The Ten Greatest Sports Movies of All Time

I have always loved sports. I grew up in a sports-crazy family, lived in a sports-crazy area(metro Detroit), and still enjoy watching sports on TV. As big a sports fan as I am, I have to admit that a lot of movies about sports have not been so great., as movies like Caddyshack II and Rocky V illustrate. However, there are many great sports movies out there that can be enjoyed by the sports nuts and those who are a bit more sane. Here are my top 10 sports movies of all time:

10) Hoosiers(1986). Hands down the best basketball movie ever made, Hoosiers loosely recounts the Cinderella story of the Milan high school basketball team's championship season. This is great David versus Goliath stuff, even though it differs a great deal from actual events.

9) LeMans(1971). This somewhat documentary-styled film captures what has lost by the infusion of hi-tech gadgetry into today's racing: Grit. In LeMans racing is still white-knuckle dangerous, and the cars themselves are beast-like and untamed. The movie stars Steve McQueen, who would be worth watching even if he was only reading through the phone book.

8) Marathon Man(1976). This thriller stars Dustin Hoffman as marathon runner Thomas "Babe" Levy, who is hunted by Nazi SS dentist Dr. Christian Szell(played with extreme menace by Laurence Oliver). Szell's cryptic question, "Is it safe?", remains one of the most chilling questions ever asked in a movie.

7) Brian's Song(1971). This TV movie recounts the real life career of running back Brian Piccolo and his friendship with hall-of-famer Gale Sayers. The film is moving and ultimately a tearjerker, but is worth watching for the easygoing chemistry that evolves between Piccolo(played by James Caan) and Sayers(played by Billy Dee Williams).

6) Caddyshack(1980). A comedy about golf that is probably the funniest sports-themed movie ever made. Chevy Chase, Bill Murray, Rodney Dangerfield, and others headline this movie that deals everything from putting to pot.

5) Chariots of Fire(1981). This tale of two British athletes who compete in the 1924 Paris Olympics is as much about faith as it is about sports. Eric Liddel(played by Ian Charleson) is a devoted Christian who refuses to run on Sunday(but still manages to compete on another day), and Harold Abrams(played by Ben Cross) is a Jewish athlete competing as much against misperceptions about Jews as against his fellow Olympians.

4) Rocky(1976). While this movie has been parodied and its sequels slowly devolved into embarrassing attempts to recapture the magic, the original is still an American classic. Rocky is the ultimate underdog movie, complete with brilliant performances by Burgess Meredith(Mickey), Talia Shire(Adrian),and of course Sylvester Stallone as Rocky.

3) The Hustler(1961). I know pool isn't the most physically demanding sport out there. To be honest, it's just above chess in the sporting world. That being said, this classic starring Paul Newman and Jackie Gleason highlights three characteristics of sports that all fans can appreciate: Competition, an underdog given the chance to beat a legend, and the hubris of the victor.

2) Enter The Dragon(1973). Mixed martial arts is huge these days, and there are many movies in the martial arts genre to choose from. This was the last film Bruce Lee completed before his untimely and mysterious death. While much about this film may be considered "campy", the kung fu in the movie(choreographed by Lee) is as good as has ever been filmed.

1) The Harder They Fall(1956). This black and white classic was the last film for the brilliant Humphrey Bogart. A tale of dreams, corruption, and conscience, the movie centers around an untalented Argentinean boxer who is elevated to a place of prominence in the sport through rigged fights and promotion. While the tale is tragic, the acting is brilliant. Saddest of all, it has now been over 50 years since this film helped expose the corruption of this great sport, but we still have no national boxing commission.

Want to see these movies? They can be rented from a wide variety of online rental sites such as Netflix.com or Blockbuster.com. If you watch a movie and decide you really like it, each of the above-mentioned movies is available at amazon.com.