# Greatest sports movie? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [July 23, 2011, 3:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-sports-movie/590059 "2011-07-23T03:00:39Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Who\_me\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/958977/32.png) [@Who\_me\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Who_me_1)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2011, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-sports-movie/590059/61 "2011-07-25T17:45:21Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > So to get back to the original purpose, which was to identify the greatest sports film and not just any sports films, [here](http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/espn25/story?page=listranker/bestmoviesresult)’s a list from ESPN. Their experts chose as the top ten: Hoosiers, Raging Bull, Field of Dreams, Bull Durham, Caddyshack, The Natural, Chariots of Fire, Jerry Maguire, Seabiscuit and Remember the Titans. And I’d say National Velvet beats the whole list so that list sucks. ---
**Author:** ![infinitii](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/e8c25b/32.png) [@infinitii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/infinitii)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2011, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-sports-movie/590059/62 "2011-07-25T17:53:01Z")
My favourite sports movie is _Any Given Sunday_, and I think it’s the most realistic sports movie ever as well (ie, it actually seems like real games are being played in the modern world). Every other movie seems to idealize or simplify parts of the sports which Oliver Stone refuses to do. Also, I like the Disney movie _Go Figure_ for both figure skating and hockey. ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2011, 6:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-sports-movie/590059/63 "2011-07-25T18:10:56Z")
> [@Who\_me\_1](#): > > And I’d say National Velvet beats the whole list so that list sucks. All sports movies must suck then, because _National Velvet_ certainly does. ---
**Author:** ![Wheelz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wheelz/32/5718_2.png) [@Wheelz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wheelz)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2011, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-sports-movie/590059/64 "2011-07-25T18:42:20Z")
_Bull Durham_ is somehow both completely about baseball and not at all about baseball. There’s no “big game.” The Bulls win some and they lose some (and sometimes it rains), and they’re just trying to make their way through the season as a team and as individuals. It’s perhaps the most realistic sports movie ever in that regard. Plus, it’s really funny, has lots of quotable lines, and Susan Sarandon at her hottest. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Peyote\_Coyote](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/5f8ce5/32.png) [@The\_Peyote\_Coyote](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Peyote_Coyote)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2011, 7:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-sports-movie/590059/65 "2011-07-25T19:20:01Z")
\*Field of Dreams Bull Durham The Longest Yard \*(the original) Although it’s not a sports movie, _Fast Times at Ridgemont High has a pretty hilarious football game. As does MAS_H\* for that matter. ---
**Author:** ![mac\_bolan00](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b3f665/32.png) [@mac\_bolan00](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mac_bolan00)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2011, 2:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-sports-movie/590059/66 "2011-07-26T02:18:23Z")
does a movie adaptation of a play count? “that championship season” ---
**Author:** ![outlierrn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/outlierrn/32/3005_2.png) [@outlierrn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/outlierrn)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2011, 5:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-sports-movie/590059/67 "2011-07-26T05:11:21Z")
> [@Wheelz](#): > > _Bull Durham_ is somehow both completely about baseball and not at all about baseball. There’s no “big game.” The Bulls win some and they lose some (and sometimes it rains), and they’re just trying to make their way through the season as a team and as individuals. It’s perhaps the most realistic sports movie ever in that regard. > > Plus, it’s really funny, has lots of quotable lines, and Susan Sarandon at her hottest. Notably writer/director Ron Shelton had played minor league ball for several years before getting into movies. ‘The way I hear it, you couldn’t hit water if you fell out of a fuckin’ boat’ [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-sports-movie/590059.md?page=3)