Greatest Sports Films

SPORTS FILMS

The Greatest Sports Films of All-Time

Sports Films are those that have a sports setting (football or baseball stadium, arena, or the Olympics, etc.), competitive event (the 'big game,' 'fight,' or 'competition'), and/or athlete (boxer, racer, surfer, etc.) that are central and predominant in the story. Sports films may be fictional or non-fictional; and they are a hybrid sub-genre category, although they are often one of the following:

biopics - i.e., Raging Bull (1980)

dramas - i.e., The Hustler (1961)

comedies - i.e., The Freshman (1925), Caddyshack (1980)

documentaries - i.e., Olympia (1938), The Endless Summer (1966), Pumping Iron (1977), Baseball (1994), Hoop Dreams (1994), When We Were Kings (1996), Dogtown and Z-Boys (2001), Murderball (2005), Ring of Fire: The Emile Griffith Story (2005), Unforgivable Blackness: The Rise and Fall of Jack Johnson (2005)

fantasies - i.e., The Natural (1984), and Field of Dreams (1989)

film noir - i.e., Body and Soul (1947), and The Set-Up (1949)

melodramas - i.e., Brian's Song (1971)

The most popular sport theme in Hollywood films of the 20th century appears to be baseball, with basketball, American football, football (soccer) and boxing in a plentiful selection of films. Track and field, horse racing, auto-racing, golf, ice hockey and wrestling have also proven to be popular sports themes.
See also AFI's 10 Top 10 - The Top 10 Sports Films
Sports should play a predominant role in a 'true' sports film, although there have been some that stretch the definition of sport, such as films about:

bob-sledding (i.e., Cool Runnings (1993))

bowling (i.e., Kingpin (1996))

cheerleading (i.e., Bring It On (2000))

chess (i.e., Searching for Bobby Fischer (1993))

curling (i.e., Men With Brooms (2002))

dog shows (i.e., Christopher Guest's mockumentary Best in Show (2000))

figure skating (i.e., The Cutting Edge (1992))

gladiatorial combat (i.e., Gladiator (2000))

motocross (i.e., Spetters (1980))

poker (i.e., The Cincinnati Kid (1965))

pool (i.e., The Hustler (1961))

roller derby (i.e., The Fireball (1950), Kansas City Bomber (1972))

rowing (i.e., Oxford Blues (1984))

rugby (i.e., This Sporting Life (1963))

running (i.e., The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner (1962))

skateboarding (i.e., Grind (2003))

skiing (i.e., Downhill Racer (1969))

spelling (i.e., Spellbound (2002))

sports marketing and 'chick-flick' (i.e., Jerry Maguire (1996))

table-tennis (i.e., The Tao of Pong (2004))

A number of sports films have documented or portrayed real-life characters, such as the following:

boxer James J. Corbett (Errol Flynn) in Gentleman Jim (1942)

New York Yankees baseball player Lou Gehrig (Gary Cooper) in The Pride of the Yankees (1942)

baseball player Jackie Robinson as Himself in The Jackie Robinson Story (1950) - he was still an active ballplayer at the time (his career didn't end until 1955)

middleweight champion Rocky Graziano (Paul Newman) in Somebody Up There Likes Me (1956)

boxer Jack Johnson (James Earl Jones) in The Great White Hope (1970)

boxer Jake LaMotta (Robert DeNiro) in Raging Bull (1980)

slugger Babe Ruth (John Goodman) in The Babe (1992)

boxer Muhammad Ali (Will Smith) in Ali (2001)

Depression-Era heavyweight boxer James J. Braddock (Russell Crowe) in The Cinderella Man (2005)

Other than some of the most classic and best sports films, there are also those that are generally considered the 'worst' sports-related films of all time, such as:

The Bad News Bears Go to Japan (1978), a remake (the third film in the series) of the 1975 film with Walter Matthau, starring Tony Curtis as the coach (baseball)

The Main Event (1979), a romantic comedy with Barbra Streisand and Ryan O'Neal (boxing)

The Slugger's Wife (1985), a romantic drama with Michael O'Keefe and Rebecca DeMornay (pro-baseball)

Amazing Grace and Chuck (1987) (Little League baseball, the NBA, other sports stars, and anti-nuclear war)

Caddyshack II (1988), a sequel to the 1980 hit (golf)

Rocky V (1990), the fifth film in the never-ending series (boxing)

The Babe (1992), with John Goodman (baseball)

The Fan (1996), with Robert De Niro as a fanatical fan (baseball)

Any Given Sunday (1999), with Al Pacino (pro-football)

Rollerball (2001), a remake of the 1975 classic (futuristic sports)

Awards for Sports Movies: The first sports movie to win the Best Picture Academy Award was Rocky (1976), often on the ten-best sports film lists. Others include Chariots of Fire (1981) and Million Dollar Baby (2004). Robert DeNiro won a Best Actor Oscar for his portrayal of real-life boxer Jake LaMotta in Martin Scorsese's Raging Bull (1980), while Hilary Swank won a Best Actress Oscar for portraying a working-class waitress who aspired to be a professional women's boxer in Million Dollar Baby (2004). Kirk Douglas earned his first Oscar nomination playing middleweight Midge Kelly in Champion (1949).

Disagreement always arises when one compiles lists of the top 20, top 25 or top 50 films of any genre - and sports movies are no different. There are major similarities in the various lists that follow, but they do exhibit distinct differences as well.

Greatest Sports Films of All-Time
Note: The films that are marked with a yellow star

are the films that
"The Greatest Films" site has selected as the "100 Greatest Films".

50 Greatest Sports Movies
of All-Time
Sports Illustrated
(August 4, 2003)

Included was the year the movie was first released, two of the movie's stars and the sport the movie featured. Films marked with a ranking number (#) are rankings from the magazine's earlier list of the Top 20 Sports Movies (published February 6, 2001).

1. Bull Durham (1988) (#1)
Kevin Costner, Tim Robbins: baseball

2. Rocky (1976) (#3)
Sylvester Stallone, Carl Weathers: boxing

3. Raging Bull (1980) (#2)
Robert De Niro, Cathy Moriarty: boxing

4. Hoop Dreams (1994)
Documentary: basketball

5. Slap Shot (1977) (#9)
Paul Newman, Michael Ontkean: hockey

6. Hoosiers (1986) (#4)
Gene Hackman, Dennis Hopper: basketball

7. Olympia (1936)
Documentary: Olympics

8. Breaking Away (1979) (#15)
Dennis Christopher, Paul Dooley: cycling

9. Chariots of Fire (1981) (#7)
Ben Cross, Ian Charleson: running

10. When We Were Kings (1996)
Documentary: boxing

11. Bang The Drum Slowly (1973) (#11)
Robert De Niro, Michael Moriarty: baseball

12. Dogtown and Z-Boys (2002)
Documentary: skateboarding

13. A League Of Their Own (1992)
Tom Hanks, Geena Davis: baseball

14. The Freshman (1925)
Harold Lloyd, Jobyna Ralston: football

15. The Endless Summer (1966)
Documentary: surfing

16. North Dallas Forty (1979) (#14)
Nick Nolte, Mac Davis: football

17. Brian's Song (1971)
James Caan, Billy Dee Williams: football

18. Caddyshack (1980)
Bill Murray, Chevy Chase: golf

19. Downhill Racer (1969)
Robert Redford, Gene Hackman: skiing

20. Requiem for a Heavyweight (1962) (#8)
Anthony Quinn, Jackie Gleason: boxing

21. Pumping Iron (1977)
Documentary: body building

22. The Set-Up (1949) (#20)
Robert Ryan, George Tobias: boxing

23. The Hustler (1961) (#6)
Paul Newman, Jackie Gleason: pool

24. Searching for Bobby Fischer (1993)
Max Pomeranc, Ben Kingsley: chess

25. Horse Feathers (1932)
The Marx Brothers: football

26. The Bad News Bears (1976) (#13)
Tatum O'Neal, Walter Matthau: baseball

27. National Velvet (1944)
Elizabeth Taylor, Mickey Rooney: horse racing

28. Eight Men Out (1988)
John Cusack, David Strathairn: baseball

29. Rollerball (1975)
James Caan, John Houseman: future sports

30. The Rookie (2002)
Dennis Quaid, Rachel Griffiths: baseball

31. Baseball - A film by Ken Burns (1994)
Documentary: baseball

32. Vision Quest (1985)
Matthew Modine, Linda Fiorentino: wrestling

33. Fat City (1972) (#17)
Stacy Keach, Jeff Bridges: boxing

34. Everybody's All-American (1988)
Dennis Quaid, Jessica Lange: football

35. Million Dollar Legs (1932)
W.C. Fields, Jack Oakie: Olympics

36. Jerry Maguire (1996) (#10)
Tom Cruise, Cuba Gooding Jr.: football

37. The Goalie's Anxiety at the Penalty Kick (1971)
Arthur Brauss, Erika Pluhar: soccer

38. Field of Dreams (1989) (#16)
Kevin Costner, James Earl Jones: baseball

39. The Harder They Fall (1956) (#19)
Humphrey Bogart, Rod Steiger: boxing

40. The Longest Yard (1974)
Burt Reynolds, Eddie Albert: football

41. Remember The Titans (2000)
Denzel Washington, Will Patton: football

42. The Pride of the Yankees (1942)
Gary Cooper, Teresa Wright: baseball

43. Fists of Fury (1971)
Bruce Lee, Maria Yi: martial arts

44. The Deadliest Season (1977)
Michael Moriarty, Kevin Conway: hockey

45. Grand Prix (1966)
James Garner, Eva Marie Saint: auto racing

46. Any Given Sunday (1999)
Al Pacino, Cameron Diaz: football

47. It Happens Every Spring (1949)
Ray Milland, Jean Peters: baseball

48. The Bingo Long Traveling All-Stars & Motor Kings (1976)
Billy Dee Williams, Richard Pryor: baseball

49. Phar Lap (1983)
Tom Burlinson, Ron Liebman: horse racing

50. Best In Show (2000)
Christopher Guest, Eugene Levy: dog shows.

----

Body and Soul (1947) (#5)

The Natural (1984) (#12)

Damn Yankees (1958) (#18)

Top 50 Sports Movies
of All-Time
Palm Beach (Fla.) Post
(July 24, 2003)
Included were two of the stars from each film.

1. Rocky (1976) -
Sylvester Stallone, Talia Shire.

2. Raging Bull (1980) -
Robert DeNiro, Cathy Moriarty.

3. Bull Durham (1988) -
Kevin Costner, Susan Sarandon.

4. Hoosiers (1986) -
Gene Hackman, Barbara Hershey.

5. Caddyshack (1980) -
Ted Knight, Bill Murray.

6. Brian's Song (1970) -
James Caan, Billy Dee Williams.

7. Field of Dreams (1989) -
Kevin Costner, James Earl Jones.

8. Hoop Dreams (1994) -
Documentary.

9. Breaking Away (1976) -
Dennis Quaid, Dennis Christopher.

10. A League of Their Own (1992) -
Tom Hanks, Geena Davis.

11. Bad News Bears (1976) -
Walter Matthau, Tatum O'Neal.

12. Slap Shot (1977) -
Paul Newman, Strother Martin.

13. The Hustler (1961) -
Paul Newman, Jackie Gleason.

14. North Dallas Forty (1976) -
Nick Nolte, Mac Davis.

15. Chariots of Fire (1981) -
Ben Cross, Ian Charleston.

16. The Natural (1984) -
Robert Redford, Robert Duvall.

17. Eight Men Out (1988) -
Charlie Sheen, John Cusack.

18. Heaven Can Wait (1979) -
Warren Beatty, Julie Christie.

19. The Longest Yard (1974) -
Burt Reynolds, Eddie Albert.

20. Requiem for a Heavyweight (1962) -
Anthony Quinn, Jackie Gleason.

21. Bang the Drum Slowly (1973) -
Robert DeNiro, Michael Moriarty.

22. Tin Cup (1996) -
Kevin Costner, Rene Russo.

23. Jerry Maguire (1997) -
Tom Cruise, Cuba Gooding, Jr.

24. When We Were Kings (1996) -
Documentary.

25. Karate Kid (1984) -
Ralph Macchio, Pat Morita.

26. The Pride of the Yankees (1942) -
Gary Cooper, Walter Brennan.

27. 61 (2001) -
Barry Pepper, Thomas Jane.

28. Rudy (1993) -
Sean Astin, Ned Beatty.

29. One Day in September (2002) -
Documentary.

30. Paper Lion (1968) -
Alan Alda, Lauren Hutton.

31. White Men Can't Jump (1992) -
Wesley Snipes, Woody Harrelson.

32. One on One (1980) -
Robby Benson, Annette O'Toole.

33. Remember the Titans (2000) -
Denzel Washington, Will Patton.

34. The Color of Money (1986) -
Paul Newman, Jackie Gleason.

35. Rocky III (1982) -
Sylvester Stallone, Mr. T.

36. All the Right Moves (1983) -
Tom Cruise, Lea Thompson.

37. National Velvet (1944) -
Elizabeth Taylor, Mickey Rooney.

38. Vision Quest (1985) -
Matthew Modine, Linda Fiorentino.

39. Rocky II (1979) -
Sylvester Stallone, Talia Shire.

40. The Hurricane (1999) -
Denzel Washington, Dan Hedaya.

41. Semi-Tough (1977) -
Burt Reynolds, Kris Kristofferson.

42. Damn Yankees (1958) -
Gwen Verdon, Tab Hunter.

43. Fever Pitch (1997) -
Colin Firth, Ken Stott.

44. Gentleman Jim (1942) -
Errol Flynn, Alexis Smith.

45. Major League (1989) -
Tom Berenger, Charlie Sheen.

46. The Rookie (2002) -
Dennis Quaid, Rachel Griffiths.

47. Victory (1981) -
Sylvester Stallone, Michael Caine.

48. Body and Soul (1947) -
John Garfield, Lilli Palmer.

49. Without Limits (1998) -
Billy Crudup, Donald Sutherland.

50. Downhill Racer (1969) -
Robert Redford, Gene Hackman.