Best Picture
Rocky
Miracle
Hoosiers
The Natural
Million Dollar Baby
Field of Dreams
Raging Bull
Remember The Titans
For this topic it was a bit of a challenge to be able to grab the eight greatest sports movies to choose from, since there have been countless outstanding films to choose from. These eight listed have proven to be the best films ever made. Its hard with good comedy's out there too but they get their own award a little later on. There are some tough choices to make, this being one of them. Here though we go with a heavyweight title fight. Sylvester Stallone got the inspiration for the screenplay after watching the heavyweight title fight between Bayonne’s Chuck Wepner and reigning champ Muhammad Ali, and insisted he play the lead. Good call.
Winner: Rocky
Best Comedy
Slap Shot
Major League
Caddyshack
White Men Can’t Jump
BASKetball
Goon
A League Of Their Own
The Longest Yard
This one is a bit of a tough call between three movies. It came down to Major League, Slap Shot and Caddyshack. Caddyshack was the first movie that really made golf cool to watch (sort of). With Slap Shot and Major League both movies were over the top and became cult classics. Major League had huge stars all over the place and is still one of the most popular baseball movies ever made. Same thing can be said for Slap Shot, even though the only major star turned out to be Paul Neuman. It was a tough call but in this case we have to go right back where we started from.
Winner: Slap Shot
Best Actor:
Denzel Washington in Remember the Titans
Clint Eastwood in Million Dollar Baby
Sylvester Stallone in Rocky
Paul Newman in The Hustler
Robert DeNiro in Raging Bull
Stallone put on such an outstanding performance in Rocky when it came out in 1976, he finished runner up to Best actor that year to Peter Finch for his role in Network. It was his first big break and the film franchise took off. For my money it was the 2nd greatest acting performance in a sports movie every. There was one role that topped what Stallone did in Rocky. That was DeNiro in Raging Bull. DeNiro trained so hard with Jake La Motta at the Gramercy Gym for over half a year that he earned the fighter’s praise and didn’t need a boxing double for a single scene. Then he gained 55 pounds to portray an older La Motta in one of the top performances in history, winning an Academy Award.
Winner: Robert DeNiro in Raging Bull
Best Actress
Susan Sarandon in Bull Durham
Sandra Bullock in The Blind Side
Geena Davis in A League Of Their Own
Talia Shire in Rocky
Hilary Swank in Million Dollar Baby
There are some good nominees for this award. Geena Davis really made that role stand out in A League Of Their Own. Talia Shire was also just as outstanding in Rocky. But all those roles come up short when compared to what Hilary Swank did as Maggie in Million Dollar Baby. She swept the Oscars, Golden Globe and Screen Actors Guild, and despite controversy over the euthanasia theme, the heart she brought to Maggie and gut-wrenching hospital scenes with Eastwood was truly outstanding. She made that role her own and took her performance to the next level. It was a true work of art.
Winner: Hilary Swank in Million Dollar Baby
Best Football Film
The Blind Side
The Express
Invincible
We Are Marshall
Remember The Titans
The Longest Yard (1974 film)
Rudy
There have been a number of outstanding football films that have been made over the years that didn't make the cut for the best ever. Out of what's listed above you could make the argument for any one of them. American Football has produced some of the greatest films in cinema history, where any one of these films could take home the award for best football picture. The debate was a tough one, coming down to three films: Blind Side, The Express and Remember The Titans. All three films left you leaving the theater walking out knowing that you had seen a work of art. I give the nod to Remember the Titans just barley over The Express and a close third to Blind Side. The top two saw the same social issues of Race, but Remember the Titans gets the nod more because of how great the acting was and the way it was shot.
Winner: Remember The Titans
Best Baseball Film
The Natural
Bull Durham
61*
Eight Men Out
Filed of Dreams
Major League
Moneyball
For Love of The Game
America's pastime has been featured on the Big Screen in a number of great films. Much like the sport of Football, Baseball has had so many great films that there are too many to try and list here, outside of the ones that are nominated. What makes a good baseball film is something that shows how great the game and the sport can truly be. Which is why I'm giving the nod to Field of Dreams. It could possibly go to any of the movies listed. Field gets it because of its sentimental nature. It's a mix of fairy tale, baseball, and family togetherness. It shows some of the truly great things that this great game can do to people. It can bring people and family closer together.
Winner: Field of Dreams
Best Basketball Film
White Men Can't Jump
Hoosiers
He Got Game
Blue Chips
The Air Up There
Coach Carter
Love and Basketball
Much like the first two categories, there have been some pretty unforgettable basketball flicks that have graced the silver screen. We've been blessed with a number of unforgettable sports flicks over the past few decades, basketball hits like Hoosiers or White Men Can't Jump. What makes basketball films so good is the action on the court and the guys who make those scenes come to life in the film. He Got Game was one of the greatest hoops movies ever, but the big knock against it was that it was a slow moving, and somewhat long, film. Coach Carter has an argument too for how it was able to showcase sports in order to ignore life's darker realities. But the one basketball that will top them all has to be Hoosiers. Whether it's overbearing parents, gossip, or otherwise, Hoosiers shows how our greatest battles in sports often happen before we even step foot on the court.
Winner: Hoosiers
Best Hockey Movies
Slap Shot
Miracle
Mighty Ducks Franchise
Mystery, Alaska
Youngblood
Goon
Even though the sport isn't as popular as the other sports on this list, some of the films made have been outstanding. Like Hollywood, the world of hockey is filled with drama, suspense, comedy and triumph. Each of then films listed have captured that essence without being overtly cliched and over the top. Some of the pieces feature famous actors, while others are filled with unknowns. Slap Shot will go down as one of the most iconic films ever for its comedic timing, and that it was one of the first films to really get an in depth look at some of what happens in the not so glorious world of minor league hockey. And while slap shot is the funniest sports movie of all time, it somewhat falls short in its own category. The greatest hockey movie ever made has to go to Miracle. Kurt Russell is fantastic as plaid-loving U.S. Olympic coach Herb Brooks. Listening to Russell/Brook's pregame speech will have you looking for your stick and skates. Part of what made this film so great was that you were left to actually wonder about the outcome of games that were played 30 years ago. Plenty of goose-bump moments make this film an absolute must-watch.
Winner: Miracle
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