1. Hoop Dreams
2. The Natural
3. For the Love of the Game
4. Searching For Bobby Fisher
5. He Got Game
6. White Men Can't Jump
7. Rocky
8. Tin Cup
9. Color of Money
10. Love and Basketball

Space Jam is #1, noob.

2. Artie Lange's Beer League

1. Goal! The Dream Begins

Rookie of the Year, Sandlot, Space Jam, Little Giants, Searching for Bobby Fisher, Field of Dreams etc.

Is Breaking Away a "sports movie."

One of the best movies that only old people talk about.

As an old person, I would say it's as much a sports movie as is Field of Dreams or whatever. And thanks for the reminder.

My list:

Heaven Can Wait
The Great White Hope
Hoop Dreams
Breaking Away
Field of Dreams
Raging Bull
Hoosiers
Bull Durham
Rollerball (1975)
Searching for Bobby Fischer
Sandlot
Rudy
Baseketball

Sharp dropoff at the end there.

The real question is whether a movie about competitive chess is a sports movie, although I suppose the way ...Bobby Fischer is framed makes it fit the genre pretty well.

anyway:

Breaking Away
The Color of Money (not really a sports movie, but as long as we're counting chess I'm gonna go for 9-Ball)
For Love of the Game (good pick, john)
The Cincinnati Kid
The Longest Yard (original)
The Bad News Bears (original)
Dead Solid Perfect (golf movie starring Randy Quaid - better than Tin Cup, and I like Tin Cup)
Fast Break
Rounders
The Natural

hon. mention:

Field of Dreams
Friday Night Lights
Greased Lightning

Fucking SLAPSHOT

sugar for sure. and the wizard for sentimental reasons.

Paves also OTM on spacejam. No shit, my little bro just hung out with some dude who wrote spacejam. Had a ten year reunion party and everything. Insane shit.

It was so painful watching MJ get uncomfortable in that movie about his lack of baseball performance. I wish it were an alternate universe, dude found his groove and became a .260 hitting, gold glover, 15 homers a year for the sox. Would've been much more enjoyable than watching him play fairly well for a bullshit team in DC nobody cared about.

I've never actually seen The Cincinnati Kid, but on the plus side it's making me think of the time Bruce McCulloch was "the cincinnati kid" in that one sketch where he went into the bar to throw down against the "toronto kid."

Major League
Mr. Baseball
Bad News Bears
Sandlot
Necessary Roughness
The Program (but not really... but sort of)
VISION QUEST MURDERS ALL MOVIES
Slapshot again cause it's the best non-vision quest movie ever
Bull Durham
The Great White HYPE
Rocky
Rocky IV
Mighty Ducks

Tempted to add Sugar sight unseen, but no. Totally forgot about the classic Slapshot. Good call.

When We Were Kings and Slapshot. And Eight Men Out.

Slapshot
North Dallas 40

I actually haven't seen most of the big sports movies (Field of Dreams, Bull Durham, basically any baseball movies) and saw Slapshot far too long ago to recommend it (Though I'm sure it's still really good).


Rocky: There probably isn't a better sports movie than this. I actually hadn't seen it until a couple months ago and was shocked at how effective it still was, even after years of endless parody.
Sugar: Great human tale of sports and dreams and finding your own way.
The Wrestler: Is it a sport? Eh, it shares the athleticism and physical toil of a sport, good enough.
Beyond the Mat: Documentary about pro wrestling. I'm pretty sure this was the impetus for the script behind The Wrestler, specifically the sections about the wrestler in his mid-fifties struggling out of bed to wrestle his retirement match, then going back to wrestling mere months later.
Raging Bull: This is good, but it's hard to watch. LaMotta is just such a loathesome personality.
Rocky IV: In some ways, it's the worst Rocky film, but, in the ways that count, it's probably the most fun. Ivan Drago is just the greatest bad guy boxer ever.

Just remembered they play bowling on espn... So Kingpin. Duh.

When We Were Kings
Raging Bull
Chariots of Fire
The Big Lebowski
Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story
Kingpin
The Champ
On The Waterfront
Triplets of Belleville
The Damned Utd
Gregory's Girl
Fever Pitch (1997)
Zidane, un portrait du 21e siècle
Shaolin Soccer
Caddyshack
Murderball

Zidane, oui. Beautiful film.

No love for Brian's Song?!?!?

Don't have time to make a long list now, but I was just watching "Little Big League," and that's a great little underrated film.

I like that, while it was filmed in the 90's, it really feels like an innocent 50's film. 13 year old boys still go fishing and collect baseball cards. Baseball, albeit played in a dome, still has the Norman Rockwell sheen. Sure we're all familiar with the actual seedy and greedy underbelly of baseball, but I don't mind the idealized form when it shows up in film.

The Rookie
Rudy
Bull Durham
North Dallas Forty
Field of Dreams
Hoosiers
Breaking Away
Seabiscuit
Heaven Can Wait

This was a really great call. Completely forgot about it.

For surfers, I'll toss Big Wednesday into the mix. Phenomenal movie.

Brain's Song is such a great film. The only movie that's ever made my eyes water up. Well, there's also the time Pat Swayze came back to life in Ghost, but we won't talk about that.

Also, Miracle.

Bang the Drum Slowly
It Happens Every Spring
Cool Runnings (not really, but I do have my official 'Ragamuffin' t-shirt I bought in Ja)

Should have been on my list

ABSOLUTELY SPOT FUCKING ON.

hoosiers is a no-brainer choice that hasn't been on many lists here. rudy too. two indiana based-on-true-events classics

Sugar is possibly one of the best (movies/ frame with baseball in it) since at least Bull Durham.

All the tear jerkers do it for me when it comes to sports films:

Brian's Song

We are Marshall
Breaking Away
Hoosiers
Rudy
Major League - not a tear jerker, but very funny
Pride of the Yankees - hasn't this been said yet? Shame!
Jim Thorpe, all-American - dont' tell me you forgot this too!
Miracle
Bad News Bears - more then a comedy, IMO
Invincible - sorry, but I'm a sucker for the underdog
The Stratton Story - you haven't seen a handicapped comeback until you've seen Jimmy Stewart!
Glory Road - yeah, it's the "black" Hoosiers, but I liked it, especialy the recruiting
The Express - not as bad as you expect, but the "trueness" of a sports movie always gets me
One in a Million - best TV sports movie - Le Var Burton as Ron Leflore - the "scared straight" sports movie
The Jackie Robinson Story - says it all
The Pistol - rare inspirational b-ball movie
World's Fastest Indian - does this qualify? I think it does.

SO I guess sports movies are either comedy, comeback, or cancer/tragedy.
Of course when I say comeback, that includes all the underdog flicks as well.

Gee, I wonder if they could make a Walter Payton movie? Or hell, I'd settle for a Santo movie.

I got one for you. The only semi-decent high school wrestling movie out there.

This Old Cub didn't work for you, or does it have to be a biopic not made by his son?

I love Kurt Russel and I really liked Miracle, but...

The HBO Documentary, "Do You Believe In Miracles? The Story Of The 1980 Us Hockey Team," is better.

Yes, I want an honest to gosh actor, and Denzel can play Ernie Banks.

Shaolin Soccer.

Field of Dreams, that's it. I do not favor films that have applause at the end from large crowds. Worst cliche in the book.

I've never seen all of Field of Dreams. It looks too disney/stupid.

Oh, and speaking of applause-- "The Natural" is another fave of mine.

seconded on When We Were Kings. That's easily my favorite.

winner

still makes me cry

slapshot, friday night lights, rocky, hoosiers

the worst would have to be any given sunday....one of the few movies ive almost walked out on

Geez, nice to 'see' u again, crease. Nice to know that you're still afloat in these turbulent times.

Tony Perkins and Karl Malden classic about the emotional meltdown of Jim Piersall. Away ahead of it's time.

what about....THE PROGRAM!!!!

or even last boy scout....awesome junior high movies

A classic. Love when Perkins starts climbing the backstop.

After I saw this movie, I felt I was better able to fully appreciate the broadcast team of Harry Carry and Jimmy Piersall.

Man, I was obsessed with the Program when it came out. I wanted to be Joe Kane in the worst way.

such a hard question, because "sports movies" span so many different genre's. All the Right Moves and Caddyshack are both sports movies - but couldn't be more different. That said, sport themed movies that everyone should see:

Raging Bull
Hoosiers
Caddyshack
The Wrestler
Dogtown and the Z Boys
The Hustler (over color of money)
Breaking Away
Field of Dreams
The Natural
The Endless Summer
Sandlot
Brian's Song
Chariots of Fire
The Sporting Life
Slap Shot
Million Dollar Baby
Bull Durham
Hoop Dreams
Seabiscut
Rudy
Major League


There are obviously more - but those should be seen by all

Good call.

big lebowski, slap shot, lucas, bloodsport, kingpin, longest yard and karate kid are pretty close though.

and then gus and how to be a player to round out the top ten.

"Pekin" thanks for bringing up the masterpiece that is "Hoop Dreams" - I think I want to be buried with that movie, and i'm white. I've had times where I watched it twice in a row.

SPeaking of race, do ya'll think "He got Game" and "Love & Basketball" qualify? They're 2 of my favorites as well. Omar Epps hasnt' done anything better since "L&B".

Personal Best

I've seen a couple Big Lebowski mentions, but that's not really a sports movie. Just because bowling is one of the many themes in the movie, it's not a sports movie. Would you call "When Harry Met Sally" a baseball movie? The characters spend a significant amount of time at batting practice and attending ballgames, but...

Also, if TV shows were eligible, Friday Night Lights would have to be included....but since we're not talking TV, I'd also throw in its lesser older brother: Varsity Blues (which is still superior to FNL, the movie).