During the 1987 NFL strike, pro teams scrambled to assemble temporary replacement players to fill in for their striking stars. The Washington Redskins were notable for their "scabs," a team of cast-offs and has-beens who rode a surprising wave of momentum against all odds. These were men who had dreamed of a career in football or even come close to it, but their dreams had never been realized until that fateful season. In the end, crossing the picket line to play in the NFL did change their lives, but not in the way they’d expected or hoped. For many, this was their final chance to live the NFL dream. What they didn’t know was that their golden ticket would become a scarlet letter.

Year of the Scab revisits this ultimate underdog story, and the men whose ordinary lives were interrupted, who broke the strike and brought their team to victory, only to struggle for their place in the sports history books.

—Cara Cusumano