Most Interesting People 2015: Tony Madalone

Why he's interesting: Starting with his first hit T-shirt, 2010's Pay Cribbs!, to the meteoric popularity of 2014's Johnny Manziel Money and LeBron James For6iven shirts, Madalone's creations capture Cleveland's attention with a swell of social media immediacy and fanfare. They are quickly made available thanks to his mobile retail truck. Last year, he also opened a permanent retail store at Cleveland Hopkins International Airport and launched a Seattle T-shirt truck to complement the ever-present Cleveland rig.

Forgive him: Lost in the rush of sales of the For6iven shirt in July was Madalone's blog post two days before James' announcement. "It was about forgiveness and forgiving him regardless of his decision." Because of the excitement, it wasn't until the next day that Madalone even read James' Sports Illustrated letter. "I was almost in tears. It was sincere. We are here, and we know what it feels like, and you couldn't have faked that."

Seattle calling: Madalone witnessed the Seattle Seahawks' famed home crowd — popularly dubbed the 12th Man as an extension of the 11 players on the field — in person at a January 2014 playoff game. While at a Starbucks after the game, he came up with a 12>49 shirt for the team's next game against the San Francisco 49ers. He canceled his Monday morning flight home, found a local print shop and stayed 18 days. "We launched 11 shirts. I was all over local media. It dawned on me that it would be the perfect second market — and then they won the Super Bowl."

Momma's boy: Follow Madalone on Instagram, and you'll see just as many pictures of his mom, Pam, as you do T-shirts. Madalone, an only child, has never met his dad. His mom introduced him to sports, taking him to Cleveland Indians games during the 1990s. "Most people want to hang out and drink with buddies. I'd rather hang out with my mom."

Get buckets: Madalone captained Open Door Christian Schools basketball team to the Division IV state final four and played NCAA Division II basketball all four years at Ashland University. "My mom will tell you it's all I do — play ball. It's one of the reasons I have the dedication and persistence I do."

Welcome mat: Madalone is the chair of the organizing committee for Ohio Homecoming's Cleveland Rocks New Year's Eve celebration. Because he was so focused on the inaugural 2014 event, he didn't realize how big the crowd was. "From 11 to 11:40 p.m., I was down the street. I didn't see how many people had showed up. We walked with Drew Carey from the VIP party and walked up onstage, and it was incredible. There were like 10,000 people with the snow coming down. It was perfect."