Top 100 Sports Movies List

#20 Sports Movie

The Color of Money (1986) R

Fast Eddie Felson teaches a cocky but immensely talented protégé the ropes of pool hustling, which in turn inspires him to make an unlikely comeback.

Director:

Martin Scorsese

Writers:

Walter Tevis, Richard Price

Stars:

Paul Newman, Tom Cruise, Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio

#19 Sports Movie

Kingpin (1996) PG-13

A star bowler whose career was prematurely "cut off" hopes to ride a new prodigy to success and riches.

Director:

Bobby Farrelly, Peter Farrelly

Writers:

Barry Fanaro, Mort Nathan

Stars:

Barry Fanaro, Mort Nathan

#18 Sports Movie

Moneyball (2011) PG-13

Oakland A's general manager Billy Beane's successful attempt to assemble a baseball team on a lean budget by employing computer-generated analysis to acquire new players.

Director:

Bennett Miller

Writers:

Steven Zaillian, Aaron Sorkin

Stars:

Brad Pitt, Robin Wright, Jonah Hill

#17 Sports Movie

The Boxer (1997) R

Young Danny Flynn is released from prison after 14 years after "taking the rap" for the IRA and tries to rebuild his life in his old Belfast neighborhood.

Director:

Jim Sheridan

Writers:

Jim Sheridan, Terry George

Stars:

Daniel Day-Lewis, Daragh Donnelly, Frank Coughlan

#16 Sports Movie

Warrior (2011) PG-13

The youngest son of an alcoholic former boxer returns home, where he's trained by his father for competition in a mixed martial arts tournament - a path that puts the fighter on a collision course with his estranged, older brother.

Director:

Gavin O'Connor

Writers:

Gavin O'Connor, Anthony Tambakis

Stars:

Tom Hardy, Nick Nolte, Joel Edgerton

#15 Sports Movie

Hoosiers (1986) PG

A coach with a checkered past and a local drunk train a small town high school basketball team to become a top contender for the championship.

Director:

David Anspaugh

Writers:

Angelo Pizzo

Stars:

Gene Hackman, Barbara Hershey, Dennis Hopper

#14 Sports Movie

The Fighter (2010) R

A look at the early years of boxer "Irish" Micky Ward and his brother who helped train him before going pro in the mid 1980s.

Director:

David O. Russell

Writers:

Scott Silver, Paul Tamasy

Stars:

Mark Wahlberg, Christian Bale, Amy Adams

#13 Sports Movie

Rush (2013) R

The merciless 1970s rivalry between Formula One rivals James Hunt and Niki Lauda.

Director:

Ron Howard

Writers:

Ron Howard

Stars:

Daniel Brühl, Chris Hemsworth, Olivia Wilde

#12 Sports Movie

Invictus (2009) PG-13

Nelson Mandela, in his first term as the South African President, initiates a unique venture to unite the apartheid-torn land: enlist the national rugby team on a mission to win the 1995 Rugby World Cup.

Director:

Clint Eastwood

Writers:

Anthony Peckham, John Carlin

Stars:

Morgan Freeman, Matt Damon, Tony Kgoroge

#11 Sports Movie

The Longest Yard (2005) PG-13

Prison inmates form a football team to challenge the prison guards.

Director:

Peter Segal

Writers:

Albert S. Ruddy (story), Tracy Keenan Wynn

Stars:

Adam Sandler, Burt Reynolds, Chris Rock

#10 Sports Movie

Hard Ball (2001) PG-13

An aimless young man who is scalping tickets, gambling and drinking, agrees to coach a Little League team from the Cabrini Green housing project in Chicago as a condition of getting a loan from a friend.

Director:

Brian Robbins

Writers:

Daniel Coyle, John Gatins

Stars:

Keanu Reeves, Diane Lane, John Hawkes

#9 Sports Movie

Cinderella Man (2005) PG-13

The story of James Braddock, a supposedly washed-up boxer who came back to become a champion and an inspiration in the 1930s.

Director:

Ron Howard

Writers:

Cliff Hollingsworth, Akiva Goldsman

Stars:

Russell Crowe, Renée Zellweger, Craig Bierko

#8 Sports Movie

The World's Fastest Indian (2005) PG-13

The story of New Zealander Burt Munro, who spent years rebuilding a 1920 Indian motorcycle, which helped him set the land speed world record at Utah's Bonneville Salt Flats in 1967.

Director:

Roger Donaldson

Writers:

Roger Donaldson

Stars:

Anthony Hopkins, Diane Ladd, Iain Rea

#7 Sports Movie

The Wrestler (2008) R

A faded professional wrestler must retire, but finds his quest for a new life outside the ring a dispiriting struggle.

Director:

Darren Aronofsky

Writers:

Robert D. Siegel

Stars:

Mickey Rourke, Marisa Tomei, Evan Rachel Wood

#6 Sports Movie

Remember the Titans (2000) PG

The true story of a newly appointed African-American coach and his high school team on their first season as a racially integrated unit.

Director:

Boaz Yakin

Writers:

Gregory Allen Howard

Stars:

Denzel Washington, Will Patton, Wood Harris

#5 Sports Movie

The Blind Side (2009) PG-13

The story of Michael Oher, a homeless and traumatized boy who became an All American football player and first round NFL draft pick with the help of a caring woman and her family.

Director:

John Lee Hancock

Writers:

John Lee Hancock, Michael Lewis

Stars:

Quinton Aaron, Sandra Bullock, Tim McGraw

#4 Sports Movie

The Hustler (1961)

An up-and-coming pool player plays a long-time champion in a single high-stakes match.

Director:

Robert Rossen

Writers:

Sidney Carroll, Robert Rossen

Stars:

Paul Newman, Jackie Gleason, Piper Laurie

#3 Sports Movie

Rocky (1976) PG

Rocky Balboa, a small-time boxer, gets a supremely rare chance to fight the heavy-weight champion, Apollo Creed, in a bout in which he strives to go the distance for his self-respect.

Director:

John G. Avildsen

Writers:

Sylvester Stallone

Stars:

Sylvester Stallone, Talia Shire, Burt Young

#2 Sports Movie

Million Dollar Baby (2004) PG-13

A determined woman works with a hardened boxing trainer to become a professional.

Director:

Clint Eastwood

Writers:

Paul Haggis, F.X. Toole

Stars:

Hilary Swank, Clint Eastwood, Morgan Freeman

#1 Sports Movie

Raging Bull (1980) R

An emotionally self-destructive boxer's journey through life, as the violence and temper that leads him to the top in the ring, destroys his life outside it.

Director:

Martin Scorsese

Writers:

Jake LaMotta, Joseph Carter

Stars:

Robert De Niro, Cathy Moriarty, Joe Pesci

1 2 3 4 5