The Greatest Sports Movies of All Time

Kevin Costner starred in this uplifting movie from Disney based on a true story about a former high school football coach who moves to an economically distressed community in California and turns the cross-country team into a champion.

“The Champ” is the story of a washed-up former boxer (Wallace Beery) who lives in Tijuana with his young son. After winning a racehorse in a bet, Champ contacts his son’s mother and her new husband, providing him and his son a new opportunity in horseracing. The film was nominated for four Oscars and won two — best actor for Beery and best writing.

“Rudy” is the sentimental story about a working-class young man whose goal is to play football for the University of Notre Dame, his dream school, despite the fact he’s undersized. Critics Consensus on Rotten Tomatoes hailed the film for its “uplifting spirit and determination.”

“Sugar” is the story of Miguel “Sugar” Santos, a Dominican baseball player who moves to Iowa in order to try to work his way through the ranks of minor league baseball. The film largely focuses on the culture shock of Sugar’s time in America, where he encounters racism and other difficulties.

Written by and starring Sylvester Stallone, “Rocky” is the film that put the action star on the map. The movie about an unusually driven young boxer was the top grossing film released in 1976 and has produced seven sequels to date, including the recent Creed flicks.

“The Karate Kid” is not just one of the most famous sports movies, it’s also among the most popular movies of all time, grossing over $91 million across three cinematic releases. The feel-good cult classic follows a martial arts master who teaches a bullied teenager karate.

“Somebody Up There Likes Me” is based on the autobiography of boxer Rocky Graziano. The movie tells the story of how Graziano, played by Paul Newman, became the world’s middleweight champion in 1947.

Described by Rotten Tomatoes’ Critics Consensus as “an inspirational crowd-pleaser with a healthy dose of social commentary,” “Remember the Titans” stars Denzel Washington as high school football coach Herman Boone, who is hired to oversee the newly desegregated public school team.

Barry Levinson directed this homage to the national pastime based on Bernard Malamud’s novel of the same name that is part sports drama and part fantasy. Robert Redford played a Depression-era baseball player whose hitting prowess seems almost divinely ordained. The staff at Variety said “The Natural” was “an impeccably made, but quite strange, fable about success and failure in America.”

“Hard Times” is the story of a man who boxes as a way to earn money and survive during the Great Depression in New Orleans. The rough bare-knuckle fighting drama was Walter Hill’s first feature film as a director.

“Miracle” is about the man behind one of the most famous victories (and upsets) in the history of hockey. Kurt Russell played Herb Brooks, who coached the U.S. Olympic hockey team against the Soviet squad, which was believed to be unbeatable. The American team eventually won the gold medal.

Denzel Washington plays Rubin “Hurricane” Carter, a boxer who was wrongfully convicted (along with another man) of committing murders. The movie is largely about the fight to prove his innocence. Washinbgton was nominated for an Oscar in the best actor category for his performance.

Critics Consensus on Rotten Tomatoes lauded Paul Newman’s performance as the player/coach of a failing minor league hockey team that starts winning after he adds to the roster several overly physical players of questionable ability.

Kevin Costner returned to the national pastime in this sports fantasy about a struggling Iowa farmer who carves a baseball diamond out of his cornfield. Soon afterward, the 1919 Chicago White Sox, infamous for rigging the World Series, showed up at the field. The film is known for the quote “If you build it, he will come.” The film was also the last feature-length movie for actor Burt Lancaster.

Minor league baseball provided the backdrop for a love triangle involving a player with fading skills (Kevin Costner), a rising star (Tim Robbins), and the team groupie (Susan Sarandon) who romances both of them. The script that blended comedy and romance earned a Best Writing Oscar nomination for writer-director Ron Shelton.

“The Set-Up” is the story of a boxing manager who secretly takes a bribe and bets against his fighter, expecting him to lose. The film shows the ugly side of the sport, involving gambling and fight-fixing.

The feature debut from writer-director Gina Prince-Bythewood expertly mixes sports and romance as we watch the intertwined lives of athletes Quincy and Monica over a number of years. In addition to seeking actors who had experience playing basketball, Prince-Bythewood had performers with limited athletic ability train with coaches prior to filming.

“The Bad News Bears” is a comedy drama about an aging former minor league baseball player who reluctantly takes a job coaching a Little League team of misfits. Rotten Tomatoes Critics’ Consensus describes the film as “rude, profane, and cynical, but shot through with honest, unforced humor, and held together by a deft, understated performance from Walter Matthau.”

Oscar-winner Anthony Hopkins plays Burt Munro, the speed bike racer from New Zealand who sets multiple land speed records in his 1920 Indian Scout motorcycle.

“National Velvet” is the story of a 12-year-old British girl named Velvet Brown (Elizabeth Taylor) who tries to tame her firebrand horse and enter it into one of the major horse races of the year, with help from her family and a former jockey. Rotten Tomatoes hailed the film as “a timeless family-friendly tearjerker,” with each critic that reviewed the film giving it positive marks.

“Hoosiers,” the story about a longshot Indiana high school basketball team that wins the state championship, was lauded by the Washington Post for its “fast-break cinematography that catches the pace of the game.” The film was also buoyed by the performances of Gene Hackman, Barbara Hershey, and Dennis Hopper.

“I, Tonya” is a comedy drama about the rise and fall of competitive ice skater Tonya Harding, whose legacy was forever tarnished by her alleged involvement in one of the biggest scandals in sports history — the attack on fellow Olympic competitor Nancy Kerrigan. Margot Robbie got her first Oscar nomination for playing Harding and Alison Janney won her first Oscar for Best Supporting Actress as Harding’s mother.

“Queen of Katwe” is a Disney movie telling the story of Phiona Mutesi, a Ugandan chess prodigy, who went from selling corn on the streets to winning international chess tournaments. Her mother was portrayed by Oscar winner Lupita Nyong’o (“12 Years a Slave”). Nikita Pearl Waligwa, the child actress who played a friend of Mutesi, died in February 2020 at age 15 from brain cancer.

Unlike many of the greatest sports movies, “The Harder They Fall” does not focus on an athlete. In the film, down on his luck newspaper reporter Eddie Willis (Humphrey Bogart) is hired by a corrupt promoter to hype up his up-and-coming boxer, even though he has no boxing talent. Willis must decide whether or not to tell the boxer he could be in danger when he comes up against a skilled fighter.

“Moneyball,” nominated for six Oscars and based on the book by Michael Lewis, told the story of Oakland A’s general manager Billy Beane, who tried to build a winning team in a small market by using computer-based analysis and data. The movie was sharply written and keenly observed by Steve Zaillian and Aaron Sorkin.

“Body and Soul” is the story of a young boxer named Charley Davis whose life takes a dramatic turn after the accidental death of his father. Despite his mother’s objections, Davis throws himself headlong into his boxing career, coming up against tough opponents and a shady promoter. The film is highly regarded by moviegoers and critics alike and was nominated for three Oscars.

“Fat City” is director John Huston’s unsparing, unsentimental look at the career fate of two boxers and their seedy world they inhabit. It was one of Huston’s later movies, and Susan Tyrell received an Oscar nomination for Best Actress for her work in the movie.

“The Fighter” is based on the true story of boxer Mickey Ward (Mark Wahlberg), who is from Massachusetts. Ward is from a dysfunctional family, which includes his unreliable half-brother Dicky (Christian Bale) who also serves as his trainer. Ward must decide if he can really keep his relationship with his family intact as he chases a shot at a title. Bale and Melissa Leo (who played Ward’s mother) both won an Academy Award — for best supporting actor and best supporting actress, respectively. “The Fighter” was nominated for five other Oscars.

A young Marine veteran returns home where he is trained for a mixed martial arts fight by his father, a former wrestling coach and recovering alcoholic. Problems arise when the older brother enters the MMA tournament. Nick Nolte was nominated for an Oscar in the best supporting actor category for his portrayal of the father.

Legendary racing drama “Grand Prix” tells the story of Pete Aron (James Garner), who was dropped by his sponsor following a crash that injures a teammate. Aron joins a rival team while also maintaining an affair with another man’s wife.

“Grand Prix” is very well reviewed, with 88% of audiences and 100% of critics giving it positive reviews, per Rotten Tomatoes. The film won three Academy Awards — best sound, best sound effects, and best film editing.

Oscar winner Ron Howard (“A Beautiful Mind”) directed this sports drama about the legendary rivalry between two of the most popular Formula One drivers of the 1970s — fun-loving James Hunt, played by Chris Hemsworth, and disciplined Niki Lauda, played by Daniel Brühl. Wesley Morris from Grantland described the movie’s script as a “speculative duet built around a moment of newsworthiness.”

Gary Cooper starred as Lou Gehrig, the New York Yankees Hall of Fame first baseman whose career was cut short by the neuromuscular disease amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. The Oscar-winning movie is a tribute to the courage Gehrig displayed in the face of the crippling disease.

“Searching For Bobby Fischer” is based on a true story. The movie follows 7-year-old chess prodigy Joshua Waitzkin who doesn’t want his talent to consume his life. The movie “uses a prodigy’s struggle to find personal balance as the background for a powerfully moving drama,” according to Rotten Tomatoes’ Critics Consensus.

“Requiem for a Heavyweight” is one of a number of boxing films to rank among the best sports movies of all time. It centers on an aging pugilist (Anthony Quinn) who, after being knocked out by a young Cassius Clay, must decide if he can keep his career going — all while contending with the corruption surrounding him outside the ring.

Ryan Coogler put the gloves back on the Rocky franchise with this story about retired fighter Rocky Balboa training and mentoring Adonis Johnson, the son of his deceased friend and ex- rival Apollo Creed. Critics Consensus on Rotten Tomatoes noted the film “extends the boxer’s saga in interesting new directions while staying true to its classic predecessors’ roots.”

“Breaking Away” is a coming-of-age movie about a cycling enthusiast in Indiana who dreams of riding with a team of renowned Italian cyclists while he pursues his love interest who has gone away to Indiana University. The film featured emerging stars Dennis Quaid and Daniel Stern.

Clint Eastwood directs “Million Dollar Baby” about a poor 31-year-old woman who is determined to become a professional boxer, only to have her promising career cut short by a tragic injury. The movie won four of the biggest categories — Best Picture, Best Actress (Hilary Swank), Best Supporting Actor (Morgan Freeman), and Best Director.

Critics praise Mickey Rourke for his “astounding,” “career-reviving” performance as a popular wrestler who suffers a heart attack and is forced to retire, but struggles with his new life. The movie was directed by Oscar-nominated director Darren Aronofsky (“Black Swan”).

“Raging Bull” was one of the best movies of the 1980s, a brilliant and disturbing look at the life of self-destructive middleweight boxing champion Jake LaMotta. Martin Scorsese shot the film in black and white, which adds to the grimness of LaMotta’s life.

The Rotten Tomatoes Critics Consensus describes “The Hustler” as a “dark, morally complex tale of redemption.” Paul Newman plays “Fast” Eddie Felson, an up-and-coming pool player who aims to unseat legendary Minnesota Fats (Jackie Gleason) as the world’s best. The iconic film received positive reviews from 98% of critics and 93% of viewers, per Rotten Tomatoes.

“The Hustler” was nominated for nine Academy Awards, winning two — for best art direction-set decoration and best cinematography. Newman would later go on to win a best actor Oscar for portraying Fast Eddie in the 1986 follow-up film “The Color of Money,” in which he teaches a young player (portrayed by Tom Cruise) the ropes. It was Newman’s first win and eighth nomination.