Movies
Greatest Sports Movies Of All Time
Rocky
Rocky is the story of a boxer, who works his way up to fight the heavy-weight champion of the world. This is the classic tale of the little guy overcoming enormous odds to achieve his dream.
Remember the Titans
A story of prejudice, unity, and ultimately, teamwork. Denzel Washington stars as the coach, who helps to bring together his team after the school is racially integrated.
Field of Dreams
Kevin Costner plays the part of an Iowa farmer, who starts hearing voices. He decides that these voices want him to build a baseball diamond in his backyard. Essentially it’s the story of a guy that goes insane, and then builds a baseball field for ghosts!
Major League
The new owner of the Cleveland Indians puts together a terrible team, because she wants to lose and move the team to Miami. This team of misfits has other ideas, however.
Hoosiers
Along with the help of the town drunk, Gene Hackman guides a small high school to the state championship. This is a must see for anyone that enjoys a heart-warming underdog story.
Rudy
The inspiring story of a small town kid, who dreams of playing football for Notre Dame. After years of hard work, he finally makes it onto the practice squad. As incredible as it is, this is actually a true story, and the real Rudy Ruettiger actually makes a cameo.
Caddy Shack
A pure comedy about the drama at an exclusive golf club. The movie has many subplots, and is a must-see due to the antics of the eccentric, wealthy patrons of the club.
The Sandlot
This is the story of Scotty Smalls, and his move to a new neighborhood. While there, he wants to learn how to play baseball. What ensues, are the amusing adventures of Scotty and the rest of the baseball buddies in the town.
Bull Durham
Bull Durham is a baseball classic, centering around a love triangle between a fan, an experience catcher, and a young pitcher. While there isn’t much actual gameplay in the move, the dialogue is fantastic, and the sexual tension really adds to the drama as well.
The Natural
In a brilliant performance, Robert Redford stars as the unknown talent, who comes out of nowhere to lead his National League squad to the pennant. The combination of baseball, corruption, and sex, makes this movie a classic.
Moneyball
Moneyball is atypical in the fact that it focuses on the hidden parts of the MLB game. This movie is about the start of the analytics that now drive the game today. Along with the unusual story line, is the unusual cast of Brad Pitt and Jonah Hill.
A League of Their Own
This baseball comedy centers around a women’s baseball league, which is set up during World War II. The movie is actually based on a women’s league that started around the same time.
Miracle
Based on the true story of the US Olympic hockey team that overcame all odds to beat the Russians in 1980. The movie is almost a perfect adaption of the original events, even down to the gameplay.
Happy Gilmore
Happy Gilmore is a classic Adam Sandler movie about a rejected hockey player, who is trying to pay for his grandma’s house. Gilmore takes up golf to try and make the money, and the antics and quotes that ensue have become a part of pop culture.
The Blind Side
Adapted from the true story of Michael Oher, The Blind Side tells of his journey from homelessness to the NFL. Sure, Oher was recently arrested for assaulting an Uber driver, but the movie is still great!
Rocky II
After his fight with Apollo Creed in the first move, Rocky struggles with a lot of personal problems. In the meantime, Apollo is trying to get a rematch. This movie includes the classic scenes of Rocky training for the rematch in the meat factory, where he works.
The Longest Yard
A Sandler movie about a former NFL quarterback that ends up in prison. The warden arranges a football game between the prisoners and the guards. This movie features a lot of celebrities and actual NFL players in the supporting roles, so it’s definitely worth a watch, even if you aren’t a huge Sandler fan.
Raging Bull
The story of a boxing champ, whose rage ruins his life. The passion and anger that he shows inside of the ring carries over with his family and friends, leading to a very dramatic movie.
Rocky IV
After Apollo Creed is killed by Drago, Rocky goes to Russia to avenge the death of his friend. The movie ends in a patriotic 15 round battle, where Rocky prevails.
Rocky III
A now rich Rocky is considering retirement, but the death of his trainer Mickey drives him into depression. Apollo helps Rocky to train to take back his title from Clubber Lang (Mr. T.)
Slap Shot
Slap Shot is the comedic story of a failing ice hockey team. The coach decides that the only way to attract crowds is to play a very violent style of hockey – utilizing the talents of the three Hanson brothers.
Cool Runnings
Jamaica has many talented runners, but what if their talents could be put to use by getting great jumps on the bobsled track? This movie premise leads to a lot of hilarious antics, and it’s actually based on the true story of the first olympic bobsled team from Jamaica.
White Men Can’t Jump
Wesley Snipes and Woody Harrelson star as a trash talking duo of basketball hustlers. Their love of the hustle gets in trouble though, when they try to take money from the wrong people.
Million Dollar Baby
Clint Eastwood, Hilary Swank, and Morgan Freeman star in this tale of a young woman trying to make it to the top of her sport. Clint’s character does not want to teach a girl to box, but she perseveres, and this drama leads to a very touching movie.
42
The true story of Jackie Robinson. 42 is a brilliant depiction of Jackie Robinson’s struggle to transition from the Negro League to the Brooklyn Dodgers. He overcomes a significant amount of prejudice and dirty play to become one of the best players ever.
Brian’s Song
Another sports movie adapted from real events. This movie depicts the relationship between Chicago Bears teammates, Brian Piccolo and Gale Sayers, and the events that follow Piccolo discovering that he is dying.
Jerry Maguire
Show me the money! Jerry Maguire grossed over $153 million in the box office. This classic film has led to so many incredible catch phrases. It’s the story of a sports agent struggling with love and keeping a charismatic athlete happy. The end result is a heartwarming mix of sports, romance, and comedy.
The Karate Kid
This low budget film is the story of an elderly martial arts master that trains his student to beat a town dojo that is bullying him at school. At this point, the movie has turned into a cult classic, with many memorable quotes sprinkled throughout.
Creed
Adonis is the son of Apollo Creed, and this movie tells the story of Rocky training Adonis to follow in his father’s footsteps. Like the Rocky movies, Creed ends in a fantastic fight scene, that actually has a twist to it.
Dodgeball
A pure comedy about a group of gym misfits that enter a volleyball tournament to try to win enough money to keep their gym from being taken over by the evil White Goodman
Space Jam
Michael Jordan may have been under the influence of something when he came up with the idea for this movie, but the result is endearing. Michael fights to save the Looney Tunes from a group of aliens that have stolen the talent of some NBA players. The movie ends in a basketball game between Jordan’s Tune Squad, and the Alien Monstars.
