I thought Andre Agassi’s autobiography was very interesting, and could make for a great movie.
Start with him as a little kid, with his hustler Dad setting him up in high stakes matches with rich hotel guest s in Vegas.
Ralph Metcalfe
I have indeed, I think that’s what sparked the idea for this thread. There is simply nothing about the man’s life that wasn’t cinematic: he punched his way out of slavery, for God’s sake. In a similar vein I’d also like to see a movie about Jack Johnson, who proudly lived like a 21st century rapper in an era where looking at a white woman wrong could get a black man hanged.
-Pete Alexander…I think his story would be amazing. The whole 1926 World series, his WW1 service, his addictions and being a Hall of Fame pitcher to working at a flea circus would be a blockbuster if done right.
-Larry Doby…being over shadowed by Jackie Robinson could make a interesting movie.
-Ty Cobb…Keep Al Stump research out of a new movie based on him though. I really feel Al Stump made him worse than what he really was.
-I also think Moe Berg would make a great movie.
-Connie Mack. 50 years as a baseball manager and all the different eras he was part of would be cool to see.
-Billy Martin…after reading a few of his books, I’m fascinated by this guy. His farm animal story with Mickey Mantle is priceless.
I guess you could make these into documentarys but I would rather watch a well made movie of these guys.
Cobb was an excellent movie.
The movie The Great White Hope, was, as has been said, a thinly disguised version of the Jack Johnson story.
James Earl Jones in one of his earliest roles.
Weird coincidence, I was just listening to a Robert E. Howard story about Tom Molineaux. I didn’t realize he had been a real person.
I’ve seen shows on most of the names listed, not all, though. My choice would be the Assassin, Jack Tatum. He was not a nice man as I understand it.
I think “Cobb” was one of the worst baseball movies of alltime.
That’s sort of like saying that Casablanca is one of the worst WWII movies of all time. Yes, if your goal is to learn about WWII, it’s a horrible film. Technically true, but it seems a bit arbitrary to choose to view it through that lense.
Lance Armstrong would be a good one.
I remember when it came out and I think it lasted maybe 2 weeks at the most in theatres. The movie was filled with lies about Ty Cobb too. I’m kinda curious on why you thought Cobb was a good movie. The black guy in the movie, I’m guessing was suppose to be Cobb’s caretaker. In the movie it showed how the black guy hated Cobb but in reality, Cobbs real caretaker who was black, got along with Cobb greatly.
Perhaps the life of John Stephen Ahkwari hasn’t been overly dramatic, but I admire him as an athlete.
Ahkwari was a marathon runner from Tanzania, who finished last in the 1968 Mexico City games. He was hurt but wouldn’t quit.
Here was Bud Greenspan’s take on his determination to finish the race.
Speaking of 1968, I’d love to see an Ernie Pickett movie. Or maybe I just really like Bill Starr’s writing. Weightlifting can be pretty boring to watch, but frankly so is running and Chariots of Fire got an Oscar.
For me it would be Michael Jordan. He is one of the most widely recognized and beloved athletes who people know very little about personally. Most stories you hear are of him being a borderline sociopath and unrepentant/narcissistic asshole. I’ve read stories about him not leaving tips, punching teammates, and being viciously competitive.
Surprisingly though, his public image throughout most of his career was great. He thrived before the internet and varied media landscape would have called him to task for his shortcomings. Back then, his PR team could control the narrative. Even though that is not the case now, we STILL don’t know much about the guy. By most accounts he seems to be a product of a bygone era of fiercely competitive and supremely talented people who want to succeed at the expense of everyone around them. Most athletes are not like that these days. They eschew competition and are generally don’t seem to take the win at all costs mentality Jordan seemed to have.
He reminds me in a way of the guy from There Will Be Blood. Especially the, “I want no one else to succeed” speech from the movie. I think a movie that really gets at the heart of what motivates a guy like that would be interesting. Especially because the glimpses of his true character that have come out seem to inspire even more loyalty from the public. Even today, guys nearly as talented as Jordan (eg. Kobe, Lebron, Magic) are held in lower regard in part because of the humanity and decency on the basketball court that they seem to have; a trait that Jordan lacks.
[QUOTE=BobLibDem]
Joe Dimaggio would be an interesting one, between the streak and Marilyn and his notorious cheapness and his all around dickishness.
[/QUOTE]
It’s not impossible. Case in point: Raging Bull. It’s arguably Scorsese’s best film but the main character, Jake LaMotta, is such a thoroughly unpleasant asshole he ends up alienating everyone around him.
You could make a good movie about Jack Dempsey - his rise from the hobo camps to become heavyweight champion in a controversial match against Jess Willard, and the end of his career in another controversial fight against Gene Tunney.
Aaron Hernandez has a life story which is rather unique among athletes.
Ted Williams.
Great ballplayer with a fascinating life story, who mastered many complex things from hitting a fastball to becoming a great fighter pilot and fisherman who spent his life terrified people would discover a secret he was, for a variety of reasons ashamed of.
That he was of Mexican-American descent.
They’re actually making a biopic of Robin Friday, I think they’ve just started to film it.
I would like to see a biopic of Alan Shearer as I think their would be a nice juxtaposition of what a fantastic and exciting player he was to the fact he probably is the dullest and most uninteresting man alive off of the pitch. I could imagine the scene where he creosotes his fence to celebrate winning the Premiership.