1. Bull Durham (1988) The action and little details are perfect. And there's Susan Sarandon. 2. Raging Bull (1980) It's so widely (and deservedly) praised that no one points out that the stylized boxing scenes are utterly unrealistic. 3. Rocky (1976) Director John Avildsen says Rocky's and Adrian's skating scene resonates for him; we like Sly brutalizing a side of beef. 4. Hoosiers (1988) Hackman, Hopper, Hershey and hoops. It doesn't get much more heavenly than that. 5. Body and Soul (1947) Few movie lines are colder than the one delivered by the gangster (Lloyd Gough) as he studies a boxer with a blood clot: "Everybodydies." 6. The Hustler (1961) The foreboding Twilight Zone ambience of this pool film, with Jackie Gleason and Paul Newman, is riveting. 7. Chariots of Fire (1981) Who can forget Ian Holm, as coach Sam Mussabini, punching his hand through his hat after his student wins gold in the '24 Games? 8. Requiem for a Heavyweight (1962) As the washed-up fighter trying to avoid selling out as a pro wrestler, Anthony Quinn gives an immortal performance. 9. Slap Shot (1977) The tableau of the Hanson Brothers -- dried blood, broken glasses, blank expressions -- standing at rapt attention for the national anthem is priceless. 10. Jerry Maguire (1996) Can a movie about an agent be a sports movie? Hey, check out the sports pages. What's more, Cameron Crowe's script is brilliant -- moving and real. 11. Slowly (1973) The film is so powerful that we barely care that Robert De Niro doesn't swing the bat like a major leaguer, even a dying one. 12. The Natural (1984) The movie has a timeless aspect that, sentimentality aside, makes it watchable again and again. 13. The Bad News Bears (1976) The lovable underdogs sponsored by Chico's Bail Bonds. 14. North Dallas Forty (1979) A teammate tells a receiver (Nick Nolte) he has too much respect for his body to do drugs. The receiver answers, "You'll get past that." 15. Breaking Away (1979) The Bloomington, Indiana, homeboys (Dennis Christopher, Jackie Earle Haley, Dennis Quaid and Daniel Stern) make this biking movie click. 16. Field of Dreams (1989) Was Burt Lancaster ever in any film he didn't make a hundred times better? 17. Fat City (1972) An ex-fighter (Stacy Keach) to his protégé (Jeff Bridges): "Before you get rolling, your life makes a beeline for the drain" 18. Damn Yankees (1958) A baseball team singing You Gotta Have Heart? Ridiculous but irresistible. 19. The Harder They Fall (1956) The film ends with Humphrey Bogart once again seeing someone off at the airport, but it ain't Ingrid Bergman. 20. The Set Up (1949) There's an exquisite Playhouse 90 tautness to this boxing drama, which was directed by Robert Wise. Is it just me or is this the "all white guy" list? No "He Got Game." No "Hoop Dreams." No "The Hurricane." No "Brian's Song." In fact, only one film on this list (Jerry Maguire - an awful film IMO) has a leading or supporting actor that is black unless you count Ahmad from Bad News Bears. ------------------ Me fail English? That's unpossible.
Their list just like everything else espn does is off. ------------------ Ceo of the Walt Williams fan club. Web site coming soon atheistalliance.org
This is Sports Illustrated, not ESPN. No matter how bad you may think ESPN is, SI is much, much worse. ------------------ The Rockets will be the NBA champions. Believe.
And what about "A League of Their Own" ? ------------------ My dream job is to be a Houston Rockets towel boy.
I meant si. ------------------ Ceo of the Walt Williams fan club. Web site coming soon atheistalliance.org
I liked A League of Their Own. "There's no crying in baseball!" ------------------ Me fail English? That's unpossible.
Where is baseketball? ------------------ May I have another Snowball Clutch? Please may I? Ill be a good little mole.... I promise.
What!?!?!?! No "The Longest Yard"???? ------------------ Everything you do, effects everything that is.
Now tell me again......which of these movies is better than Caddyshack? ------------------ stop posting my damn signature
Although I liked He Got Game, I wouldn't put in a list of 20 greatest sports movies. As for Hurricane, well, you know my feelings about Denzel. I haven't seen Brian's Song, so I can't comment on that. But I do agree with you 100% about Hoop Dreams, or the lack thereof. It is my second favorite sports movie ever, right behind Raging Bull. Its exclusion from the list is a shame. So you like Brian's Song? I don't think I've ever heard of it, actually. You think it belongs on the list? What does it bring to the table? dylan PS i also agree about jerry maguire. blegh. ------------------
Brian's Song is one of the few movies that I just absolutely cried my eyes out while watching. ------------------ Ceo of the Walt Williams fan club. Web site coming soon atheistalliance.org [This message has been edited by DEANBCURTIS (edited February 02, 2001).]
Any list of the best sports movies without White Men Can't Jump isn't a worthy list at all.... What is a quince?? It's a FOOD, Billy, that starts with the letter "Q"!! And I got seven more!! ------------------ If you don't eat your meat, you can't have any pudding!!
I wanna say it is Ringo and the all stars IT stars James Earl Jones, Billy D Williams, Richard Pryor and a bunch of others IT is about the Negro Baseball players. It didn't make this. . 'list' Rocket River ------------------
They also forgot "Eight Men Out" with Ray Liotta. ------------------ Producer at SportsRadio 1340 KKAM visit me online at www.robertsnyder.net 2000 Sportscaster of the Year @ KTXT-FM, Lubbock
I can maybe understand them leaving off the hurricane, because even though it was a great movie it wasn't so much about the sport as about an athlete. But then again, some of the movies they did put on the list are the same way. ------------------ The whole world we travel with our thoughts, Finding nowhere anyone as precious as one's own self. Since each and every person is so precious to themselves Let the self-respecting harm no other being. -from the Samyutta Nikaya
I figure Hoop Dreams wasn't considered because it's a documentary rather than a fictional movie. I personally liked "Soul of the Game", which was an HBO original movie about Satchel Paige, Josh Gibson and Jackie Robinson. ------------------ Houston Sports Board The Anti-Bud Adams Page
