My Fav Sports Movies

If you have looked around my website, you probably noticed that I like sports and movies. Since the beginning of film, movie-makers have used the world of sports as a supplier of stories.

Athletics are full of great characters, dramatic moments, great highs and lows, and other elements that work on film. Plus, movies about sports come with a potentially large audience. Of course not all movies about athletics are wonderful works of art. Many have been major stinkeroos. Below are some of my personal favorites. Feel free to drop me a line with comments or suggestions.

Football

Football should be a great provider of stories for movies. It is the most watched sport in the U.S., and one of the more violent. There have been quite a few football movies, dating back to the silent era and up to today. However my favorite is:

North Dallas Forty

Based on Peter Gent's (a former pro wide receiver) novel, this film stars Nick Nolte as Phil Elliot, an iconoclastic receiver fighting the powers that be. No other football film has more accurately portrayed the pain pro football players go through, as well as the methods players will use to be able to play (drugs and more drugs). NDF also shines in its depiction of the attitude that the front office (owners, coaches) have towards the players. As Nolte's character puts it, "They're the team, we're the equipment."

Mac Davis gives a surprisingly good performance as the team's quarterback (a veiled depiction of the Cowboys' Don Meredith), and pro player John Matuszak also has a role. This is one of the best sports films of all time.

Baseball

More baseball movies have been made than any other sport, with the exception of boxing. As America's pastime, baseball has a special place with many viewers. Out of the 200 or so baseball movies, my favorite is:

Eight Men Out

At first I had a problem with this movie. It is based on the book of the same name, and is about the real life 1919 Chicago White Sox, who conspired with gamblers to lose the World Series on purpose.

My main problem when I first saw the movie was that director John Sayles (who is always on the side of labor) chose to make the players sympathetic. He placed most of the blame on the cheap owner of the White Sox, Charles Commiskey. However, once I put aside this bias, and some historical inaccuracies, I found this movie incredibly enjoyable.

The plot revolves around the White Sox, who are about to play the Cinncinati Reds in the World Series. Upset that they are underpaid and continually short-changed by the club, some of the players decide to throw the series. The tension between the "clean Sox" (2nd baseman Eddie Collins and catcher Ray Schalk) and the dirty "black Sox" is terrific. John Cusack as 3rd baseman Buck Weaver, who knew of the plan, but played his best only to later be banned from baseball anway, is very good. Also standing out is John Mahoney as manager Kid Gleason. Another nit to pick is that all of the starters of the team are characters, except one, rightfielder Shano Collins. I was just always curious as to why Sayles neglected to include him in the film.

Basketball

Of the major sports, basketball is the most poorly represented. No really superior bball films have been made, but there have been some good ones. My favorite is:

Hoosiers

I pick this just narrowly over Pistol: Birth of a Legend, but it is definitely a better movie. Loosely based on a real-life story, it tells about the triumph of a tiny high school over the big city schools in the Indiana high school basketball championships. Gene Hackman is the new coach, a man who was fired from a college job for striking one of his players. Coaching the Hickory team is his last shot at redemption. Being an outsider in the Hoosier state, the locals are suspicious of him and his methods. However, with the help of Barbara Hershey and Dennis Hopper, who himself is seeking redemption from alcoholism, he leads the team to victory. Some may think the movie overly sentimental, but since it is based on true events, I don't quarrel with it.

Boxing

Over 200 films have been made about boxing, and no they aren't all Rocky sequels. Boxing has everything in it to make good drama: good and evil, corruption, violence, the mob, racism, blood, tragedy and triumph. Most critics say Raging Bull is the best, but my fav is:

The Harder They Fall

harderHumphrey Bogart, in one of his last roles, plays a boxing reporter. He is offered the job of publicist for a boxer. The only problem is that the fighter stinks. He is a big, awkward Argentian with a gentle side (based on Pampero Firpo). The fighter's manager, played by Rod Steiger, sets up fixed fight after fixed fight. Soon the big fighter is highly ranked. Bogart however has an attack of conscience, and decides to try to stop the kid from being used.

This is a great film which shows how poorly boxers were/are treated. One great scene shows how a boxer's purse disappears quickly into the hands of the managers and promoters. Even 40 years after being made this film is relevant and full of truth.

Hockey

Although there may not be many hockey movies, the list of titles does include my very favorite sports movie:

Slap Shot

teamPaul Newman is Reg Dunlap, player/coach for a minor league hockey team. With news that a local mill is closing down, Dunlap knows that the end is near for the team. His only chance to save the team (and his job) is to turn it into a winner, and hope that someone will buy it and move it to a different city.

With the infusion of the Hanson brothers, and a tougher game, the Charlestown Chiefs go on a rampage and make it to the final game. There they have to face the greatest collection of hockey goons ever assembled.

Slap Shot is just an absolutely hysterical movie. No, it isn't high art, but it is great fun.