull through in the moment?
This year, we published our second edition of The Fifty Most Interesting Athletes, filled with inspirational stories from across the world who faced a variety of challenges head-on.
There are athletes like Courtney Ryan, a former college soccer player now a star of the U.S. Women’s Paralympic basketball team, or Maria Toorpakai, who dressed as a boy growing up to avoid the Taliban and became Pakistan’s top squash player.
We faced our own challenges this year. A startup looking to carve a niche needs revenue to survive. We found the audience – a voracious group of readers who spent more than five minutes per visit on our site. If you’re not into web metrics and analytics, that number is pretty damn good.
We’re still working on the rest of it. With a CEO who believes in the product, it makes surviving possible. And we needed every ounce of belief.
Our purpose defines our mission: sharing the stories of relentless athletes in their pursuit of athletic achievement.
Athletes like Déja Lee, whose gifted hands and hustle make her a standout on the basketball court.
Casey Kaufhold, who entered the Paris Olympics with a family legacy and left with one of her own.
Jasmin Paris, who endured nearly 60 hours in the Tennessee wilderness to accomplish what no other woman had in history.
As we wrap 2024, we’re proud of staring down adversity and plowing through because it made the success of publishing the 50th story — Navy quarterback Blake Horvath — that much sweeter.
We look forward to bringing you the third edition in January, filled with inspirational stories of more great athletes.
Until then, enjoy our top 10 stories of the past year, as voted on by our staff and close associates. We’ll see you again in 2025.
Top 10 of 2024
Dan Cnossen: The 9-11 terror attacks set him on the fight of his life. He turned that adversity into a career as a decorated Paralympian.
John Crimber: How long can you silence a pissed-off bull? Turns out that’s one of his many talents.
Lenny Dykstra: He once had it all. The fame. The money. The cars. The mansions. And then he lost it all in a dizzying free-fall from unimaginable heights.
Austin Ekeler: He is one of the most recognizable names we’ve shared in The FIFTY. But this ranch kid from Colorado has a big story to tell, and it starts with not giving up on yourself.
Nicole Hensley: Kids from the western United States face major obstacles in their quest to become elite hockey players. She’s proved them all wrong, rising to the pinnacle of the sport.
Steven Holtz: Life has thrown him his share of “shit sandwiches,” which has taught him to persevere and overcome.
Hannah Kearney: She’s had a hall-of-fame skiing career. Which, of course, means there was a lot of crashing. She ended up with a basket of medals and legendary status with the U.S. Ski Team.
Maria Laborde: Her story reads like a great Hollywood movie. A defector of Cuba, she entered the United States and turned her silent rage into a punishing skill.
Jon Peters: This small-town kid seemingly had it all as the ace pitcher of his baseball team. His story shows us that success isn’t always what it seems.
Glen Plake: Stop me if you’ve heard this description before: “A 59-year-old punk rock sportsman.” No? That’s okay. All you need to know is that he’s skiing’s ambassador of stoke.