Top 5 Sports Movies

I have been thinking about this one for a while, and it is tough to narrow it down to just five. There are some great sports movies out there, and this list has changed slightly over the last few years as more and more movies come out. One thing that amazes me is that most of them are based on true stories. Looking at the list below, of the 15 movies, 13 of them are based on true stories. I believe there is definitely great value to playing sports, and children can learn some great lessons if kept in perspective. At any rate, a lot of these movies teach some great principles about overcoming obstacles, persevering in the face of long odds, teamwork, friendship, and so on. Without further ado, the Top 5 Sports Movies of all time.

Honorable Mention: Eight Men Out (baseball), Searching for Bobby Fischer (chess!!), Seabiscuit (horse racing), Secretariat (horse racing), Field of Dreams (baseball), A League of Their Own (baseball), The Blind Side (football), Moneyball (baseball) and Glory Road (basketball).

Maybe this is cheating a little, but the #5 choices are both great movies.

5. (tie) The Greatest Game Ever Played (golf), 2005. Based on the true story of the 1913 US Open where 20-year-old Francis Ouimet beat his idol, Briton Harry Vardon (1901 US Open champ) in a play-off. Born in Massachusetts to immigrant parents — his father was French-Canadien and his mother Irish — Francis Ouimet was the first amateur to win the US Open, and he is credited with bringing golf into the American mainstream. This was in a day when golf was restricted to the wealthy, was dominated by Europeans, and there were very few public golf courses available. Francis’ family was very poor, but they lived across the street from a Country Club. At the age of 9, he began to caddie, and he taught himself to play with clubs he borrowed from his brother and balls he found on the course. His impossible win made front-page news across the country, and ten years later, the number of American golfers had tripled and many public courses had been built.

5. (tie) The Natural (baseball), 1984. This one is a fictional story about a gifted baseball player who is mysteriously shot by a crazed fan. He returns many years later when most players are thinking of retirement and leads a poorly performing team to the top of the league. Interestingly, this movie is based loosely on the legends of King Arthur, (most notably the story of Sir Percival) and Homer and the Odysseus. The acting is superb, and the story is uplifting. A shooting incident similar to this really did happen in June 1949 when the first baseman of the Philadelphia Phillies was shot in a hotel by a fan (this incident sparked the writing of the book in 1952 by Bernard Malamud), and the scary part is that this could very easily happen again today. Let’s hope not.

4. Cinderella Man (Boxing), 2005. A very moving film about the true story of fighter James J. Bradoock during the Great Depression. In the hands of director Ron Howard and actor Russel Crowe, this film is well crafted. After a series of losses and bad financial luck, Braddock struggles to feed his family and for a while relies on welfare to make ends meet. It looks like his boxing career is finished, and he takes on various odd jobs to barely eke out a living. When he is given one last chance to enter the ring, he makes the most of his opportunity, driven by something a little more than competition.

3. Miracle (Hockey), 2004. Based upon the true story of the 1980 US Olympic men’s hockey team, this film captures one of the greatest moments in all of sports history. Talk about long odds, the US team consisted of a ragtag collection of college players who were to face off against the legendary, veteran-laden team from the Soviet Union who had won the gold medal in the previous four olympics. In fact, the Soveit team was do dominant, they won nearly every world championship and olympic competition from 1954 to 1991. There are many inspiring moments in the movie, but for me, the most memorable occurred when the team learned that the name on the front of their jerseys was more important than the name on the back of their jerseys.

2. Remember the Titans (football), 2000. Again, based on a true story in 1971 about a newly appointed, African American coach who is faced with the task of integrating two high school football teams in Virginia. Under federal mandate, a white high school and a black high school were closed and forced together as one high school. The football team becomes the unifying force that helps the community learn to trust and depend on one another, but this journey is not easy or painless. The characterizations shown in the movie are endearing, the storyline compelling, and the messages heartwarming.

1. Hoosiers (basketball), 1986. Of course, my favorite movie is a basketball movie. Once again, this story is based upon the true story of a 1954 team from a small town in Indiana that played in the state high school basketball finals. The performances by Gene Hackman and Dennis Hopper are timeless. Many great moments throughout, but my favorite is when he takes the team out onto the court before the championship game and he measures the basketball standards to show they are the same size as the hoops in their smaller gym back home. A great film about teamwork and the journey to greatness against all odds, similar to many of the films on this list.

 

© Copyright 2012 Jeff, All rights Reserved. Written For: Jeffrey Olsen