Thanks for this cleanse from the noise. Great piece. The best bowling movie: The Big Lebowski. Wish there were more with female casts and stories. Sigh.
I would like to respectfully submit two older boxing movies for consideration. A 1949 film noir The Set Up with Robert Wise and Audrey Trotter, and Requiem for a Heavyweight with Anthony Quinn. Another wonderful movie with a sports background is a British film called This Sporting Life which was the first movie with Richard Harris in a Marlin Brando like performance. If you rush and have the TCM app it is on this month. I agree with Paul Duke here on Breaking Away as well. Highly recommended.
Excuse this long-winded comment. I'm a producer/director and about 20 years ago I was offered a script about the Reno air races...arguably a sport, but right up my alley, as it's a very cinematic and dangerous world, and I'm a life-long pilot. But I'm responsible for spending millions of other peoples' money, as well as large chunks of my life, so I first decided to do a very detailed analysis of "racing" movies: auto; horse; ski; track; bicycle...anything about crossing a finish line first. I examined all the racing films I could find. Lesson #1: Virtually all of them were financial, if not artistic, failures. #2: It didn't matter how much they cost: no budget guaranteed success #3: Didn't matter how big the stars in them were, or how many: (Cruise, McQueen, Newman, Pacino). #4: Didn't matter how accomplished or famous the directors were (Frankenheimer, Sturges, Pollock, etc.) And I also timed the racing footage. My conclusion? The most successful "racing" film of all time was one of the least expensive; had no stars in it, was the first film of its director, Hugh Hudson, and most importantly, had the LEAST amount of racing in it, by far: "Chariots of Fire." Then they invented the "Fast and Furious" franchise...do those qualify? Tony Bill
okay okay okay.... I really want to go out and catch John Wick 4 today... but I have to add this. It may not be a great football movie, but it sure has a great football section! M*A*S*H... the movie. Both teams had ringers! Real football stars of the time, including Big Ben Davidson! Cheerleaders led by the late Sally Kellerman, the original Hot Lips! Obviously it did not fall into any of the thematic structures or threads that The Captain has laid out at the beginning of the post, but it has lots of humor and players smoking weed on the field as the game is being played. The film, after all is a satire LOL
Now I know what movies to watch while making art! I love baseball movies and will watch (almost) any baseball movie I discover. My favorite is Bull Durham—love the story of the AAAA catcher’s final season. I also loved the movie, League of Their Own. I even loved Eight Men Out, even though it’s not fiction. I don’t like the reverential biopics though; Gary Cooper playing Lou Gehrig in, was it, Pride of the Yankees? Way, way, way too old to play credibly a major league player—all I saw was, Look, it’s Gary Cooper. In contrast, Tim Robbins was Nuke LaLoosh!
Excellent list Mr. Abdul-Jabbar. The only change I would make is putting North Dallas Forty ahead of The Longest Yard. Btw I loved you breaking yhe 4th wall in Airplane the funniest scene in a very funny movie.
Would love to get your take on the best Basketball books. Just read The City Game about the City College point shaving scandal in the 50's. Can't recommend it highly enough. Also Breaks of the Game about the 79 Portland Trail Blazers, and the Open Man by Dave DeBusschere.
Mr. Baseball. Ballplayers from North America usually watch this movie after signing with a Japanese club, to begin learning the culture of Japanese baseball.
I have my own personal faves among KIDS sports movies and highly recommend them:
The Sandlot: I always cry at the end when they are in Dodger Stadium!
The Big Green: This is a soccer movie and an immigration movie!
I was widowed when my two sons were 1 and 6 years old. We watched a lot of kids sports movies over the years. Many of them (including Airbud and Sandlot) involve the ways that kids adapt to their dad's death through sports, and we lived it.
I highly recommend the soundtrack of The Big Green, too.
Breaking Away! Ragtag bunch of misfits?
Thanks for this cleanse from the noise. Great piece. The best bowling movie: The Big Lebowski. Wish there were more with female casts and stories. Sigh.
Two movies starring Paul Newman in your list. I knew Paul. He loved making those movies. He revered athletes.
How about something very unique for this list…Rollerball with James Caan.
I would like to respectfully submit two older boxing movies for consideration. A 1949 film noir The Set Up with Robert Wise and Audrey Trotter, and Requiem for a Heavyweight with Anthony Quinn. Another wonderful movie with a sports background is a British film called This Sporting Life which was the first movie with Richard Harris in a Marlin Brando like performance. If you rush and have the TCM app it is on this month. I agree with Paul Duke here on Breaking Away as well. Highly recommended.
I respectfully submit Remember the Titans in the Football Category.
Soccer movie - Bend it Like Beckham
Yes, to Breaking Away for cycling! Downhill Racer for best skiing movie.
Excuse this long-winded comment. I'm a producer/director and about 20 years ago I was offered a script about the Reno air races...arguably a sport, but right up my alley, as it's a very cinematic and dangerous world, and I'm a life-long pilot. But I'm responsible for spending millions of other peoples' money, as well as large chunks of my life, so I first decided to do a very detailed analysis of "racing" movies: auto; horse; ski; track; bicycle...anything about crossing a finish line first. I examined all the racing films I could find. Lesson #1: Virtually all of them were financial, if not artistic, failures. #2: It didn't matter how much they cost: no budget guaranteed success #3: Didn't matter how big the stars in them were, or how many: (Cruise, McQueen, Newman, Pacino). #4: Didn't matter how accomplished or famous the directors were (Frankenheimer, Sturges, Pollock, etc.) And I also timed the racing footage. My conclusion? The most successful "racing" film of all time was one of the least expensive; had no stars in it, was the first film of its director, Hugh Hudson, and most importantly, had the LEAST amount of racing in it, by far: "Chariots of Fire." Then they invented the "Fast and Furious" franchise...do those qualify? Tony Bill
okay okay okay.... I really want to go out and catch John Wick 4 today... but I have to add this. It may not be a great football movie, but it sure has a great football section! M*A*S*H... the movie. Both teams had ringers! Real football stars of the time, including Big Ben Davidson! Cheerleaders led by the late Sally Kellerman, the original Hot Lips! Obviously it did not fall into any of the thematic structures or threads that The Captain has laid out at the beginning of the post, but it has lots of humor and players smoking weed on the field as the game is being played. The film, after all is a satire LOL
Now I know what movies to watch while making art! I love baseball movies and will watch (almost) any baseball movie I discover. My favorite is Bull Durham—love the story of the AAAA catcher’s final season. I also loved the movie, League of Their Own. I even loved Eight Men Out, even though it’s not fiction. I don’t like the reverential biopics though; Gary Cooper playing Lou Gehrig in, was it, Pride of the Yankees? Way, way, way too old to play credibly a major league player—all I saw was, Look, it’s Gary Cooper. In contrast, Tim Robbins was Nuke LaLoosh!
Excellent list Mr. Abdul-Jabbar. The only change I would make is putting North Dallas Forty ahead of The Longest Yard. Btw I loved you breaking yhe 4th wall in Airplane the funniest scene in a very funny movie.
Would love to get your take on the best Basketball books. Just read The City Game about the City College point shaving scandal in the 50's. Can't recommend it highly enough. Also Breaks of the Game about the 79 Portland Trail Blazers, and the Open Man by Dave DeBusschere.
Totally agree about The Hustler. Tin Cup is the best golf movie because it captures the addiction I have to a game that one can never master.
Any Given Sunday. It never gets old. Supporting roles by 4 players in the all-time top 10: Jim Brown, Dick Butkus, Lawrence Taylor, Johnny Unitas.
Mr. Baseball. Ballplayers from North America usually watch this movie after signing with a Japanese club, to begin learning the culture of Japanese baseball.
I have my own personal faves among KIDS sports movies and highly recommend them:
The Sandlot: I always cry at the end when they are in Dodger Stadium!
The Big Green: This is a soccer movie and an immigration movie!
I was widowed when my two sons were 1 and 6 years old. We watched a lot of kids sports movies over the years. Many of them (including Airbud and Sandlot) involve the ways that kids adapt to their dad's death through sports, and we lived it.
I highly recommend the soundtrack of The Big Green, too.