Sports movies have an unmistakable allure that has kept them a popular cinema genre for decades. The beauty of sports films is that they come in a variety of styles. Some are encouraging films featuring a dynamic underdog protagonist, while others are inherent tragedies depicting a lost ideal.
Bull Durham (1988):
Bull Durham, starring Kevin Costner as Crash Davis, a minor league veteran recruited to coach a hotshot rookie pitcher, is one of the most realistic baseball movies ever created (Tim Robbins). During training, the two become involved in a love triangle with Susan Sarandon’s character, a baseball groupie.
Hooslers (1986):
Hoosiers is a period sports movie partly based on the tale of the 1954 Milan High School basketball team. It is also known as Best Shot. Norman Dale, the belligerent head coach of a rural high school basketball team, is tantalizingly cloaked in a patchy and murky background.
The Pride of the Yankees (1942):
The Pride of the Yankees, a moving and generally uplifting movie on the life of Lou Gehrig, stars Gary Cooper as a renowned baseball player. The movie is a must-see for any baseball enthusiast or historian, not just because of the focus on Gehrig, but also because it features Babe Ruth (as himself) and sportscaster Bill Stern.
Rocky (1976):
Rocky, arguably the best boxing movie of all time, was Sylvester Stallone’s big break into the public. He portrays Rocky Balboa, a struggling Philadelphia boxer who is offered the opportunity to face the heavyweight champion. The movie is refreshingly less about boxing and more about Rocky’s personal growth and development.
Raging Bull (1980):
Martin Scorsese intended Raging Bull to be his final big movie, and if it was, he couldn’t have chosen a greater send-off. Raging Bull is a highly unsettling story about the life of self-destructive boxer Jake LaMotta, which is often regarded as his masterpiece.
