There are movies out there for everyone. No matter what day or time of year it is, you are sure to find a movie out there for you. During a time when heavy dramas and nail-biting thrillers are going viral with every turn, it is important for us to not discount a very important genre in the film industry:sports. FromA League of Their Ownto42, so many sports films have turned out to be staples for all of us.
Sports have always been such an integral part of the entertainment business, and when some of the most outrageous and inspiring stories come from the sports we watch every day, the movie industry has all the material it could need for a great on-screen story. Filmsbased on true storiesalways affect audiences a little more than a fully fictional story. Something about the events actually happening in our reality changes our perception of the cinematic version.
Here, we have put together a ranking of the best sports films that are based on true stories.
10Million Dollar Arm
Million Dollar Arm
Who said that you had to train your whole life to make it in the MLB?Million Dollar Armis a 2014 sports drama based on the story of Rinku Singh and Dinesh Patel, who were recruited by agent J.B. Bernstein. The film follows Jon Hamm’s portrayal of J.B. Bernstein as he tries to salvage his career by going to India to find a cricket player that he can mold into the baseball pitcher of his dreams. In the film, Dinesh is played by Madhur Mittal and Rinku is portrayed by Suraj Sharma.
What Makes It Great
A great thing about a movie likeMillion Dollar Armis the fact that you do not really have to know baseball to fall in love with it. Thissort of underdog story, featuring athletes with natural talent built from the ground up, is portrayed beautifully and is littered with inspiring storylines that will leave you feeling like you could reach for the stars.
Rent on Prime Video
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2023 gave usThe Hill, a sports drama based on the true story of Rickey Hill and his miraculous journey to become a player in Major League Baseball. Starring Collin Ford as Ricky, the film follows Ricky’s drive to make it big in the sport despite the obstacles of his degenerative spinal disease that has him in leg braces and his complicated relationship with his father (Dennis Quaid), a Southern Baptist Pastor.
The Hillis what sports films are all about. The inspiring story of a man defying the odds out of pure passion and the strength of his own will is the kind of story that transcends the confines of cinema. The film hits the mark in not just the triumphant rise of a man, but also the harsh realities of family life.
Rent on YouTube
8The Natural
The Naturalis a 1984 film based on the novel of the same name by Bernard Malamud, which, in turn, was inspired by the true story of baseball player Eddie Waitkus. The film follows young Chicago Cubs player Roy Hobbs (played by Robert Redford) ,who gets shot by a crazed woman right at the beginning of his career. After 16 years away from the league, Hobbs decides to return to baseball and, defying the odds of his age in the sport, becomes one of the best players in the game.
This film does not necessarily stay true to the source material through and through. However,The Naturaldoes create a story that represents the sports world at the time and is quite an informative watch for anyone interested in some significant parts of baseball history. The film is inspiring and truly dives into the idea that even if aging is not your friend in sports, anything is possible.
Stream on Starz
7Fear Strikes Out
Fear Strikes Outis a 1957 sports drama that follows the life of Jimmy Piersall, played by Anthony Perkins, as he grows up with a baseball-obsessed father, played by Karl Malden. After growing up with baseball as the living, breathing heart of your household, your every waking moment consumed by the game, Jimmy finds himself fulfilling the wishes of his father by becoming a player in the MLB. However, mentally, he starts to fall apart, threatening his career.
A huge aspect of sports in general that is touched on in the media is the physical demands of being a professional player. However, what is discussed much less is the mental strain that playing in professional sports can cause as well as how obsessive behavior can easily sneak into your everyday routine.Fear Strikes Outfocuses on the complications of mental illness in the game of baseball, a refreshing and equally inspiring tale that is still relevant in the sports world today.
Rent on AppleTV
6The Rookie
2002’sThe Rookiefollows the true story of Jim Morris, a pitcher who became a 35-year-old rookie in the MLB. The film stars Dennis Quaid as Jim and follows as his career in the minor leagues gets cut short due to a shoulder injury, never allowing him to make it in the major leagues. Now a high-school chemistry teacher and baseball coach, Jim’s students strike a deal with him, where a win in the district championship means he will go for the major leagues once more.
Whenever these sports films touch on the confines of time in terms of playing professional sports, beating the odds is a constant theme. If you are in the mood for a solid sports film that has an engaging plot and an awe-inspiring true story to back it up, Disney’sThe Rookieis worth a watch.
Stream on Disney+
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Jackie Robinson is one of the most-known names in baseball history. Not only was he renowned for being a marvelous talent, but Robinson’s mere presence in the MLB caused the ugly plague of racism that was woven into the fabric of the sport and public opinion to come out in full force.42is the biographical sports drama starring Chadwick Boseman as Jackie Robinson. The film follows Jackie’s career after getting signed by legendary agent Branch Rickey, played by Harrison Ford.
What Make It Great
Everyone these days knows the late Chadwick Boseman as the iconic Marvel superhero Black Panther. However, in 2013, he broke out with such animpeccable performance as Jackie Robinsonthat not enough people talk about it. The significance of Robinson’s career for the sport of baseball and for Black representation in sports is already a story worth telling and watching over and over. Adding the layer of Boseman’s legacy on its back is most definitely a sign for you to check this film out.
Stream on Max
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4Eight Men Out
Eight Men Outis 1988 film that is based on Eliot Asinof’s 1963 bookEight Men Out: The Black Sox and the 1919 World Series. The story follows the 1919 World Series between the Chicago White Sox and the Cincinnati Reds. When the strenuous relationship between the team and the owner reaches a fever pitch, the team’s star players agree to throw the series, gambling on the results to make money. The film follows the true scandal coined “The Black Sox Scandal.”
People get passionate about sports. Therefore, scandals like the one this film portrays are inevitable and very entertaining. The world of sports is not just about inspiring stories and championship wins; there is an ugly side of the sports world that is captured in this film.Eight Men Outis a masterful change of pace in terms of sports films that could not go wrong.
Stream on Prime Video
3A League of Their Own
A League of Their Own
A League of Their Ownis one of the most beloved sports movies of all time, and isbased on a true story. The film came out in 1992 and follows an all-women baseball league funded by Walter Harvey, when World War II made young, athletic men scarce in society. The film is full of interconnected rivalries and an ensemble that feels like a sisterhood jumping right off the screen as the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League (AAGPBL) gets some much-needed representation in sports cinema.
Other than the fact that this film is a staple for any sports fan out there, baseball is definitely a male-dominated sport in society.A League of Their Ownchallenges in such a way that anyone can relate to it. As much as we love heavily emotional sports films, this one is a fun change of pace that is bright, funny, and a great sports film overall.
Stream on Tubi
2Moneyball
2011’sMoneyballis based on the bookMoneyball: The Art of Winning an Unfair Gameby Michael Lewis. The film follows the ambitious general manager of the Oakland A’s, Billy Beane (played by Brad Pitt). Billy employs the help of Peter Brand (Jonah Hill) to reimagine the members of his team, focusing on the players that scouts have discounted. Following the 2002 season of the Oakland A’s, this film is a must-watch baseball movie.
When we talk about baseball movies,Moneyballis always going to be at the top of any list. With such a fantastic ensemble surrounding it, the film introduces a side of the sport to the movie world that the public hardly gets to see. If you are interested in seeing what goes on the business side of the field,Moneyballis the perfect film.
1The Pride of the Yankees
At the top of the list isThe Pride of the Yankees. The film came out in 1942 and still holds its own to this day. The story follows the career of baseball player Lou Gehrig when he gets recruited to a stacked New York Yankees team with the legendary Babe Ruth. However, when things start looking up for the player, specifically with playing in the major leagues and finding love, Lou faces an illness that threatens the future of his career.
If you are familiar with baseball history, the legendary career of Lou Gehrig is something to marvel at. Even after decades since its release,The Pride of the Yankeesis still regarded as one of thebest sports/baseball filmsof all time. Despite this film not being a play-by-play depiction of Gehrig’s career, this film still holds its own as a inspirational baseball film.
