Why Sylvester Stallone Sold His Beloved Dog For $50
And what writers can learn from it.
Sylvester Stallone and his 2-year-old bull mastiff called Butkus were inseparable.
They mutually loved each other.
But one day, Stallone decided to sell his dog for $100.
He tied his pet up at a liquor store with a sign that said a hundred bucks.
A little Jimmy outside a liquor store offered him $50.
He accepted the deal.
However, it broke his heart in two and he immediately started crying.
But why did he sell his dog in the first place?
Back in the day, Sylvester felt like a loser.
He was broke. He didn’t have any money to put food on the table for his family.
His wife was pregnant and he couldn’t afford to pay the rent for their apartment anymore.
This experience traumatized him and he made a pledge.
So he swore to himself that he would find a solution to his financial problems.
When he watched the great Mohammed Ali vs. the underdog, Chuck Wepner, fighting each other in a boxing match, he felt inspired.
He started writing the script for Rocky.
Well, the rest is history.
The movie Rocky made hundreds of millions of dollars.
The movie and well-written script transformed Stallone into a well-known superstar.
But what happened to his beloved dog Butkus?
Did he forget about him?
Of course not!
In an interview, Stallone shared, that as soon as he received money from the studio (one week later), he wanted to repurchase Butkus from little Jimmy.
The sweet little deal
Little Jimmy accepted the deal for $3,000 AND he got a small part in Rocky, too.
Sweet deal, isn’t it?
But it’s getting even sweeter.
Also, his beloved dog Butkus got a part in Rocky and Rocky II.
What can writers learn from this story?
Stallone’s story is powerful and emotional.
Stallone becomes the hero of his own story — from having little status in society and feeling like a loser to a one-of-a-kind Hollywood actor and role model.
Well, this is a typical UNDERDOG story.
My alumnus Jeanine Tew knows a lot about the psychology of an underdog story.
Recently, she wrote a piece called:
The Underdog Winner Was a Horse!
which received around 3K views within a few days.
It’s about Rich Strike — the first horse to win the Kentucky Derby after being sold.
Your underdog story could go viral if it features an animal, skimmable text, and strong SEO keywords, Jeanine shares.
Learn more about the psychology of an underdog story in Jeanine’s story below:
I’m curious. Have you already written an underdog story?
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