Cheer on the top 25 sports movies ever
Nothing lifts the spirit like a great sports movie. We pick our favorites of all time.
Sports movies tend to have a lasting, inspirational impact on movie audiences. Here's our picks of the 25 best, starting with 2000's "Remember The Titans" starring Denzel Washington.
Sports movies tend to have a lasting, inspirational impact on movie audiences. Here's our picks of the 25 best, starting with 2000's "Remember The Titans" starring Denzel Washington.
No. 24: "Bend It Like Beckham" (2002) was named for soccer star David Beckham, although he never appeared in the film.
No. 23: "A League Of Their Own" (1992) boasted an impressive all-star cast, including Tom Hanks, Geena Davis, Rosie O'Donnell and Madonna.
No. 22: The bicycling drama "Breaking Away" (1979) counted Dennis Quaid and Jackie Earle Haley among its young stars.
No. 21: "Brian's Song" (1971) was actually a made-for-TV movie that featured one of the most heartbreaking theme songs ever recorded. James Caan and Billy Dee Williams starred in the emotional tale about the friendship of Chicago Bears running backs Brian Piccolo and Gayle Sayers.
No. 20: "Bang The Drum Slowly" (1973) focused on the friendship of a star pitcher (Michael Moriarty) and his catcher (Robert De Niro).
No. 19: "Seabiscuit" (2003), starring Tobey Maguire, earned seven Oscar nominations including Best Picture.
No. 18: "The Bad News Bears" (1976) starred Walter Matthau as the beer-swilling coach of a misfit Little League team, which included actors Jackie Earle Haley and Tatum O'Neal.
No. 17: You might not immediately think of 1984's "The Karate Kid" as a sports movie, but who could forget the movie's climatic scenes at the All Valley Karate Tournament?
No. 16: "The Hustler" (1961) nabbed three Oscars and six additional nominations, including a Best Actor nod for Paul Newman, Best Picture and Best Supporting Actor notices for Jackie Gleason and George C. Scott.
No. 15: "The Natural" (1984) starred Robert Redford as a pitcher who gets a second chance at the big leagues later in life.
No. 14: "Chariots Of Fire" (1981), featuring a timeless theme song by Vangelis, is one of the few sports movies in history to win the Best Picture Oscar, as is our next selection.
No. 13: The boxing drama "Million Dollar Baby" (2004) swept the Oscars in 2005, with wins for Best Picture, Best Director for Clint Eastwood, Best Actress for Hilary Swank and Best Supporting Actor for Morgan Freeman.
No. 12: "Rudy" (1993) is the incredible true story of Rudy Reuttiger (Sean Astin), an under-sized son of a steel worker who refused to let his dream of playing for the University of Notre Dame football team die.
No. 11: The catchphrases in "Jerry Maguire" (1996) became overused almost immediately, but there's no denying the performances director Cameron Crowe got from Tom Cruise, Cuba Gooding Jr. and Renee Zellweger.
No. 10: "Miracle" (2004) starred Kurt Russell as Herb Brooks, in the incredible true story of how the USA Olympic hockey team took the gold medal at the 1980 Winter Olympics.
No. 9: Oscar-winning roles by Christian Bale and Melissa Leo, along with an Oscar-nominated performance by Amy Adams, makes the true-to-live boxing tale "The Fighter" (2010) a champion.
No. 8: "Major League" (1989) was a hit baseball comedy starring Tom Berenger, Corbin Bernsen and Charlie Sheen, and stars-on-the-rise Wesley Snipes and Dennis Haysbert.
No. 7: Paul Newman leads up a great cast of characters in "Slap Shot" (1977), which tells the story of a struggling minor league hockey team fighting, literally, for survival.
No. 6: "Field Of Dreams" (1989) was Kevin Costner's second baseball movie in as many years (hint, the first will be coming up soon). The touching baseball drama earned an Oscar nomination for Best Picture.
No. 5: "Caddyshack" (1980) had us singing "I'm Alright," and laughing along with stars Rodney Dangerfield, Chevy Chase, Bill Murray and Ted Knight.
No. 4: The Martin Scorsese-directed "Raging Bull" (1980) earned star Robert De Niro his only Best Actor Oscar.
No. 3: "Bull Durham" (1988) kicked off the career of actor Tim Robbins and featured Kevin Costner in the starring role.
No. 2: "Hoosiers" (1986) stars Gene Hackman as the coach of an upstart Indiana basketball team. Dennis Hopper earned a Best Supporting Actor Oscar nomination for the film.
No. 1: "Rocky" (1976) was actor Sylvester Stallone's breakthrough movie, which won Oscars for Best Picture and Best Director for John G. Avildsen. Surprisingly, the classic theme, "Gonna Fly Now," did not win an Oscar for Best Original Song.
