Thee Complete List of All Sports Movies Ranked
by hitherto92 | created - 29 Dec 2013 | updated - 1 month ago | PublicI was inspired to do this list because I saw another list on IMDB "The 100 Best Sports Movies" and it was awful. I was originally just gonna do a top 100, but toe surgery and possibly some OCD had me keep adding movies. This list was alot harder than I thought. How do you weigh drama vs comedy. The first few pages are most all the best all time movies ranked best 2 worst. The rest, I'm still adding movies and ranking as I go
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1. Rocky (1976)
PG | 120 min | Drama, Sport
A small-time Philadelphia boxer gets a supremely rare chance to fight the world heavyweight champion in a bout in which he strives to go the distance for his self-respect.
Director: John G. Avildsen | Stars: Sylvester Stallone, Talia Shire, Burt Young, Carl Weathers
Votes: 628,113 | Gross: $117.24M
Won 3 Oscars. Including Best Picture.
2. Raging Bull (1980)
R | 129 min | Biography, Drama, Sport
The life of boxer Jake LaMotta, whose violence and temper that led him to the top in the ring destroyed his life outside of it.
Director: Martin Scorsese | Stars: Robert De Niro, Cathy Moriarty, Joe Pesci, Frank Vincent
Votes: 379,996 | Gross: $23.38M
Won 2 Oscars. Including Best Actor in a Leading Role Robert De Niro
3. Hoosiers (1986)
PG | 114 min | Drama, Sport
A coach with a checkered past and a local drunk train a small-town high school basketball team to become a top contender for the state championship in 1950s Indiana.
Director: David Anspaugh | Stars: Gene Hackman, Barbara Hershey, Dennis Hopper, Sheb Wooley
Votes: 51,043 | Gross: $28.61M
Nominated for 2 Oscars. Roger Ebert gave it 4 out of 4 stars. Maybe the best team sports movie. Gene Hackman was great as the coach and Denis Hopper plays a great drunk. "I'll make it."-Jimmy Chitwood
4. Caddyshack (1980)
R | 98 min | Comedy, Sport
An exclusive golf course has to deal with a flatulent new member and a destructive dancing gopher.
Director: Harold Ramis | Stars: Chevy Chase, Rodney Dangerfield, Bill Murray, Ted Knight
Votes: 127,130 | Gross: $39.85M
The most quoted sports movie ever. #71 on AFI's 100 Funniest American Movies Of All Time.
5. Hoop Dreams (1994)
PG-13 | 170 min | Documentary, Drama, Sport
A film following the lives of two inner-city Chicago boys who struggle to become college basketball players on the road to going professional.
Director: Steve James | Stars: William Gates, Arthur Agee, Emma Gates, Curtis Gates
Votes: 28,009 | Gross: $7.83M
''Hoop Dreams has the form of a sports documentary, but along the way it becomes a revealing and heartbreaking story about life in America."-Roger Ebert who gave it 4 out of 4 stars
6. The Natural (1984)
PG | 138 min | Drama, Sport
A middle-aged unknown comes seemingly out of nowhere to become a legendary baseball player with almost supernatural talent.
Director: Barry Levinson | Stars: Robert Redford, Robert Duvall, Glenn Close, Kim Basinger
Votes: 52,426 | Gross: $47.95M
Nominated for 4 Oscars. Always get chills watching end of this movie. Music is perfect
7. Million Dollar Baby (2004)
PG-13 | 132 min | Drama, Sport
Frankie, an ill-tempered old coach, reluctantly agrees to train aspiring boxer Maggie. Impressed with her determination and talent, he helps her become the best and the two soon form a close bond.
Director: Clint Eastwood | Stars: Hilary Swank, Clint Eastwood, Morgan Freeman, Jay Baruchel
Votes: 721,458 | Gross: $100.49M
Won 4 Oscars. Best Picture, Best Actress in a Leading Role, Best Director, Best Actor in a Supporting Role
8. Chariots of Fire (1981)
PG | 125 min | Biography, Drama, Sport
Two British track athletes, one a determined Jew and the other a devout Christian, are driven to win in the 1924 Olympics as they wrestle with issues of pride and conscience.
Director: Hugh Hudson | Stars: Ben Cross, Ian Charleson, Nicholas Farrell, Nigel Havers
Votes: 65,855 | Gross: $58.97M
Won 4 Oscar's including Best Picture
9. Slap Shot (1977)
R | 123 min | Comedy, Drama, Sport
A failing ice hockey team finds success with outrageously violent hockey goonery.
Director: George Roy Hill | Stars: Paul Newman, Michael Ontkean, Strother Martin, Jennifer Warren
Votes: 41,219 | Gross: $28.00M
Old-time hockey like Eddie Shore
10. Friday Night Lights (2004)
PG-13 | 118 min | Action, Drama, Sport
Based on H.G. Bissinger's book, which profiled the economically depressed town of Odessa, Texas and their heroic high school football team, The Permian High Panthers.
Director: Peter Berg | Stars: Billy Bob Thornton, Jay Hernandez, Derek Luke, Lucas Black
Votes: 66,824 | Gross: $61.26M
The book is a must read for any football fan
11. Field of Dreams (1989)
PG | 107 min | Drama, Family, Fantasy
Iowa farmer Ray Kinsella is inspired by a voice he can't ignore to pursue a dream he can hardly believe. Supported by his wife, Ray begins the quest by turning his ordinary cornfield into a place where dreams can come true.
Director: Phil Alden Robinson | Stars: Kevin Costner, James Earl Jones, Ray Liotta, Amy Madigan
Votes: 128,006 | Gross: $64.43M
"If you build it, he will come." #39 on AFI's greatest movie quote's of all time
12. Cinderella Man (2005)
PG-13 | 144 min | Biography, Drama, Romance
The true story of James J. Braddock, a supposedly washed-up boxer, who returned to the spotlight to win the heavyweight championship of the world.
Director: Ron Howard | Stars: Russell Crowe, Renée Zellweger, Craig Bierko, Paul Giamatti
Votes: 198,256 | Gross: $61.65M
Nominated for 3 Oscars.
13. The Bad News Bears (1976)
PG | 102 min | Comedy, Drama, Family
An aging, down-on-his-luck ex-minor leaguer coaches a team of misfits in an ultra-competitive California little league.
Director: Michael Ritchie | Stars: Walter Matthau, Tatum O'Neal, Vic Morrow, Joyce Van Patten
Votes: 24,987 | Gross: $42.35M
Walter Matthau plays a great drunk. The kids are hilarious. Tatum O'Neil gives one of the best kid actor performances. And who didn't want to be Kelly Leak as a kid
14. The Wrestler (2008)
R | 109 min | Drama, Sport
A faded professional wrestler must retire, but finds his quest for a new life outside the ring a dispiriting struggle.
Director: Darren Aronofsky | Stars: Mickey Rourke, Marisa Tomei, Evan Rachel Wood, Mark Margolis
Votes: 319,858 | Gross: $26.24M
Nominated for Oscar Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role Mickey Rourke
15. The Longest Yard (1974)
R | 121 min | Comedy, Crime, Drama
A sadistic warden asks a former pro quarterback, now serving time in his prison, to put together a team of inmates to take on (and get pummeled by) the guards.
Director: Robert Aldrich | Stars: Burt Reynolds, Eddie Albert, Ed Lauter, Michael Conrad
Votes: 21,416 | Gross: $7.13M
Nominated for 1 Oscar.
16. Bull Durham (1988)
R | 108 min | Comedy, Romance, Sport
A fan who has an affair with one minor-league baseball player each season meets an up-and-coming pitcher and the experienced catcher assigned to him.
Director: Ron Shelton | Stars: Kevin Costner, Susan Sarandon, Tim Robbins, Trey Wilson
Votes: 59,315 | Gross: $50.89M
"A treasure of a movie because it knows so much about baseball and so little about love."-Roger Ebert who gave it 3.5 stars out of 4
17. Dogtown and Z-Boys (2001)
PG-13 | 91 min | Documentary, Sport
Documentary about the pioneering 1970s Zephyr skating team.
Director: Stacy Peralta | Stars: Sean Penn, Jay Adams, Tony Alva, Jeff Ament
Votes: 13,354 | Gross: $1.29M
Even if you don't care about skateboarding, this is a thoroughly engrossing documentary. And maybe the best soundtrack ever. Also Sean Penn narrates
18. Major League (1989)
R | 107 min | Comedy, Sport
The new owner of the Cleveland Indians puts together a purposely horrible team so they'll lose and she can move the team. But when the plot is uncovered, they start winning just to spite her.
Director: David S. Ward | Stars: Tom Berenger, Charlie Sheen, Corbin Bernsen, Margaret Whitton
Votes: 76,375 | Gross: $49.80M
Just a fun movie and Bob Uecker was tremendous
19. When We Were Kings (1996)
PG | 88 min | Documentary, Sport
Boxing documentary on the 1974 world heavyweight championship bout between defending champion, George Foreman, and the underdog challenger, Muhammad Ali.
Director: Leon Gast | Stars: Muhammad Ali, George Foreman, Don King, James Brown
Votes: 19,129 | Gross: $2.79M
Great all access footage of Ali basically talkin trash on George Foreman for 90 mins, and its Awesome. Won Oscar Best Documentary
20. Breaking Away (1979)
PG | 101 min | Comedy, Drama, Sport
A working-class Indiana teen obsessed with the Italian cycling team vies for the affections of a college girl while searching for life goals with his friends.
Director: Peter Yates | Stars: Dennis Christopher, Dennis Quaid, Daniel Stern, Jackie Earle Haley
Votes: 25,456 | Gross: $16.42M
Won 1 Oscar. You get sucked in rooting for these "Cutters"
21. The Fighter (I) (2010)
R | 116 min | Action, Biography, Drama
Based on the story of Micky Ward, a fledgling boxer who tries to escape the shadow of his more famous but troubled older boxing brother and get his own shot at greatness.
Director: David O. Russell | Stars: Mark Wahlberg, Christian Bale, Amy Adams, Melissa Leo
Votes: 388,750 | Gross: $93.62M
Won 2 Oscars.
22. The Big Lebowski (1998)
R | 117 min | Comedy, Crime
Jeff "The Dude" Lebowski, mistaken for a millionaire of the same name, seeks restitution for his ruined rug and enlists his bowling buddies to help get it.
Directors: Joel Coen, Ethan Coen | Stars: Jeff Bridges, John Goodman, Julianne Moore, Steve Buscemi
Votes: 859,942 | Gross: $17.50M
The Dude. That is all
23. Jerry Maguire (1996)
R | 139 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
When a sports agent has a moral epiphany and is fired for expressing it, he decides to put his new philosophy to the test as an independent agent with the only athlete who stays with him and his former colleague.
Director: Cameron Crowe | Stars: Tom Cruise, Cuba Gooding Jr., Renée Zellweger, Kelly Preston
Votes: 286,901 | Gross: $153.95M
Won 1 Oscar. Best Actor in a Supporting Role Cuba Gooding Jr.
24.
30 for 30 (2009– )
Episode:
The Two Escobars
(2010)
TV-G | 104 min | Documentary, Biography, History
The rise of Colombian soccer is attributed to the influx of drug money into the sport by Pablo Escobar and the other drug cartels. However, the team's swift decline after Escobar's death results in the murder of star player Andres Escobar.
Directors: Jeff Zimbalist, Michael Zimbalist | Stars: María Ester Escobar, Francisco Maturana, Alexis García V., Jaime Gaviria Gómez
Votes: 3,444
Maybe the best sports movie I've seen in recent years. Soccer plus Pablo Escobar, a must see.
25. Moneyball (2011)
PG-13 | 133 min | Biography, Drama, Sport
Oakland A's general manager Billy Beane's successful attempt to assemble a baseball team on a lean budget by employing computer-generated analysis to acquire new players.
Director: Bennett Miller | Stars: Brad Pitt, Robin Wright, Jonah Hill, Philip Seymour Hoffman
Votes: 464,288 | Gross: $75.61M
Nominated for 6 Oscars.
26. North Dallas Forty (1979)
R | 119 min | Comedy, Drama, Sport
A satire of American professional football in which a veteran pass-catcher's individuality and refusal to become part of the team family are bitterly resented by his disciplinarian coaches.
Director: Ted Kotcheff | Stars: Nick Nolte, Charles Durning, Mac Davis, Dayle Haddon
Votes: 5,988 | Gross: $26.08M
Maybe the most realistic football movie ever
27. Seabiscuit (2003)
PG-13 | 140 min | Drama, History, Sport
True story of the undersized Depression-era racehorse whose victories lifted not only the spirits of the team behind it but also those of their nation.
Director: Gary Ross | Stars: Tobey Maguire, Jeff Bridges, Elizabeth Banks, Chris Cooper
Votes: 76,758 | Gross: $120.28M
Nominated for 7 Oscars.
28. Baseball (1994–2010)
TV-PG | 104 min | Documentary, History, Sport
A documentary on the history of the sport with major topics including Afro-American players, player/team owner relations and the resilience of the game.
Stars: Daniel Okrent, George F. Will, John Chancellor, Doris Kearns Goodwin
Votes: 4,735
Won 1 Primetime Emmy. The complete history of Baseball. Ken Burns did a superb job with this
29. Brian's Song (1971 TV Movie)
G | 73 min | Biography, Drama, Sport
Based on the real-life relationship between teammates Brian Piccolo and Gale Sayers and the bond established when Piccolo discovers that he is dying.
Director: Buzz Kulik | Stars: James Caan, Billy Dee Williams, Jack Warden, Bernie Casey
Votes: 8,857
Nominated for 1 Golden Globe.
30. Creed (II) (2015)
PG-13 | 133 min | Action, Drama, Sport
The former World Heavyweight Champion Rocky Balboa serves as a trainer and mentor to Adonis Johnson, the son of his late friend and former rival Apollo Creed.
Director: Ryan Coogler | Stars: Michael B. Jordan, Sylvester Stallone, Tessa Thompson, Phylicia Rashad
Votes: 310,738 | Gross: $109.77M
That they made Rocky 7 into a good movie is inconceivable. Michael B. Jordan, my man Wallace from The Wire, is an actor whose talent We will be enjoying for years to come...if Hollywood allows it. Stallone nominated for an Oscar Best Supporting Actor.
31. The Blind Side (2009)
PG-13 | 129 min | Biography, Drama, Sport
The story of Michael Oher, a homeless and traumatized boy who became an All-American football player and first-round NFL draft pick with the help of a caring woman and her family.
Director: John Lee Hancock | Stars: Quinton Aaron, Sandra Bullock, Tim McGraw, Jae Head
Votes: 360,329 | Gross: $255.96M
Won 1 Oscar. Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role Sandra Bullock
32. He Got Game (1998)
R | 136 min | Drama, Sport
A basketball player's father must try to convince him to go to a college so he can get a shorter sentence.
Director: Spike Lee | Stars: Denzel Washington, Milla Jovovich, Ray Allen, Rosario Dawson
Votes: 51,428 | Gross: $21.55M
"Lee uses visual imagination to lift his material into the realms of hopes and dreams."-Roger Ebert-3.5 stars out of 4
33. Remember the Titans (2000)
PG | 113 min | Biography, Drama, Sport
In 1971 Virginia high school football was everything to the people of Alexandria. But when the school board was forced to integrate an all-black school with an all-white one, the very foundation of football's tradition was put to the test.
Director: Boaz Yakin | Stars: Denzel Washington, Will Patton, Wood Harris, Ryan Hurst
Votes: 231,807 | Gross: $115.65M
"Has the outer form of a brave statement about the races in America, but the soul of a sports movie in which everything is settled by the obligatory last play in the last seconds of the championship game."-Roger Ebert
34. Horse Feathers (1932)
Approved | 68 min | Comedy, Family, Musical
Quincy Adams Wagstaff, Huxley University's new president, accidentally hires bumblers Baravelli and Pinky to help his school win the big football game against their rival, Darwin University.
Director: Norman Z. McLeod | Stars: Groucho Marx, Chico Marx, Harpo Marx, The Marx Brothers
Votes: 13,390
96% fresh on Rotten Tomatoes
35. Miracle (2004)
PG | 135 min | Biography, Drama, History
The true story of Herb Brooks, the player-turned-coach who led the 1980 U.S. Olympic hockey team to victory over the seemingly invincible Soviet squad.
Director: Gavin O'Connor | Stars: Kurt Russell, Patricia Clarkson, Nathan West, Noah Emmerich
Votes: 58,871 | Gross: $64.38M
"You keep rooting for the team, mostly because director Gavin O'Connor cast real athletes instead of actors, a canny decision that pays major dividends when the big game is re-created."-Peter Travers Rolling Stone
36. A League of Their Own (1992)
PG | 128 min | Comedy, Drama, Sport
Two sisters join the first female professional baseball league and struggle to help it succeed amid their own growing rivalry.
Director: Penny Marshall | Stars: Tom Hanks, Geena Davis, Lori Petty, Madonna
Votes: 120,975 | Gross: $107.53M
"There's no crying in baseball!" #54 on AFI's 100 GREATEST MOVIE QUOTES OF ALL TIME
37. The Damned United (2009)
R | 98 min | Biography, Drama, Sport
The story of the controversial Brian Clough's 44-day reign as the coach of the English football club Leeds United.
Director: Tom Hooper | Stars: Colm Meaney, Henry Goodman, David Roper, Jimmy Reddington
Votes: 45,912 | Gross: $0.45M
3.5 stars out of 4-Roger Ebert. Micheal Sheen carries this entire movie.
38. The Pride of the Yankees (1942)
Approved | 128 min | Biography, Drama, Romance
The story of the life and career of famed baseball player Lou Gehrig.
Director: Sam Wood | Stars: Gary Cooper, Teresa Wright, Babe Ruth, Walter Brennan
Votes: 11,991
Won 1 Oscar. "Today, I consider myself the luckiest man on the face of the earth." #38 on AFI'S LIST OF 100 GREATEST MOVIE QUOTES OF ALL TIME
39. Body and Soul (1947)
Approved | 104 min | Drama, Film-Noir, Sport
A talented boxer's young career hits difficult terrain when an unethical promoter takes interest in him.
Director: Robert Rossen | Stars: John Garfield, Lilli Palmer, Hazel Brooks, Anne Revere
Votes: 5,365
Won 1 Oscar. Nominated for 2 others
40. Blue Chips (1994)
PG-13 | 108 min | Drama, Sport
A college basketball coach is forced to break the rules in order to get the players he needs to stay competitive.
Director: William Friedkin | Stars: Nick Nolte, Mary McDonnell, J.T. Walsh, Ed O'Neill
Votes: 15,165 | Gross: $22.36M
3 out of 4 stars-Roger Ebert
41. Heaven Can Wait (1978)
PG | 101 min | Comedy, Fantasy, Romance
A Los Angeles Rams quarterback, accidentally taken away from his body by an overanxious angel before he was meant to die, returns to life in the body of a recently murdered millionaire.
Directors: Warren Beatty, Buck Henry | Stars: Warren Beatty, James Mason, Julie Christie, Jack Warden
Votes: 23,501 | Gross: $81.64M
Won 1 Oscar. Nominated for 8 more
42. The Hurricane (1999)
R | 146 min | Biography, Drama, Sport
The story of Rubin 'Hurricane' Carter, a boxer wrongly imprisoned for murder, and the people who aided in his fight to prove his innocence.
Director: Norman Jewison | Stars: Denzel Washington, Vicellous Shannon, Deborah Kara Unger, Liev Schreiber
Votes: 102,401 | Gross: $50.67M
Nominated for 1 Oscar.
43. Requiem for a Heavyweight (1962)
Not Rated | 95 min | Drama, Sport
Knockout performances by Anthony Quinn, Jackie Gleason, Mickey Rooney and Julie Harris highlight this hard-hitting drama of corruption in the ring. Featuring Muhammad Ali.
Director: Ralph Nelson | Stars: Anthony Quinn, Jackie Gleason, Mickey Rooney, Julie Harris
Votes: 4,833
Anthony Quinn, Jackie Gleason, Mickey Rooney
44. Bend It Like Beckham (2002)
PG-13 | 112 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
Two ambitious girls, despite their parents' wishes, have their hearts set on careers in professional football.
Director: Gurinder Chadha | Stars: Parminder Nagra, Keira Knightley, Jonathan Rhys Meyers, Anupam Kher
Votes: 116,450 | Gross: $32.54M
Nominated for 1 Golden Globe. "just about perfect as a teenage coming-of-age comedy."-Roger Ebert-3.5 stars out of 4
45. The Set-Up (1949)
Approved | 73 min | Crime, Film-Noir, Sport
Expecting the usual loss, a boxing manager takes bribes from a betting gangster without telling his fighter.
Director: Robert Wise | Stars: Robert Ryan, Audrey Totter, George Tobias, Alan Baxter
Votes: 10,076
Won 2 Cannes Film Festival Awards
46. The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad! (1988)
PG-13 | 85 min | Comedy, Crime
Incompetent police Detective Frank Drebin must foil an attempt to assassinate Queen Elizabeth II.
Director: David Zucker | Stars: Leslie Nielsen, Priscilla Presley, O.J. Simpson, Ricardo Montalban
Votes: 184,779 | Gross: $78.76M
The entire 3rd act is in Dodgers Stadium, with Frank going undercover as umpire Enrico Palatzzo. Reggie Jackson plays a brainwashed baseball assassin. The fake baseball blooper reel is hilarious with Curt Gowdy's "How about that". Also OJ Simpson stars
47. Coach Carter (2005)
PG-13 | 136 min | Biography, Drama, Sport
Controversy surrounds high school basketball coach Ken Carter after he benches his entire team for breaking their academic contract with him.
Director: Thomas Carter | Stars: Samuel L. Jackson, Rick Gonzalez, Robert Ri'chard, Rob Brown
Votes: 171,817 | Gross: $67.26M
"Jackson has the usual big speeches assigned to all coaches in all sports movies, and delivers on them, big time. His passion makes familiar scenes feel new."-Roger Ebert-3 out of 4 stars
48. Rush (I) (2013)
R | 123 min | Action, Biography, Drama
The merciless 1970s rivalry between Formula One rivals James Hunt and Niki Lauda.
Director: Ron Howard | Stars: Daniel Brühl, Chris Hemsworth, Olivia Wilde, Alexandra Maria Lara
Votes: 513,361 | Gross: $26.95M
"Rush ranks among the best movies about auto racing ever made, featuring two great performances from the leads, who capture not only the physical look of the racing legends they're playing, but the vastly different character traits that made their rivalry, well, made for the movies."-Richard Roeper Chicago Sun Times
49. The Sandlot (1993)
PG | 101 min | Comedy, Drama, Family
In the summer of 1962, a new kid in town is taken under the wing of a young baseball prodigy and his rowdy team, resulting in many adventures.
Director: David Mickey Evans | Stars: Tom Guiry, Mike Vitar, Art LaFleur, Patrick Renna
Votes: 102,302 | Gross: $32.42M
A movie targeted for kids but adults can also enjoy. Not just about baseball but fitting in. With Denis Leary as the stern, emotionless father, & James Earl Jones as the neighbor who would keep your ball if it went over the fence.
50. A Day at the Races (1937)
Passed | 111 min | Comedy, Family, Musical
A veterinarian posing as a doctor teams with a singer and his friends as they struggle to save an upstate New York sanitarium with the help of a misfit racehorse.
Director: Sam Wood | Stars: Groucho Marx, Chico Marx, Harpo Marx, Allan Jones
Votes: 14,581
Marx Brothers still hold up after 80 years
51. Fight Club (1999)
R | 139 min | Drama
An insomniac office worker and a devil-may-care soap maker form an underground fight club that evolves into much more.
Director: David Fincher | Stars: Brad Pitt, Edward Norton, Meat Loaf, Zach Grenier
Votes: 2,321,973 | Gross: $37.03M
If boxing & MMA movies are considered sports movies, then why not Fight Club
52. Enter the Dragon (1973)
R | 102 min | Action, Crime, Thriller
A Shaolin martial artist travels to an island fortress to spy on an opium lord - who is also a former monk from his temple - under the guise of attending a fighting tournament.
Director: Robert Clouse | Stars: Bruce Lee, John Saxon, Jim Kelly, Ahna Capri
Votes: 112,948 | Gross: $25.00M
Bruce Lee was such a seminal figure for martial arts & later MMA, I had to give Him a shout out on this list
53. The Karate Kid (1984)
PG | 126 min | Action, Drama, Family
A martial arts master agrees to teach karate to a bullied teenager.
Director: John G. Avildsen | Stars: Ralph Macchio, Pat Morita, Elisabeth Shue, Martin Kove
Votes: 244,354 | Gross: $90.82M
Nominated for 1 Oscar. Wax on Wax off, Cobra Kai, and the Crane kick are so 80"s
54. 61* (2001 TV Movie)
TV-MA | 129 min | Biography, Drama, History
Roger Maris and Mickey Mantle race to break Babe Ruth's single-season home run record.
Director: Billy Crystal | Stars: Barry Pepper, Thomas Jane, Anthony Michael Hall, Richard Masur
Votes: 17,637
Barry Pepper did a great job capturing Roger Maris' angst of chasing home run record in Babe Ruth's shadow, while being teammates with HOF fan favorite Mickey Mantle
55. White Men Can't Jump (1992)
R | 115 min | Comedy, Sport
Black and white basketball hustlers join forces to double their chances of winning money on the street courts and in a basketball tournament.
Director: Ron Shelton | Stars: Wesley Snipes, Woody Harrelson, Rosie Perez, Tyra Ferrell
Votes: 98,229 | Gross: $76.25M
3.5 stars out of 4-Roger Ebert
56. The Basketball Diaries (1995)
R | 102 min | Biography, Crime, Drama
A teenager finds his dreams of becoming a basketball star threatened after he free falls into the harrowing world of drug addiction.
Director: Scott Kalvert | Stars: Leonardo DiCaprio, Lorraine Bracco, Marilyn Sokol, James Madio
Votes: 120,976 | Gross: $2.42M
Leo showed in this movie that He's an actor who' here to stay. More about addiction than BBall. Remember the scene with Leo & Mark Wahlberg all pilled up playin BBall to Riders on the Storm
57. The Program (1993)
R | 112 min | Action, Drama, Romance
Several players from different backgrounds try to cope with the pressures of playing football at a major university. Each deals with the pressure differently, some turn to drinking, others to drugs, and some to studying.
Director: David S. Ward | Stars: James Caan, Halle Berry, Omar Epps, Craig Sheffer
Votes: 11,572 | Gross: $23.00M
Not on most best of lists, but Roger Ebert gave it 3 out of 4 stars. James Caan gave it credibility & the 2 young actors, Halley Berry & Omar Epps went on 2 great success. Alvin Mack: "Kill 'em all, let the paramedics sort 'em out"
58. Jim Thorpe -- All-American (1951)
Approved | 107 min | Biography, Drama, Family
The triumph and tragedy of Native American Jim Thorpe, who, after winning both the pentathlon and decathlon in the same Olympics, is stripped of his medals on a technicality.
Director: Michael Curtiz | Stars: Burt Lancaster, Charles Bickford, Steve Cochran, Phyllis Thaxter
Votes: 2,297
Arguably the greatest athlete of all time played by Burt Lancaster. With His story, I think Hollywood will make a new bio pic at some point
59. Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby (2006)
PG-13 | 108 min | Comedy, Sport
Number one NASCAR driver Ricky Bobby stays atop the heap thanks to a pact with his best friend and teammate, Cal Naughton, Jr. But when a French Formula One driver, makes his way up the ladder, Ricky Bobby's talent and devotion are put to the test.
Director: Adam McKay | Stars: Will Ferrell, John C. Reilly, Sacha Baron Cohen, Gary Cole
Votes: 199,700 | Gross: $148.21M
"My favorite sports movie of all time."-Little Baby Jesus. SHAKE AND BAKE!
60. Glory Road (2006)
PG | 118 min | Biography, Drama, Sport
In 1966, Texas Western coach Don Haskins led the first all-black starting line-up for a college basketball team to the NCAA national championship.
Director: James Gartner | Stars: Josh Lucas, Derek Luke, Austin Nichols, Jon Voight
Votes: 48,809 | Gross: $42.64M
"Where it succeeds is as the story of a chapter in history, the story of how one coach at one school arrived at an obvious conclusion and acted on it, and helped open college sports in the South to generations of African Americans."-Roger Ebert
61. Rudy (1993)
PG | 114 min | Biography, Drama, Sport
Rudy has always been told that he was too small to play college football. But he is determined to overcome the odds and fulfill his dream of playing for Notre Dame.
Director: David Anspaugh | Stars: Sean Astin, Jon Favreau, Ned Beatty, Greta Lind
Votes: 69,048 | Gross: $22.75M
3.5 stars out of 4-Roger Ebert. Has lost some of its luster hearing how much Hollywood exaggerated some stuff from players who were in the locker room
62. Varsity Blues (1999)
R | 106 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
A back-up quarterback is chosen to lead a Texas football team to victory after the star quarterback is injured.
Director: Brian Robbins | Stars: James Van Der Beek, Jon Voight, Paul Walker, Ron Lester
Votes: 49,037 | Gross: $52.89M
This movie maybe a lil chessey with played out storylines, but when its on TV, I end up watchin. Jon Voight gives it some credibility with His portrayal of disciplinarian coach.
63. Any Given Sunday (1999)
R | 162 min | Drama, Sport
A behind-the-scenes look at the life-and-death struggles of modern-day gladiators and those who lead them.
Director: Oliver Stone | Stars: Al Pacino, Dennis Quaid, Cameron Diaz, James Woods
Votes: 125,864 | Gross: $75.53M
Oliver Stone somehow got a great acting performance out of LT
64. Murderball (2005)
R | 88 min | Documentary, Sport
Quadriplegics, who play full-contact rugby in wheelchairs, overcome unimaginable obstacles to compete in the Paralympic Games in Athens, Greece.
Directors: Henry Alex Rubin, Dana Adam Shapiro | Stars: Joe Soares, Keith Cavill, Mark Zupan, Robert Soares
Votes: 10,457 | Gross: $1.52M
Nominated for 1 Oscar.
65. Senna (2010)
PG-13 | 106 min | Documentary, Biography, Sport
A documentary on Brazilian Formula One racing driver Ayrton Senna, who won the F1 world championship three times before his death at age 34.
Director: Asif Kapadia | Stars: Ayrton Senna, Reginaldo Leme, John Bisignano, Neyde Senna
Votes: 75,742 | Gross: $1.61M
"Exhilarating and tragic." Steven Rea Philadelphia Inquirer
66. Lucas (1986)
PG-13 | 100 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
A socially inept fourteen-year-old experiences heartbreak for the first time when his two best friends - Cappie, an older-brother figure, and Maggie, the new girl with whom he is in love - fall for each other.
Director: David Seltzer | Stars: Corey Haim, Kerri Green, Charlie Sheen, Courtney Thorne-Smith
Votes: 17,526 | Gross: $8.20M
'There are a half-dozen scenes done so well that they could make short films of their own."-Roger Ebert-4 out of 4 stars
67. Eight Men Out (1988)
PG | 119 min | Drama, History, Sport
A dramatization of the Black Sox scandal when the underpaid Chicago White Sox accepted bribes to deliberately lose the 1919 World Series.
Director: John Sayles | Stars: John Cusack, Clifton James, Jace Alexander, Gordon Clapp
Votes: 22,072 | Gross: $5.68M
Ray Liota is a better Shoeless Joe than DB Sweeny
68. The Hustler (1961)
Not Rated | 134 min | Drama, Sport
An up-and-coming pool player plays a long-time champion in a single high-stakes match.
Director: Robert Rossen | Stars: Paul Newman, Jackie Gleason, Piper Laurie, George C. Scott
Votes: 86,767 | Gross: $8.28M
Won 2 Oscars. Nominated for 7 more
69. 42 (2013)
PG-13 | 128 min | Biography, Drama, Sport
In 1947, Jackie Robinson becomes the first African-American to play in Major League Baseball in the modern era when he was signed by the Brooklyn Dodgers and faces considerable racism in the process.
Director: Brian Helgeland | Stars: Chadwick Boseman, T.R. Knight, Harrison Ford, Nicole Beharie
Votes: 102,658 | Gross: $95.00M
If you've read anything on Jackie Robinson, you know His life story is better than this movie. But Respect
70. The Boxer (1997)
R | 113 min | Drama, Romance, Sport
Young Danny Flynn is released from prison 14 years after "taking the rap" for the IRA and tries to rebuild his life in his old Belfast neighborhood.
Director: Jim Sheridan | Stars: Daniel Day-Lewis, Emily Watson, Daragh Donnelly, Frank Coughlan
Votes: 22,298 | Gross: $5.80M
"Although it seems to borrow the pattern of the traditional boxing movie, the boxer here is not the usual self-destructive character, but the center of maturity and balance in a community in turmoil."-Roger Ebert-3 out of 4 stars
71.
30 for 30 (2009– )
Episode:
Elway to Marino
(2013)
TV-G | 79 min | Documentary, Biography, History
In the spring of 1983, a new generation of superstars was poised to enter the NFL. Six quarterbacks were selected in the first round of that draft - still the most ever. Elway to Marino explores this landmark draft.
Director: Ken Rodgers | Stars: Tom Selleck, Ernie Accorsi, Bruce Allen, Howard Balzer
Votes: 1,142
Doc of the greatest draft for QB's ever. Elway & Marino's agent Marvin Demoff kept a diary of draft & offers great behind the scene's insight
72. The Greatest Game Ever Played (2005)
PG | 120 min | Biography, Drama, Sport
In the 1913 U.S. Open, twenty-year-old Francis Ouimet played golf against his idol, 1900 U.S. Open champion, Englishman Harry Vardon.
Director: Bill Paxton | Stars: Shia LaBeouf, Stephen Dillane, Elias Koteas, James Paxton
Votes: 33,457 | Gross: $15.33M
"I am not a golf fan but found The Greatest Game Ever Played absorbing all the same, partly because of the human element, partly because Paxton and his technicians have used every trick in the book to dramatize the flight and destination of the golf balls."-Roger Ebert-3 out of 4 stars
73. Point Break (1991)
R | 122 min | Action, Crime, Thriller
An F.B.I. Agent goes undercover to catch a gang of surfers who may be bank robbers.
Director: Kathryn Bigelow | Stars: Patrick Swayze, Keanu Reeves, Gary Busey, Lori Petty
Votes: 202,111 | Gross: $43.22M
Former QB, turned FBI agent, turned undercover surfer. Only in Hollywood.
74. Tyson (2008)
R | 90 min | Documentary, Biography, Sport
A mixture of original interviews, archival footage, and photographs sheds light on the life experiences of Mike Tyson.
Director: James Toback | Stars: Mike Tyson, Mills Lane, Trevor Berbick, Cus D'Amato
Votes: 12,929 | Gross: $0.89M
"A documentary with no pretense of objectivity. Here is Mike Tyson's story in his own words, and it is surprisingly persuasive."-Roger Ebert-4 out of 4 stars
75. Rebound: The Legend of Earl 'The Goat' Manigault (1996 TV Movie)
R | 120 min | Biography, Drama, Sport
A dramatization of the life of Earl 'The Goat' Manigault (Don Cheadle), with a lot of factual based occurrences. A reformed junkie returns from prison to clean up his act and devote the ... See full summary »
Director: Eriq La Salle | Stars: Don Cheadle, James Earl Jones, Michael Beach, Ronny Cox
Votes: 3,149
Don Cheadle in HBO movie about best basketball player you've never heard of
76. Warrior (2011)
PG-13 | 140 min | Action, Drama, Sport
The youngest son of an alcoholic former boxer returns home, where he's trained by his father for competition in a mixed martial arts tournament - a path that puts the fighter on a collision course with his estranged, older brother.
Director: Gavin O'Connor | Stars: Tom Hardy, Nick Nolte, Joel Edgerton, Jennifer Morrison
Votes: 497,704 | Gross: $13.66M
Nominated for 1 Oscar. Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role Nick Nolte
77. Above the Rim (1994)
R | 96 min | Crime, Drama, Sport
Story of a promising high school basketball star and his relationships with two brothers, one a drug dealer and the other a former basketball star fallen on hard times and now employed as a security guard.
Director: Jeff Pollack | Stars: Duane Martin, Tupac Shakur, Leon, David Bailey
Votes: 17,083 | Gross: $16.04M
3 out of 4 stars-Roger Ebert
78. Big Fan (2009)
R | 88 min | Comedy, Crime, Drama
A hard-core New York Giants fan struggles to deal with the consequences when he is beaten up by his favorite player.
Director: Robert Siegel | Stars: Patton Oswalt, Kevin Corrigan, Michael Rapaport, Marcia Jean Kurtz
Votes: 9,861 | Gross: $0.23M
"Big Fan, one of the more thought provoking sports movies I've seen."-Rodger Ebert. This indie movie will surprise you
80. Rocky II (1979)
PG | 119 min | Drama, Sport
Rocky struggles in family life after his bout with Apollo Creed, while the embarrassed champ insistently goads him to accept a challenge for a rematch.
Director: Sylvester Stallone | Stars: Sylvester Stallone, Talia Shire, Burt Young, Carl Weathers
Votes: 231,137
81. Bang the Drum Slowly (1973)
PG | 96 min | Drama, Sport
The story of the friendship between a worldly-wise star pitcher and a half-wit catcher as they cope with the catcher's terminal illness through a baseball season.
Director: John D. Hancock | Stars: Michael Moriarty, Robert De Niro, Vincent Gardenia, Phil Foster
Votes: 6,240 | Gross: $0.35M
Nominated for 1 Oscar.
82. Goon (2011)
R | 92 min | Comedy, Drama, Sport
Labeled an outcast by his brainy family, a bouncer overcomes long odds to lead a team of under performing misfits to semi-pro hockey glory, beating the crap out of everything that stands in his way.
Director: Michael Dowse | Stars: Seann William Scott, Jay Baruchel, Alison Pill, Eugene Levy
Votes: 90,758 | Gross: $4.17M
I was shocked to like a Seann William Scott movie
83. Happy Gilmore (1996)
PG-13 | 92 min | Comedy, Sport
After his grandmothers house is repossessed by the IRS, bad tempered hockey player takes his talents to golf to earn the big bucks and get his grandmothers house back.
Director: Dennis Dugan | Stars: Adam Sandler, Christopher McDonald, Julie Bowen, Frances Bay
Votes: 248,245 | Gross: $38.62M
Won MTV Movie Award Best Fight Adam Sandler, Bob Barker. Just dumb fun
84. All the Right Moves (1983)
R | 91 min | Drama, Romance, Sport
An ambitious young football star is trapped in a dying mill town--unless his gridiron skills can win him a way out.
Director: Michael Chapman | Stars: Tom Cruise, Lea Thompson, Craig T. Nelson, Charles Cioffi
Votes: 20,390 | Gross: $17.23M
"Two people finally tell each other the truth. This is, of course, an astonishing breakthrough in movies about teenagers, and All the Right Moves deserves it"-Roger Ebert-3 out of 4 stars
85. Knute Rockne All American (1940)
Approved | 98 min | Biography, Drama, Family
The story of legendary Notre Dame football player and coach Knute Rockne.
Directors: Lloyd Bacon, William K. Howard | Stars: Pat O'Brien, Gale Page, Ronald Reagan, Donald Crisp
Votes: 2,154
86. Invictus (2009)
PG-13 | 134 min | Biography, Drama, History
Nelson Mandela, in his first term as President of South Africa, initiates a unique venture to unite the Apartheid-torn land: enlist the national rugby team on a mission to win the 1995 Rugby World Cup.
Director: Clint Eastwood | Stars: Morgan Freeman, Matt Damon, Tony Kgoroge, Patrick Mofokeng
Votes: 167,822 | Gross: $37.49M
Nominated for 2 Oscars.
87. Rocky Balboa (2006)
PG | 102 min | Action, Drama, Sport
Thirty years after the ring of the first bell, Rocky Balboa comes out of retirement and dons his gloves for his final fight against the reigning heavyweight champ Mason 'The Line' Dixon.
Director: Sylvester Stallone | Stars: Sylvester Stallone, Antonio Tarver, Milo Ventimiglia, Burt Young
Votes: 231,399 | Gross: $70.27M
I couldn't of had lower expectations after Rocky V. But somehow Stallone pulls off the improbable and ends Rocky franchise on a high note.
88. The Last Boy Scout (1991)
R | 105 min | Action, Comedy, Crime
A private detective's protected female witness is murdered, prompting him and the victim's boyfriend to investigate the crime that leads to a corrupt politician and a crooked football team owner.
Director: Tony Scott | Stars: Bruce Willis, Damon Wayans, Chelsea Field, Noble Willingham
Votes: 112,010 | Gross: $59.51M
"The movie has a lot of laughs, its action sequences are thrilling, its surprises are startling, and it shows a real ingenuity in the ways by which it gets Willis into, and out of, trouble."-Roger Ebert-3 out of 4 stars
89. Hard Times (1975)
PG | 93 min | Crime, Drama, Sport
The saga of a drifter who turns to illicit bare-knuckle boxing in Depression-era New Orleans.
Director: Walter Hill | Stars: Charles Bronson, James Coburn, Jill Ireland, Strother Martin
Votes: 12,094 | Gross: $8.72M
"Hard Times is a powerful, brutal film containing a definitive Charles Bronson performance."-Roger Ebert-3 out of 4 stars
90. Invincible (2006)
PG | 105 min | Biography, Drama, Sport
Based on the story of Vince Papale, a 30-year-old bartender from South Philadelphia who overcame long odds to play for the NFL's Philadelphia Eagles in 1976.
Director: Ericson Core | Stars: Mark Wahlberg, Greg Kinnear, Elizabeth Banks, Kevin Conway
Votes: 75,306 | Gross: $57.81M
91. School Ties (1992)
PG-13 | 106 min | Drama
In 1959, a star quarterback from a working-class family is given an opportunity to attend an elite New England preparatory school, but he is conflicted about whether or not to tell his Evangelical classmates that he is Jewish.
Director: Robert Mandel | Stars: Brendan Fraser, Matt Damon, Chris O'Donnell, Randall Batinkoff
Votes: 27,390 | Gross: $14.72M
Roger Ebert-3 out of 4 stars
92. The Express (2008)
PG | 130 min | Biography, Drama, Sport
A drama based on the life of college football hero Ernie Davis, the first African-American to win the Heisman Trophy.
Director: Gary Fleder | Stars: Rob Brown, Dennis Quaid, Clancy Brown, Darrin Dewitt Henson
Votes: 22,863 | Gross: $9.59M
"Involving and inspiring in the way a good movie about sports almost always is."-Roger Ebert-3 out of 4 stars
93. Finding Forrester (2000)
PG-13 | 136 min | Drama
Forrester, the author of a famous book, decides to help Jamal, a 16-year-old student, discover his writing prowess by mentoring him and enrolling him into a prestigious private school.
Director: Gus Van Sant | Stars: Sean Connery, Rob Brown, F. Murray Abraham, Anna Paquin
Votes: 89,556 | Gross: $66.40M
I love the further vs farther scene
94. Tin Cup (1996)
R | 135 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
A washed-up golf pro working at a driving range tries to qualify for the U.S. Open in order to win the heart of his successful rival's girlfriend.
Director: Ron Shelton | Stars: Kevin Costner, Rene Russo, Don Johnson, Cheech Marin
Votes: 53,235 | Gross: $53.85M
Nominated for 1 Golden Globe.
95. Pumping Iron (1977)
PG | 86 min | Documentary, Sport
Arnold Schwarzenegger and Lou Ferrigno face off in a no-holds-barred competition for the title of Mr. Olympia in this critically-acclaimed film that made Schwarzenegger a household name.
Directors: George Butler, Robert Fiore | Stars: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Lou Ferrigno, Matty Ferrigno, Victoria Ferrigno
Votes: 24,901
Movie that started Arnold Schwarzenegger's career
96. We Are Marshall (2006)
PG | 131 min | Drama, Sport
When a plane crash claims the lives of members of the Marshall University football team and some of its fans, the team's new coach and his surviving players try to keep the football program alive.
Director: McG | Stars: Matthew McConaughey, Matthew Fox, Anthony Mackie, David Strathairn
Votes: 64,811 | Gross: $43.55M
97. The Rocket (2005)
PG | 124 min | Biography, Drama, Sport
A story about Quebec's most famous hockey player, Maurice "The Rocket" Richard, focusing on the struggles of a French Canadian in the National Hockey League dominated by Anglophones.
Director: Charles Binamé | Stars: Roy Dupuis, Stephen McHattie, Julie LeBreton, Philip Craig
Votes: 5,452
98. Million Dollar Arm (2014)
PG | 124 min | Biography, Drama, Sport
A sports agent stages an unconventional recruitment strategy to get talented Indian cricket players to play Major League Baseball.
Director: Craig Gillespie | Stars: Jon Hamm, Aasif Mandvi, Alan Arkin, Suraj Sharma
Votes: 47,830 | Gross: $36.45M
99. Blades of Glory (2007)
PG-13 | 93 min | Comedy, Sport
In 2002, two rival Olympic ice skaters were stripped of their gold medals and permanently banned from men's single competition. Presently, however, they've found a loophole that will allow them to qualify as a pairs team.
Directors: Josh Gordon, Will Speck | Stars: Will Ferrell, Jon Heder, Amy Poehler, Will Arnett
Votes: 177,698 | Gross: $118.59M
"Blissfully silly, triumphantly tasteless and improbably hilarious."-Wall Street Journal
100. Undefeated (2011)
PG-13 | 113 min | Documentary, Sport
Chronicles three underprivileged students from inner-city Memphis and their volunteer coach who tries to help them beat the odds on and off the field.
Directors: Daniel Lindsay, T.J. Martin | Stars: Bill Courtney, O.C. Brown, Montrail 'Money' Brown, Chavis Daniels
Votes: 7,339 | Gross: $0.56M
Won Oscar Best Documentary
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