The 50 Best Sports Movies
A list of best sports movies is guaranteed to create some controversy because it is such a subjective judgment. "Best" movies are very much a matter of personal preference. So we start this endeavor by acknowledging up front that many will question this list based upon their personal preferences.
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Sports Depicted in the Best Sports Movies
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With that said, we did go to great lengths to try to come up with a list that most would acknowledge as reasonable and accept as a good best sports movie list. The list represents a weighted average score of many existing lists of best sports movies with many of the movies scoring very closely to each other. If you are interested in our overall methodology see the "Methodology" section later in this document. Many of these movies are easily recognized and will meet with fairly universal approval and agreement. There are a few "surprises" in the list. Only one sequel to an original movie made it onto the list. Many of these movies were also recognized for their excellence by winning Academy Awards and other recognition. |
The 50 Best Sports Movies List
- Hoosiers
(1986) Rated: PG
Sport: Basketball - Bull Durham
(1988) Rated: R
Sport: Baseball - Rocky
(1976) Rated: PG
Sport: Boxing
3 Academy Awards including Best Picture - Raging Bull
(1980) Rated: R
Sport: Boxing
2 Academy Awards including Best Actor - Robert De Niro - Field of Dreams
(1989) Rated: PG
Sport: Baseball - Caddyshack
(1980) Rated: R
Sport: Golf - Rudy
(1993) Rated: PG
Sport: Football - Slap Shot
(1977) Rated: R
Sport: Hockey - Brian's Song
(1971) Rated: G
Sport: Football - The Natural
(1984) Rated: PG
Sport: Baseball - Remember the Titans
(2000) Rated: PG
Sport: Football - Chariots of Fire
(1981) Rated: PG
Sport: Running (Olympics)
4 Academy Awards including Best Picture - Eight Men Out
(1988) Rated: PG
Sport: Baseball - Breaking Away
(1979) Rated: PG
Sport: Bicycle Racing
1 Academy Award - Miracle
(2004) Rated: PG
Sport: Hockey - Seabiscuit
(2003) Rated: PG-13
Sport: Horse Racing - Jerry Maguire
(1996) Rated: R
Sport: Football
1 Academy Award including Best Supporting Actor - Cuba Gooding Jr. - The Hustler
(1961) Rated: NR
Sport: Billiards
2 Academy Awards - The Pride of the Yankees
(1942) Rated: NR
Sport: Baseball
1 Academy Award - A League of Their Own
(1993) Rated: PG
Sport: Baseball - Major League
(1989) Rated: R
Sport: Baseball - Hoop Dreams
(1994) Rated: PG-13
Sport: Basketball - Body & Soul (1947) Rated: NR
Sport: Boxing
1 Academy Award - White Men Can't Jump
(1992) Rated: R
Sport: Basketball - Bang The Drum Slowly
(1973) Rated: PG
Sport: Baseball - The Bad News Bears
(1976) Rated: PG
Sport: Baseball - Tin Cup
(1996) Rated: R
Sport: Golf - Happy Gilmore
(1996) Rated: PG-13
Sport: Hockey - The Replacements
(2000) Rated: PG-13
Sport: Football - The Longest Yard
(1974) Rated: R
Sport: Football - The Sandlot
(1993) Rated: PG
Sport: Baseball - Requiem for a Heavyweight
(1962) Rated: NR
Sport: Boxing - North Dallas Forty
(1979) Rated: R
Sport: Football - 61*
(2001) Rated: TV-MA
Sport: Baseball - The Rookie
(2002) Rated: G
Sport: Baseball - The Color of Money
(1986) Rated: R
Sport: Billiards
1 Academy Award including Best Actor – Paul Newman - Bend It Like Beckham
(2003) Rated: PG-13
Sport: Soccer - The Hurricane
(1999) Rated: R
Sport: Boxing - Finding Forrester
(2000) Rated: PG-13
Sport: Basketball - Ali
(2001) Rated: R
Sport: Boxing - The Harder They Fall
(1956) Rated: NR
Sport: Boxing - Cobb
(1994) Rated: R
Sport: Baseball - Million Dollar Baby
(2004) Rated: PG-13
Sport: Boxing
4 Academy Awards including Best Picture, Best Actress - Hilary Swank, Best Director - Clint Eastwood - Prefontaine
(1997) Rated: PG-13
Sport: Running (Olympics) - Knute Rockne All American
(1940) Rated: NR
Sport: Football - Friday Night Lights
(2004) Rated: PG-13
Sport: Football - The Cutting Edge - Going for the Gold
(1992) Rated: PG
Sport: Figure Skating - Rocky IV
Sport: Boxing - Something for Joey (1977) Rated: NR
Sport: Football - The Mighty Ducks
(1992) Rated: PG
Sport: Hockey
Sequels to Best Sports Movies
As a class of movies, sports movies have been relatively immune from sequel mania, with some notable exceptions. Of The 50 Best Sports Movies, only 4 have sequels. But these spawned many sequels.
Of course when it comes to sequels, Rocky (1976) takes the award. In total there have been five additional Rocky
- Rocky II
- Rocky III
- Rocky IV
- Rocky V
- Rocky Balboa
(2006)
Other sports movies with sequels include:
- Major League
(1994)
- The Sandlot
(2005), and The Sandlot 3 - Heading Home
which is in production
- Slap Shot
(2002)
- The Mighty Ducks
The Rest of the Movies
Following is a list of the remaining movies that made the list but did not make The 50 Best Sports Movies list:
- For Love of the Game
(1999) Rated: PG-13
Sport: Baseball - All the Right Moves
(1983) Rated: R
Sport: Football - Bloodsport
(1988) Rated: R
Sport: Martial Arts - Cool Runnings
(1993) Rated: PG
Sport: Bobsled - Fat City
(1972) Rated: PG
Sport: Boxing - Damn Yankees
(1958) Rated: NR
Sport: Baseball - The Waterboy
(1998) Rated: PG-13
Sport: Football - Pastime
(1991) Rated: PG
Sport: Baseball - The Set-Up
(1949) Rated: NR
Sport: Boxing - When We Were Kings
(1996) Rated: PG
Sport: Boxing - He Got Game
(1998) Rated: R
Sport: Basketball - Kingpin
(1996) Rated: PG-13
Sport: Bowling - Youngblood
(1986) Rated: R
Sport: Hockey - Angels in the Outfield
(1951) Rated: NR
Sport: Baseball
Angels in the Outfield(1994) Rated: PG
Sport: Baseball - Phar Lap (1984) Rated: PG
Sport: Horse Racing
Methodology
We started by surveying a large sample of other best sports movie lists. These lists varied in length from top ten lists to top 25 lists. The list that we analyzed came from many different "authoritative" sources, including ESPN, MSNBC, Sports Illustrated, and others. Analyzed lists types ranged from "expert", editor, or reviewer opinions, to reader or popularity polls. We also created an additional list of movies base upon how frequently they were mentioned on other lists (under the theory that the more mentions, the more popular the movie is) - Only one movie was listed on all lists, and by no coincidence ended up at the top of the list. We then split the list into three tiers, movies that were on over half the lists, movies the were on less than half the lists but on more than just one list, and movies that were on just one list. We then ranked them based on a weighted average score to come up with our final list.
Movie Ratings
As a guide, following are the movie and television rating systems:
Ratings for Movies in Theaters
- G - General Audiences - All ages admitted
- PG - Parental guidance suggested - Some material may not be suitable for children
- PG-13 - Parents strongly cautioned - Some material may be inappropriate for children under 13
Please note that prior to 1984 this rating did not exist and PG moves that predate that may today actually be rated PG-13 - R - Restricted - Under 17 requires accompanying of parent or adult guardian
- NC-17 - No one 17 and under admitted
Ratings for Movies on Television
- V-Y - Kids' Audiences
- TV-Y7 - may be inappropriate for children under 7
- TV-Y7-FV - fantasy violence
- TV-G - general audiences
- TV-PG - may not be suitable for young children
- TV-14 - formerly TV-13, may be inappropriate for children under 14
- TV-MA - suitable for mature audiences or adults only
NR = not rated
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