Sports Movies

Movies based on true stories are inspiring because they are true. They don't just show us the truth of the human spirit, but they act as signposts in history for what can be achieved when preparation meets opportunity. That is the story of Rudy.

The main character can't seem to catch a break for the majority of the film, but his determination to hold on to the dream is moving. Sean Austin's portrayal of the main character is epic in both it's depth and subtlety.

The dramatic telling of a nobody finally getting his much deserved moment of glory is so stirring that even the most stoic of moviegoers were moved to tears.

No list of great sports movies would be complete without Rocky. The 1976 movie launched the career of Sylvester Stallone into orbit and more than forty years later the franchise is still alive. The iconic scene of him running up the steps to the art museum is immortalized by an actual bronze statue on those same steps in Philadelphia.

The story of a South Philly nobody working his way up to become a boxing champion is one we can all understand. What we love about Rocky is that he's not so smart, and not invincible. He gets hurt. He loses. He falls in love with a girl who's not so pretty but he loves her madly.

He's not the greatest boxer and isn't afraid to admit that he is out of his league, but he takes his shot anyway.

All he has is a big heart and hard work to get him through, and when he emerges victorious, busted and bloody, we all cheer for the South Philly underdog who made good.

Let me admit my bias from the outset. As a body of work, Denzel Washington's filmography is a solid body of work, and Remember the Titans is one of the gems in that bucket.

The 2000 release tells the story of T.C. William's football team in 1970s Virginia as it integrates its new black players and gets a new, black coach. The film deals with issues of race and class head-on and doesn't flinch when the hypocrisy of well-meaning people reinforces the prejudice and injustice that plagues America until today.

But, through the power of sports, this set of boys begin to see each other as people and respect the talents and struggles of people they'd hated and feared. There are a number of stellar performances and the action sequences push through the idea that these boys are more than a great football team.

Together they are truly unbeatable. Together they are titans.

Women in sports have always been a tricky subject to tackle. In a world where women are still assumed to be the "fairer sex" how do you create opportunities for female athletes to shine without offending cultural sensitivities? You put them in short skirts, of course.

A League of Their Own stars Tom Hanks and Geena Davis in a film about a short-lived female baseball league formed by a greedy candy bar maker during World War II. The ladies all have their reasons for playing.

Some of them are escaping bad relationships, and others just want the opportunity to finally shine, doing what they love most. But most importantly, it's about these ladies learning to take themselves seriously and forcing the world to do the same.

More than just pretty faces in cute uniforms, they are athletes in every sense of the word, and nobody can take that from them. You laugh and you cry with them and for them.

Tom Hanks is stellar as the drunken, sarcastic, abrasive coach who discovers, perhaps a little late, that girls can be amazing ballplayers too.

This 1989 release did what no other movie was able to do for me; it made baseball look fun. I have never been a fan of America's pastime, but Major League made me believe that there must be some magic at work out there on the diamond.

I watched it with my mother and grandmother and I remember all three of us laughing together as a team of misfits worked to pull their team out of last place and win the pennant. To this day I can't look at Charlie Sheen without hearing "Wild Thing" playing in my head.

The film asks the question "what do you do when nobody believes in you?" The answer; you teach them never to underestimate you.

In my opinion, this film is a classic. There will never be another sports movie that delivers as much in laughs as it does on heart.

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