The Greatest Sports Movies Of All Time

Sports movies are something of a niche and there aren’t that many of them kicking around, compared to genres like horror, comedy or the buddy movie. However, when they are done right, sports movies have a solid chance of performing well at the Oscars and the other lesser known award ceremonies. 

Films are created to tell stories, and some of the finest stories are of people overcoming adversity. This is why the sports movie excels. People love an underdog and root for the characters that they feel empathy for. Often it tells the tale of an individual who has challenges and obstacles in their path that they need to tackle in order to achieve their sporting goals. These are often big budget films with big name directors. If you are keen to settle down this weekend with a sporting classic, check out these incredible pieces of sporting cinematography to inspire your choice of film.

The Fighter (2010)

There are a whole host of boxing movies out there, and they all tend to be exceptional. This tends to be because the big name actors choose to star in them. The Fighter from 2010 is no different. Christian Bale and Mark Wahlberg star in a drama that tells the story of two brothers from Lowell, Massachusetts. Bale plays Dickie, the older brother who had a great boxing career who then fritters it away because of a drug habit. Wahlberg is his younger half brother who becomes sick and tired of Dickie being unreliable. He refuses to train with him and decides to take his own path in his quest to win a boxing title.

The drama is gritty and the story is told beautifully. The sporting shots themselves are expertly choreographed and there is plenty of action in the ring to get your teeth into. The story is a real one, and it’s great to see at the end of the film how both of the brothers are doing.

Bend It Like Beckham (2002)

Made to a tighter budget and supremely British, Bend It Like Beckham tells the story of a young Indian Sikh who is trying to make it at a local girls football team. Her parents don’t approve of her choice of hobby and she ends up rebelling and sneaking around to ensure that she can spend time with her pals on the footie field.

The film is very sweet and is definitely one to watch with your girlfriend. There are plenty of laughs and moments of drama, and it’s an uplifting tale of triumph over adversity, and everyone learning to get along for the benefit of others. While the world is debating the absurdity of football transfers and how ludicrous amounts of money are spent purchasing players, this is a film that provides some light relief by focusing on the more local teams.

This is the film that launched Kiera Knightley’s career. With a whole host of Brithish names, this is a great film that brought gay ethnic minorities, young love and religious sensitivities to the fore all with football as a backdrop.

The Karate Kid (1984)

For a classic bit of cheesy 1980s cinema, you can’t do much better than The Karate Kid, directed by John G Avildsen. This movie told the story of Daniel LaRusso who comes to know a friendly and quirky Japanese handyman called Mr Miyagi. The famous wax on, wax off scene originated within this movie’s script. Daniel attempts to woo a new girlfriend, but her ex boyfriend is far from impressed and sets about teaching him a lesson.

This leads to a tale of challenges for Daniel as he receives martial arts tuition from Mr Miyagi who lets him into many secrets of karate. He enters a tournament that his new girlfriend’s ex boyfriend is competing in. Just like all good movie storylines would have it, the two of them end up in the final. You will have to watch the film to find out what happens, but it’s safe to say that it has a typical 1980s ending where everything comes to a happy conclusion.

The film touched upon the themes of hardship, war and adversity through its comedic and light storytelling. As an eighties classic, the soundtrack is great too. Just make sure you don’t stumble on the remake starring Jayden Smith by accident; this is a film you’d rather not watch.

Rocky (1976)

While this is the second boxing film in the list, you cannot have an article about great sports movies without mentioning Rocky. Made in 1976 and written by and starring Sylvester Stallone, this tells the tale of a southpaw boxer, Rocky Balboa who is chosen as the opponent for Apollo Creed, the heavyweight boxing world champion. The story shows Rocky’s relationships with his trainer, his girlfriend and his team as he takes on the stress of working towards getting fit for the fight.

It doesn’t have the ending that you might expect, and the story focuses more on the life of Rocky rather than the action in the ring. Boxing is used as a vehicle to tell the tale of a man overcoming adversity. This is what is so great about sports movies: they often don’t have the sport at the center of the film.

This launched Stallone as not merely an actor, but as a great screenplay writer, and he went on to carry on the franchise with more Rocky films. He cemented his place in Hollywood royalty. The film won many awards and is seen as the greatest sports film ever made. It hits the romance lovers, the action adorers, the sporting nuts and the general movie buffs. This is a movie that really has it all.

Sports movies range from the comedic like Blades of Glory, to the eighties classics like Days of Thunder. Consider your favourite sport and choose a movie based around this. There are so many out there to choose from and it could result in a great night in watching one of the greatest movies of all time.