2016 has been a weird year. A lot has happened this year that sucks, and even more that sucks depending on what side of whatever issue you happen to be on. There is a lot of negativity going around right now, and for some of us, things look bleak. But in one way, I think 2016 has had an interesting theme to it, and that’s the theme of the underdog prevailing.

In the early year, the Carolina Panthers were 17-1 and expected to roll over Denver and take the Championship. Instead, a hobbled, old Peyton Manning and an inspired defensive performance took Denver to the promised land, and the presumed favorite Panthers lost. We crowned the Panthers Champs too early, and the underdog prevailed.

In the NBA, the Golden State Warriors blew everyone off the map en route to a historic season. In the Finals, they took a 3-1 lead, and as the meme says, blew it, to a Cleveland team everyone expected to lose. The underdog prevailed against all odds. The NBA season also featured an upstart Thunder team beating the mighty Spurs and almost taking down Golden State to the point where Golden State actually was an underdog. The Portland Trailblazers also made some hay, being left for dead and reaching the second round partially thanks to angry Damian Lillard, who was overlooked for All Star.

The Cleveland Indians had no business being in the World Series to many pundits. They still blew everyone up on the way there. They faced possibly the most cursed team in history in the finals, who came back from a 3-1 deficit to win one of the greatest baseball games of all time. Cubs finally made it against all odds.

And in politics, whether you like him or not, Donald Trump was the underdog against the Republicans and beat them, then was an underdog for the presidency and won.

It’s been kind of an incredible year for underdog stories. If life has hit you hard, if you feel down and out, remember that. If you don’t think you have a chance, if you think it can’t get worse, or you won’t make it, remember that. If things feel hopeless, and you feel that it’s not worth it, remember that. 2016 has proven that no matter how hard things may get, nobody, and I mean nobody, should ever be truly counted out.

Except the Browns.