* CreatorCouple: Creator/BenStiller and Christine Taylor are married.
* TheDanza: Creator/JustinLong as Justin Redman.
* {{Defictionalization}}: Starting in 2017, as a response to the still-popular "The Ocho" joke, ESPN has devoted August 8th (normally a slow day in sports) to turning one of their channels into "[=ESPN8=]", airing 24 hours of oddball sports like trampoline dodgeball, competitive juggling, kabbadi, bossaball, video game tournaments, and even lightsaber dueling, concluding with airings of this movie. The promotion initially started on college channel ESPNU but in 2018, made its way to its original inspiration, [=ESPN2=], formerly nicknamed "The Deuce." In 2020, it [[ReleaseDateChange/COVID19PandemicRelatedExamples aired in March thanks to COVID-19]]; for 2021, it returned to a more normal date, but aired on Friday, August 6 (even in a slow time on the North American sports calendar, Sunday is a bit more busy than Friday). In 2023, ESPN launched [=ESPN8=] as a free ad-supported streaming television channel.
* DeletedScene:
** After winning the match by himself when he saw his wife flirting with another man, Gordon divorces her on the spot, much to the delight of his kids.
** Just before the cheerleading match, Justin sees Derek in a full-body cast.
** White is put in the circle of shame for hitting Kate after she was already tagged out.
* DVDCommentary: The unrated DVD contains a fake commentary where Creator/BenStiller and two main actors do nothing but fight, as well as claim to hate each other, before storming out forty minutes in. The commentary is then replaced with the commentary for ''Film/TheresSomethingAboutMary''. The real commentary is on the DVD as an Easter egg.
* EnforcedMethodActing: Of the unintentional variety. Arguably the funniest moment in the movie is when Patches hits Justin in the head with a wrench. However the rubber wrenches were still pretty hard and it actually cut Creator/JustinLong. His initial reaction is quite genuine. The ensuing rolling around and yelling "oh my god" was embellished as he went with it. They subsequently used softer foam rubber wrenches.
* FocusGroupEnding: The film is a spoof of the {{Sports Stor|ies}}y Tropes. This was reflected in the original ending, which spoofed the trope UnderdogsNeverLose by having the heroes lose the final round to the {{Jerkass}} villain, only for one of their number to win big in Vegas and recover some of their losses. The suits didn't like this and insisted that the heroes win. In response, the director created an overly-complicated ending with an obviously labelled DeusExMachina, and a scene in the credits shows the villain whining that he only lost because "audiences can't cope with anything challenging". The DVD has an "alternate ending" which gives insight into how the original might have gone; if it were genuine, it would have been the cruelest ending ''ever''.
* FollowTheLeader: After this movie's success, there were a bunch of comedy films that put focus on obscure sports -- [[Film/BladesOfGlory figure skating]], [[Film/BallsOfFury table tennis]], [[Film/{{Beerfest}} underground drinking competitions]]...
* KeepCirculatingTheTapes: Not to the film, which was given a wide release in theatres and on home media-- but to the soundtrack, which was never given an official release and features Theodore Shapiro's excellently breezy score (as well as the [[SugarWiki/AwesomeMusic ass-kicking "Face Off"]], composed by [[Music/RageAgainstTheMachine Tom Morello]]).
* LoopingLines: Creator/GaryCole and Creator/JasonBateman had to keep redoing their voice recordings for the dodgeball matches, because everyone kept changing stuff in the screenplay during the shoots.
* PlayingAgainstType: Creator/JasonBateman's role is one of his few that is not an uptight StraightMan. Also, Creator/BenStiller's role as White Goodman is a change from his usual roles as a hapless everyman ButtMonkey, although he plays a similar fitness-obsessed villain in ''Film/{{Heavyweights}}'' and an abusive retirement home orderly in ''Film/HappyGilmore''. Downplayed with Creator/VinceVaughn, where he is somewhat sarcastic, he's also the [[Main/OnlySaneMan Only Sane Man]].
* TheRedStapler: Adult dodgeball leagues began to spring up across the country around the time of the movie's release. Creator/GaryCole was even invited to a tournament in Chicago.
* SeparatedAtBirthCasting: In the 1950s dodgeball documentary, Creator/HankAzaria has a brief [[TheCameo cameo]] as a young Patches O'Houlihan. Amusingly, Patches' actor Creator/RipTorn actually ''did'' look quite a bit like Hank Azaria in his younger days.
* StarMakingRole: They're not exactly superstars, but Creator/JustinLong, Creator/AlanTudyk, and Creator/JoelDavidMoore were barely well-known before this movie. After they became easily recognized character actors. It also elevated Creator/VinceVaughn to marketable leading man.
* WhatCouldHaveBeen: Creator/BrigitteNielsen was briefly considered for the role of Fran.
* WorkingTitle: ''Underdog''.
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