Our Favorite Sports Movies of All Time (11-20)

The following is a list of our 20 favorite sports movies of all time.  These films might not necessarily be the ‘greatest’, but more so the ones that we grew up with and still enjoy the most today.  We’ll start out by revealing 11-20 from our list and follow it up later in the week with the top 10.  Enjoy.

20. Rocky (1976)

Rocky is the ultimate story of an underdog overcoming the odds to reach his dreams.  Stallone’s Rocky character is not only one of the most recognizable heroes in movie history; he has also become synonymous with the entire city of Philadelphia as their fictional ambassador.  Great soundtrack, great characters, great story:  this is one of those movies that all other sports movies are rooted from. – Jason

 

19.  A League of Their Own (1992)

Who would’ve thought a film about women’s baseball would be so entertaining?  The film succeeds on every level as it mixes drama, comedy and a little tragedy into the rise of two sisters and their foray into women’s major league baseball.  Madonna, Rosie O’Donnell and Tom Hanks all lend memorable supporting performances to what proves to be a very re-watchable film. – Jason

 

18.  Tin Cup (1996)

Kevin Costner apparently loves sports movies; baseball movies in particular.  However, in Tin Cup he stretches his boundaries and takes on the sport of golf.  The film is an engaging mix of underdog sports film and romantic comedy, and both stories combine to form a very good movie.  Costner, Rene Russo, Cheech and Don Johnson are all great in their roles.  The film’s centerpiece scene, a meltdown at the end of the U.S. Open, is both a nightmare for avid golfers and a triumph for casual movie-goers. – Jason

 

17. Raging Bull (1980)

A true piece of cinematic art by one of the masters, Martin Scorsese.  The story of Jake La Motta, played by Robert DeNiro, is based on the true story of a fighter who exorcises his demons in the ring.  Through his use of black and white film, Scorsese’s imagery captures the intense violence of a man and a sport.  Joe Pesci (at the time unknown) playing the part of Jake’s brother, Joey, asks “What are you trying to prove?”  Jake’s lack of response answers much not only about La Motta, but what drives the assassin instincts in the fiercest of competitors, our modern day gladiators, to not only win but to annihilate their opponent. This film stands as one of the greatest films ever made for any genre. – Josh

 

16. Caddyshack (1980)

Carl Spackler: License to kill gophers by the government of the United Nations. Man, free to kill gophers at will. To kill, you must know your enemy, and in this case my enemy is a varmint. And a varmint will never quit – ever. They’re like the Viet Cong – Varmint Cong. So you have to fall back on superior intelligence and superior firepower. And that’s all she wrote.

 Chevy Chase, Bill Murray, Rodney Dangerfield and a Gopher.  Certainly the best comedy cast of all the movies on the list, I was surprised that this movie fell this far as it is one of the truly classic sports comedies out there.  Even though the multiple story lines take away from the movie a little bit, the endless one liners and hilarious situations by Dangerfield, Murray and Chase carry Caddyshack to the notoriety that it has gained today.  If the second half of Caddyshack was anywhere close to the first half, this might be much higher on the list. – Chris

 

15. Happy Gilmore (1996)

Happy Gilmore has most of the standard Sandler yelling routines but they seem to be a bit funnier than usual.  The supporting cast plays their characters to near perfection, supporting Sandler’s Happy Gilmore well.  The story is not exactly revolutionary, having most of the normal protagonist-antagonist plot lines.  However, the film’s memorable lines and diverse humor push it above the ordinary sports movie.  Splashing some romance and drama in with the comedy keeps the audience entertained throughout the entire film.  Happy Gilmore does all the right things and delivers consistent laughs making it one of the best sports comedies ever created.  Plus, with a character named Shooter McGavin, how could you not like it? – David

 

14.  Bull Durham (1988)

The thing that makes Bull Durham a great sports movie is because even if you took sports out of the equation, it still works as a great comedy. Most baseball movies rely on the sentimentality of it’s history and the histories of the people who play it. Bull Durham relies not on the character’s relationship with baseball but their relationship with each other and their projections of their own and each others past and future. Bull Durham is not a great sports movie, it’s a great movie period. – Jackson

 

13.  Hoop Dreams (1994)

Hoop Dreams is a documentary that pushes the envelope of what the genre can do.  Typically, documentaries are basically informative persuasion pieces with little action and heavy dialogue.  Hoop Dreams, however, feels and moves along like a movie.  It is impossible not to be drawn into the lives of these two inner city student basketball players and genuinely root for them to make it to the college and professional level.  This is as powerful and moving as documentaries get and belongs in the same breath as these other Hollywood films. – Jason

 

12. Cool Runnings (1993)

One in a large assortment of Disney sports movies, Cool Runnings stands out amongst the crowd.  Filled with memorable one-liners (“Feel the rhythm, feel the ride” and “I’m a badass mutha who don’t take no crap off of nobody” to name a couple), the film reels you in and makes you pull for these out-of-place Jamaican bobsledders, led by an overweight coach played by John Candy.  By the time the movie ends, even the most badass of mutha’s can’t help but get a little choked up inside. – Jason

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11. Necessary Roughness (1991)

An underrated treasure, Necessary Roughness is a comedy about a troubled collegiate football program forced to find grizzled cowboys and supermodels to fll out its depleted roster.  The film’s endless one-liners and decorative assortment of characters, including Kathy Ireland as the team’s kicker and Rob Schneider as the announcer, make it one of the best football comedies of our time.  This is one of those films that comes on randomly one night and keeps you glued to the TV rolling in laughter until the very end. – Jason

 

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