From Horses to Football: Top Sports Movies

What happens when you're the worst player in little league and your broken arm doesn't heal correctly? Well, in the real world you're probably looking at months of physical therapy, but if you're lucky enough to be in a movie about baseball your arm heals so well that suddenly you're pitching 100 mile-per-hour fastballs for the majors--at twelve years old. A fairy tale for every little boy who dreams of playing for the Cubs, this 1993 film is just adorable. A throw back to the cute kids movies of the 50s & 60s, this unpretentious film will bring a smile to even hardened cynics.

Angels in the Outfield

Beloved in 1951 & remade in 1994, this movie asks the question "Does G-d like baseball?" Answering the desperate prayer of a boy in foster care, Angel Christopher Lloyd is sent to assist the then fictional Angels win the pennant. Sweet as apple pie & light handed as an after school special, still this film is great for preteens who love the game.

National Velvet

The quintessential girl & her horse movie, National Velvet hurtled Elizabeth Taylor to fame. Costaring Mickey Rooney & Angela Lansbury, this film follows the adventures of 12 year old Velvet Brown as she first saves then trains her wonderful horse The Pie for the Grand National Steeplechase. An absolute must see classic for every little girl who dreams of her own horse.

Jerry Maguire

Released in December 1996, Jerry Maguire was a phenomenon. 1997 was the year of Maguire. You couldn't turn on your radio without hearing Bruce Springsteen sing Secret Garden, with lines from the movie interspersed between lyrics. Suddenly friends were asking you to show them the money. Girls talked about boyfriends "completing them." And suddenly Renee Zellwiger was "that actress who looked like Jewel." So much buzz over a little movie about a sports agent.

Very well deserved buzz. Well written, well cast, & well acted, this film combined elements of comedy with drama and enough romance to create a mix that both sexes could enjoy--even if one or both of them don't care for football. Combining sports with romance is no easy task, but this movie deserved all the praise and awards it received.　

Remember the Titans

One of the best films of the last ten years Remember the Titans explores racism in a small Virginia town during the 1970s. When the white head coach is demoted to allow an African American coach to take over a recently integrated high school football program, the school & town react poorly. However when this team comes together and learn from each other, it reminds us of many of the reasons we want our children in sports programs in the first place--team work, loyalty, friendship, & discipline among others.

Denzel Washington may have been one of the only true stars at the time, but the cast is superb. Hayden Panettiere of Heroes fame may be one of the stand out performances of the film, as the newly demoted assistant coach's young daughter. A must see.

All of these films are available on Amazon or eBay's half.com