# Which Athlete Would You Most Like To See In A Biopic? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [August 19, 2014, 10:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-athlete-would-you-most-like-to-see-in-a-biopic/695885 "2014-08-19T10:20:30Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Penfeather](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/penfeather/32/384_2.png) [@Penfeather](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Penfeather)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2014, 10:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-athlete-would-you-most-like-to-see-in-a-biopic/695885/1 "2014-08-19T10:20:30Z")
The life of boxer [Tom Molineaux](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tom_Molineaux), the first professional black athlete of the modern era, cries out to be filmed. Born a slave in late 18th Century Virginia, ranged by his owner in bare-knuckle bouts against other slaves, won his freedom in the ring, then travelled to Regency England where he rose through the ranks of prize fighters to challenge the champion and popular favourite, Tom Cribb. Molineaux barely lost an epic but controversial bout, then lost the rematch and faded into drunken obscurity, dying penniless at the age of 34. eta: [a fuller account of the fight. Pure cinema.](http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1338673/200-years-ago-Black-Ajax-Thomas-Molineaux-cheated-British-heavyweight-title.html) ---
**Author:** ![Shoeless](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shoeless/32/7099_2.png) [@Shoeless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shoeless)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2014, 11:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-athlete-would-you-most-like-to-see-in-a-biopic/695885/2 "2014-08-19T11:59:21Z")
Buck O’Neil, or maybe Satchel Page. ---
**Author:** ![John\_DiFool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_difool/32/19543_2.png) [@John\_DiFool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_DiFool)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2014, 12:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-athlete-would-you-most-like-to-see-in-a-biopic/695885/3 "2014-08-19T12:04:12Z")
But not Joe Jackson? 😃 ---
**Author:** ![mcgato](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ac8455/32.png) [@mcgato](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mcgato)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2014, 12:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-athlete-would-you-most-like-to-see-in-a-biopic/695885/4 "2014-08-19T12:38:29Z")
[Suzy Favor Hamilton](http://www.thesmokinggun.com/documents/suzy-favor-hamilton-136952) ---
**Author:** ![Yodalicious](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yodalicious/32/8195_2.png) [@Yodalicious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yodalicious)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2014, 3:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-athlete-would-you-most-like-to-see-in-a-biopic/695885/5 "2014-08-19T15:06:49Z")
[Moe Berg](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moe_Berg). I can’t imagine why his life story has not been made into an overly dramatic spy thriller. ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2014, 3:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-athlete-would-you-most-like-to-see-in-a-biopic/695885/6 "2014-08-19T15:09:51Z")
O.J. Simpson. You couldn’t make that shit up. ---
**Author:** ![DrCube](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a3d4f5/32.png) [@DrCube](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrCube)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2014, 3:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-athlete-would-you-most-like-to-see-in-a-biopic/695885/7 "2014-08-19T15:13:11Z")
I’d watch a new Lou Gehrig movie. ---
**Author:** ![DeepLiquid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/deepliquid/32/14893_2.png) [@DeepLiquid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DeepLiquid)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2014, 3:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-athlete-would-you-most-like-to-see-in-a-biopic/695885/8 "2014-08-19T15:15:18Z")
Martina Navratilova or Diana Nyad ---
**Author:** ![johnspartan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/a183cd/32.png) [@johnspartan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/johnspartan)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2014, 3:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-athlete-would-you-most-like-to-see-in-a-biopic/695885/9 "2014-08-19T15:25:23Z")
Hmmm… Babe Didrikson. Jim Thorpe. I think a really neat Joe DiMaggio movie could be made fairly easily. Feels weird to say this but I think you could already make a great Mike Tyson movie. There have been some really interesting documentaries about him. ---
**Author:** ![garygnu](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/garygnu/32/2924_2.png) [@garygnu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/garygnu)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2014, 3:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-athlete-would-you-most-like-to-see-in-a-biopic/695885/10 "2014-08-19T15:43:38Z")
John Elway’s career track would make an effective movie. Highly touted, draft drama, early success, failures in the Super Bowl, fairly long stretch of mediocrity, then ending his career with back-to-back championships. And the epilogue is good, too. You also have a great and underserved supporting character in Terrell Davis. ---
**Author:** ![asterion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/4da419/32.png) [@asterion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asterion)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2014, 4:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-athlete-would-you-most-like-to-see-in-a-biopic/695885/11 "2014-08-19T16:01:50Z")
I was going to say Ty Cobb would be interesting but then Wikipedia told me one was released 20 years ago. Still, though, a new one could still be made. ---
**Author:** ![Flywheel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/eb8c5e/32.png) [@Flywheel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Flywheel)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2014, 4:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-athlete-would-you-most-like-to-see-in-a-biopic/695885/12 "2014-08-19T16:04:40Z")
[Eric Moussambani](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eric_Moussambani) ---
**Author:** ![amanset](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8dc957/32.png) [@amanset](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amanset)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2014, 4:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-athlete-would-you-most-like-to-see-in-a-biopic/695885/13 "2014-08-19T16:11:59Z")
Probably [Robin Friday](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robin_Friday). It’d be different I reckon … ---
**Author:** ![BobLibDem](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boblibdem/32/3149_2.png) [@BobLibDem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobLibDem)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2014, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-athlete-would-you-most-like-to-see-in-a-biopic/695885/14 "2014-08-19T16:18:34Z")
Joe Dimaggio would be an interesting one, between the streak and Marilyn and his notorious cheapness and his all around dickishness. Curt Flood for the story of how he tried to push open the door to free agency. Roberto Clemente for his charitable work and untimely death. Joe Namath just because he had a fun life off the field. Mark McGwire/Sammy Sosa for the home run chase and steroid scandal. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2014, 4:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-athlete-would-you-most-like-to-see-in-a-biopic/695885/15 "2014-08-19T16:29:29Z")
> [@asterion](#): > > I was going to say Ty Cobb would be interesting but then Wikipedia told me one was released 20 years ago. Still, though, a new one could still be made. > [@BobLibDem](#): > > Joe Dimaggio would be an interesting one, between the streak and Marilyn and his notorious cheapness and his all around dickishness. The problem is it’s tough to make a good narrative out of an athlete who was successful and unpleasant. Where’s the hook? If an athlete is an asshole, you either want to see him humbled or redeemed. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2014, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-athlete-would-you-most-like-to-see-in-a-biopic/695885/16 "2014-08-19T16:54:58Z")
Ayrton Senna was frequently unpleasant and his narrative was [pretty awesome](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Senna_(film)). > [@](#): > > Martina Navratilova or Diana Nyad ESPN’s _30 for 30_ series [did one](http://espn.go.com/30for30/film?page=unmatched) on the rivalry and friendship between Navratilova and Chris Evert. It’s available on demand from my cable provider at the moment. My vote goes to Ruud Gullit. Growing up in the UK in the eighties and early nineties there were hardly any sympathetic black or brown people on TV. I think Bill Cosby and John Barnes were about my only options. So Gullit because a hero to me even though I hardly ever got to watch him play. ---
**Author:** ![Valgard](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/7feea3/32.png) [@Valgard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Valgard)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2014, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-athlete-would-you-most-like-to-see-in-a-biopic/695885/17 "2014-08-19T18:41:03Z")
Andre The Giant. Ann Trason > **[Ann Trason](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ann_Trason)** > > Ann Trason (born August 30, 1960) is an American ultramarathon runner from Auburn, California. She set 20 world records during her career and is considered to be the most successful female ultrarunner of all time. > Trason was a top runner in high school, but a knee injury kept her from competing in college and injuries plagued her throughout her running career including not finishing her first two entries to the Western States 100. > Trason's ultra career began when she entered the 1985 American ... (I’m not aware of any special drama in her life, but her athletic accomplishments are incredible) ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2014, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-athlete-would-you-most-like-to-see-in-a-biopic/695885/18 "2014-08-19T18:47:03Z")
WWE/F has released a couple of documentaries about Andre’s life: _Andre the Giant: A Legendary Life_ and _Andre the Giant: Larger Than Life_. They’re not so hot on coming up with original titles. _Biography_ also did an episode on him. ---
**Author:** ![shiftless](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9c0ed/32.png) [@shiftless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/shiftless)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2014, 7:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-athlete-would-you-most-like-to-see-in-a-biopic/695885/19 "2014-08-19T19:35:28Z")
> [@Penfeather](#): > > The life of boxer Tom Molineaux I agree. Have you read [Black\_Ajax](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Ajax)? ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2014, 7:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-athlete-would-you-most-like-to-see-in-a-biopic/695885/20 "2014-08-19T19:36:46Z")
> [@Daddypants](#): > > [Moe Berg](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moe_Berg). I can’t imagine why his life story has not been made into an overly dramatic spy thriller. I agree completely. Over the years, several people have tried to make a movie about Moe Berg. Geddy Lee of Rush (who’s both a huge baseball fan and the son of Holocaust survivors) was one of the people trying to get rights to the story. But for some reason, it’s never happened. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-athlete-would-you-most-like-to-see-in-a-biopic/695885.md?page=2)