Top 15 Sports Movies of All Time

While we anxiously wait for Josh to finish consulting his magic eight ball, reading the chicken bones and tea leaves, and basically whatever other voodoo he employs in putting together his baseball preview column, I thought I would tackle one of the more pressing issues of our time: What are the fifteen greatest sports movies? We have seen many lists over the years, some of them more accurate than others, but mine will of course be the definitive one. For the purposes of this list we will define a sports movie as one pertaining to Baseball, Football, Basketball, Hockey or Boxing.

15) Diggstown (1992)
James Woods, Louis Gosset Jr. – Boxing

The best movie you’ve never heard of. Kind of a cross between 1973 Best Picture The Sting and 1976 Best Picture Rocky. The movie is about the big con which is centered on boxing. James Woods turns in an incredibly convincing performance as con-man Gabriel Caine, Heather Graham is always welcome as the eye candy… erm… love interest and Oliver Platt is perfect as the comic relief. You’ll be hard pressed to see the movie’s big twist ending coming, but if you aren’t visibly giddy at the end then you’re dead inside. Rent this movie today.

14) Bad News Bears (1976)
Walter Matthau, Tatum O’Neal – Little League Baseball.

There aren’t too many people who haven’t seen this 1976 classic about a group of underachievers led to victory by a recovering alcoholic looking for redemption. So I’ll just remind you what the movie’s tagline was since that says it all: The coach is waiting for his next beer. The pitcher is waiting for her first bra. The team is waiting for a miracle. Consider the possibilities.

13) Slap Shot (1977)
Paul Newman, Joe McGrath – Minor League Hockey

The original slapstick, goofball, sports movie. Another instant classic. Not much else to say about this. In 1998, Maxim named Slap Shot the Best Guy Movie Of All Time eschewing such obvious classic choices as The Godfather, Raging Bull, and Newman's own Cool Hand Luke. While that probably speaks more to the crack intake of Maxim editors it should tell you something that it was at least a contender.

12) Brian’s Song (1971)
James Caan, Billy Dee Williams – Football

The quintessential black guy/white guy buddy movie aired sixteen years before Danny Glover was ever “too old for this shit” in Lethal Weapon. This movie could reduce the manliest of men to tears. Universally recognized as the greatest made for TV movie ever (The M*A*S*H finale notwithstanding). It was so popular after its TV release that it was re-released on the big screen.

11) Rocky III (1982)
Sylvester Stallone, Carl Weathers – Boxing

You wouldn’t think that a movie written, directed and acted by the Italian Stallion would be this good. After enjoying life at the top Rocky turns to his new best friend Apollo Creed to help him train to regain the title he lost to Mr. T. I pity the fool who doesn’t love this movie. (Yea, it was a cheap joke but you would have been mad if I didn’t make it.)

10) Rudy (1993)
Sean Astin, Jon Favreau – College Football

I don’t care who you are or if you even like football, you simply cannot dislike this movie about an overachiever whose lifelong dream is to play football for Notre Dame. Watching hobbit Sean Astin (look at you! five foot nothing, a hundred and nothing!) work his ass off, first to get accepted into Notre Dame as a transfer and then to get on the team is a great experience. In addition to all the feel-good and watching Rudy work out his daddy issues by getting his ass kicked repeatedly, we get one of the greatest inspirational speeches of all time. (Nobody and I mean nobody comes into our house and pushes us around!).

9) Major League (1989)
Tom Berenger, Charlie Sheen – Major League Baseball

This 1989 movie about a diabolical owner trying to get a group of misfits to perform so poorly that she can move the Indians to Miami will have you rolling in the aisles. Charlie Sheen, Tom Berenger, Corbin Bernsen, Wesley Snipes and Dennis Haysbert as the Jobu-worshipping slugger who can’t hit a curveball team up with a phenomenal Bob Uecker to make this gem. The tagline says it all: When these oddballs try to play hardball, the result is totally screwball.

8) Hoosiers (1986)
Gene Hackman, Dennis Hopper – High School Basketball

Without a doubt, the greatest basketball movie ever made (Sorry Space Jam). Dennis Hopper shines as the town drunk and Gene Hackman’s signature role as Coach Norman Dale has this movie in just about everyone’s top 10 list. The ultimate David vs. Goliath team sports movie.

7) A League of Their Own (1992)
Geena Davis, Tom Hanks – Girls Professional Baseball

Penny Marshall’s movie about the All American Pro Girls League was an unexpected delight considering the cast. Just about every movie Madonna or Rosie O’Donnell have been heavily involved in (with the exception of Dick Tracy) have been so bad that no self-respecting man would spend two hours watching them. Yet against all odds, this movie was incredible. A feel-good film that sees Tom Hanks as a recovering alcoholic who finds redemption… you know what, I’m starting to see a pattern here. But if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.

6) The Program (1993)
James Caan, Omar Epps – College Football

If you haven’t seen this behind the scenes look at a college football program, go rent it right now. This movie has it all, backstabbing, steroids, academic shortcuts, alcoholism, a Heisman campaign, you name it. Plus, grade A+ eye candy with Halle Berry and Kristy Swanson as the love interests. James Caan shines as the do-anything-to-win Coach Sam Winters (though amazingly he’s not a recovering alcoholic!). This film sets the bar for football movies.

5) Million Dollar Baby (2004)
Clint Eastwood, Hillary Swank – Women’s Boxing

I hesitated to put this movie on the list since the sports aspect of the movie quits halfway through and the rest of the movie is pretty depressing. But the movie did win Best Picture so I think that buys it a spot in the top 5. Hillary Swank won Best Actress for her portrayal of a waitress who wants to be a boxer. And anytime you throw Clint Eastwood into a movie you double your manly quotient. (with a few notable exceptions… I’m talking to YOU Bridges of Madison County!)

4) Raging Bull (1980)
Robert DeNiro, Joe Pesci – Boxing

His rage made him a champ in the ring, and a chump at home. Directed by Martin Scorcese. Joe Pesci’s breakout role. DeNiro gained 45 pounds to play old Jake. Got a best picture nomination and DeNiro got his second Oscar for his portrayal of LaMotta. There really is nothing bad about this movie.

3) Rocky (1976)
Sylvester Stallone, Talia Shire – Boxing

Despite the fact that this movie can be directly blamed for Rocky IV and V the original is still the best. Taking the Best Picture Oscar only solidified its place as the best boxing movie of all time and a clear contender for best sports film. While underdog stories permeate this list, this movie takes the cake. If Hoosiers was the standard for team underdogs, Rocky sets the bar for individual achievement.

2) Bull Durham (1988)
Kevin Costner, Tim Robbins – Minor League Baseball

This is one of those movies that you have to watch when you stumble across it on TV. Susan Sarandon turns in a memorable performance as Annie Savoy. Tim Robbins is great as the naïve Nuke Laloosh and Kevin Costner is perfect as Crash Davis. Bull Durham gave us one of the best movie monologues of all time (Costner’s I Believe In speech) as well as some serious comic relief. This movie has it all. Some cynics say that Bull Durham was a chick flick that centered on baseball, but I disagree. At least the love interest is portrayed wonderfully by Sarandon. By contrast, Kelly Preston’s performance in For Love of the Game has single handedly kept that film off this list.

1) Field Of Dreams (1989)
Kevin Costner, James Earl Jones – Baseball?

Kevin Costner gets the top two spots on this list and really, was there any doubt? While Field of Dreams isn’t about the team, the players or the game itself, the movie is rife with metaphors. Any child who has ever had a catch with their father will absolutely be choking up during the closing minutes. James Earl Jones’ monologue about baseball standing the test of time will give you chills. Despite the fact that the movie is essentially ghosts playing baseball, the depth of the movie is incredible. A cinch for number one.

Honorable mentions: Eight Men Out, Pride of the Yankees, Hurricane
Note: The most glaring omission on this list is probably The Natural, this is because fellow Official Scorer Josh hates it for its over-the-topness, so I left it off. Clearly there’s no accounting for taste.