10 SPORTS FILMS FOR ALL (TIME)
I don’t care about sports. I don’t have any team I’m loyal to, any sport that fascinates me in any unique way, and I could probably name a total of four football players on any given day. But every four years, like most people on the planet that either have a long-lasting interest in sport or not, I (try to) tune into the World Cup. There’s excitement in the air as people root for their home countries or countries they have allegiances to, and everyone wants to see who’ll come out on top. Usually, I just like the excitement of it and enjoy just seeing the people around me have fun, and this year, I was happy to have my own personal World Cup thing to be excited about, Jungkook’s song and dazzling performance. You care about sports, I care about movies and K-pop.
The point is, it’s without a doubt an event that unites and excites people around the world, which is wonderful…. but it only happens every four years. Whether you’ll be in need of some sports movies after the World Cup ends to help fulfill that gap before New Year’s, or if the Cup has you in a sports-geared mindset, here are ten of the best sports films.
1. Raging Bull (1980)
Considered to be one of the greatest Martin Scorsese films ever made and one of Robert De Niro’s best performances, even winning him an Oscar, we’re kicking off this list with a heavy-hitter: Raging Bull (1980). The film tells the true story of middleweight boxer Jake LaMotta, whose self-destructive and obsessive rage, jealousy and animalistic appetite made him a champ yet also destroyed his relationship with his wife and family. Just by reading the description, you know this isn’t a film for everyone. It’s definitely a heavy, uneasy watch, even for someone like me who would consider themselves a huge fan of both Scorsese and De Niro, to the point where I think I’d need to keep a couple of years between rewatches of the film. Still, its genius is undeniable. You cannot help but get invested in LaMotta’s story and his emotional journey. It’s raw, but it is gripping. It truly is a movie more about a man being driven by pride and rage more than it is about sports, but considering it is one of the best sports-related films of all time, it’s getting a prime position on our list.
2. Rocky (1976)
We know Raging Bull would be a bit much for some, and luckily for us, there’s another boxing-related film that’s been an optimistic, crowd-pleasing go-to for generations. Sylvester Stallone’s first project, Rocky follows an uneducated, small-time club fighter who makes the most of his unlikely shot at the world heavyweight championship. A quintessential underdog film with an inspiring story on and off camera (Stallone wrote the script as a struggling actor and worked with a small budget) - its simplicity and its heart make Rocky not only a classic, but a must-watch with an unexpected hero you can’t help but root for. There’s a reason that this film is used all the time for motivational purposes, and you’ll likely leave the movie feeling more motivated than ever.
3. Karate Kid (1984)
Another 80’s classic on our list and another feel-good watch! The original Karate Kid movie from 1984 follows a bullied teenager who learns karate through unconventional methods rom an elderly man, Mr. Miyagi. The original Karate Kid films have garnered popularity in recent years due to the success of its spin-off show on Netflix, Cobra Kai, which we’d consider as having an honorable mention in this list. I was a karate-obsessed child and was lucky enough to know how much of a gem this film was for years and I haven’t forgotten how much of an impact this film had on me then. Our main character, Daniel LaRusso, isn’t a typical martial arts lead like his opponents - he’s a frail, bullied kid that works endlessly to defy the odds. The Karate Kid deserves as much of a place as John Hughes films when recalling classic teen films from the 80s, and I’m glad its legacy lasts to this day.
4. I, Tonya (2017)
A different entry on this list: I, Tonya follows the life and career of figure skater Tonya Harding and the 1994 attack on her rival, Nancy Kerrigan, which Harding was accused of. I called it a different entry in this list since it’s in a ‘mockumentary’ (fake documentary style) with Margot Robbie as Harding and Sebastian Stan as her ex-husband, and they both act as contradictory and unreliable narrators to the film. One of my favorites during the 2018 awards season, I thought I, Tonya was an incredible film with a phenomenal performance from Margot Robbie, who, to this day, proved her acting talents more than ever in this film. Taking on such a role was a hard task, but Robbie and the film find a perfect balance between truth and sympathy, as well as drama and dark humor. The film flows between genres and perspectives, and remains a fresh, interesting sports and biographical film.
5. King Richard (2021)
King Richard follows the father of now-legendary tennis players, Venus and Serena Williams, during his time coaching them in their early years. Another awards season film, King Richard is a biopic that surprised me. There were moments where I feared the film would venture into “too typical” biopic territories, but it doesn’t. All throughout, its emotional core is consistent, the story remains focused, and it features a career-best performance from Will Smith and winning him an Oscar (but let’s not talk too much about that….), the film is one that is definitely more than it seems.
6. She’s The Man (2006)
Fellow 2000s teen romcom enthusiasts, are you smiling right now? She’s The Man is on oft forgotten film that falls into that category, but it’s time we give it a shining moment, because there are other elements to it that make it so memorable to those who have seen it, one being that it also involves sports. The film follows a teenager who disguises as her brother and enrolls in a boarding school to play on the boys’ soccer team. She’s The Man is one of the few teen romcoms that have their roots in classic literature, as it is loosely inspired by William Shakespeare's play Twelfth Night, and if that doesn’t add to its lighthearted enjoyability, I don’t know what will. (An honorable mention to another often forgotten yet just as wonderful teen football film - Bend It Like Beckham, which was ahead of its time for its Muslim & Desi representation… ).
7. Fighting With My Family (2019)
An underrated film close to my heart. Fighting With My Family stars Florence Pugh as English wrestler Paige, and her journey to becoming a WWE pro-wrestler. Fighting With My Family remains a quiet hit, loved only by those who have seen it and heard of it. I went into this film with no expectations, just wanting to see Florence Pugh, and I ended up absolutely loving it. I never really expected to connect with a sports film as an adult, but it spoke to me in ways I couldn’t have imagined that I still feel my heart swell up when I think about it. For a sports film to remain that honest, personal, and lighthearted, while also being thoroughly enjoyable and impactful to people completely disinterested in sports, makes it a huge hit in my books
8. Whip It (2009)
Another quiet hit, Whip It (2009) follows an indie-rock-loving misfit in Texas finds a way of dealing with small-town misery after discovering a roller-derby league. I still remember the day I watched this in cinemas as a ‘tween’, and I was mesmerized. I mentioned earlier in the article how I was karate-obsessed as a kid, and the only other sport I was interested in was skating - I either wanted to be Daniel LaRusso, Tony Hawk, or join the Whip It gang. And I think there was something beautiful in seeing this film at that age, since it featured a group of women supporting each other, bonding, and uniting in sport, happy to find themselves in each other - it’s an important depiction that is rare to this day, especially in the sports genre and even mores when you realize that the film was written by a woman and directed by none other than Drew Barrymore.
9. A League of Their Own (1992)
Though Whip It is a rare treat in terms of its achievements for female-centered sports films, it’s not the first. A League of Their Own (1992) is a comedy directed by Penny Marshall that centers around two women who join a professional all-female baseball league in the Midwest during World War II. The film is without a doubt ahead of its time. It doesn’t solely center on female empowerment in its journey to depict positive sportsmanship and friendships between women, but gets there in a perfect manner as it doesn’t abandons great characters, great storytelling, heart, sincerity, and prestige in the process. It’s a comfort film, but also so much more than that.
10. Eddie the Eagle (2015)
We’re rounding off this list with another sleeper hit you might’ve missed the past decade: Eddie the Eagle (2015)! The film tells the true story of British underdog ski jumper Eddie Edwards and his sheer perseverance on his journey to the 1988 Winter Olympics, where he’d charm the world. The film is just as charming as Eddie was to audiences at the Winter Olympics. It has a bit of many of the other films mentioned on this list: Rocky’s underdog quality, A League of Their Own’s heart and soul, and Karate Kid’s perseverance! With a performance that put Taron Egerton on the map years before Rocketman, and his electrifying screen presence and chemistry with Hugh Jackman, and a “this will make your dad cry” type of heart, it’s one you should definitely try to watch.
