The 50 Greatest Sports Movies

By Thomas Delatte on June 30th, 2022

A bunch of losers that nobody else wanted end up working together to turn the Cleveland Indians into a winning baseball team, the hard way. A small town in Indiana hires a new head coach and the town turns on him before realizing that he is the best thing to happen to that high school in many years. The smallest guy on the football field earns the respect of his teammates and gets to start for Notre Dame. A 12-year veteran minor league catcher finds himself having to make a choice between his future and being happy. An underdog boxer becomes a legend. A sports agent discovers his true meaning in life.

All of these are plots from sports movies that have stood the test of time. They have all given us hope in an otherwise dark world. These stories tell us a tale about an underdog triumphing over adversity and the many roadblocks one might face if in that same position. It is the inspiration and joy we get watching these films that make us beg for more. That is something that sports movies will always have over all other films. It is the reason we keep going back to see them.

In honor of the many amazing sports films that we have all seen in the past 50 years, we decided to build a list that took into consideration every single sports movie ranking we could find. Our rankings are not solely based on just our opinions, it is mostly from all of you, the readers, and the many other editors and sports writers that have ranked these movies before.

50) Invictus – 2009

Sport: Rugby
Budget: $60 Million
Box Office: $122.2 Million
Directed By: Clint Eastwood
Starring: Morgan Freeman, Matt Damon

49) We Are Marshall – 2006

Sport: Football
Budget: $65 Million
Box Office: $43.5 Million
Directed By: McG
Starring: Matthew McConaughey, Ian McShane, Matthew Fox, Kate Mara, January Jones, Anthony Mackie

48) Invincible – 2006

Sport: Football
Budget: $30 Million
Box Office: $58.5 Million
Directed By: Ericson Core
Starring: Mark Wahlberg, Greg Kinnear, Elizabeth Banks

47) Seabiscuit – 2003

Sport: Horse Racing
Budget: $87 Million
Box Office: $148.3 Million
Directed By: Gary Ross
Starring: Tobey Maguire, Jeff Bridges, Chris Cooper, Elizabeth Banks

46) Blue Chips – 1994

Sport: Basketball
Budget: $35 Million
Box Office: $23 Million
Directed By: William Friedkin
Starring: Nick Nolte, Mary McDonnell, Ed O’Neill, J.T. Walsh, Shaq

45) The Hurricane – 1999

Sport: Boxing
Budget: $50 Million
Box Office: $74 Million
Directed By: Norman Jewison
Starring: Denzel Washington, John Hannah, Deborah Kara Unger

44) Space Jam – 1996

Sport: Basketball
Budget: $80 Million
Box Office: $230.4 Million
Directed By: Joe Pytka
Starring: Michael Jordan, Bill Murray, Wayne Knight, Larry Bird, Danny DeVito

43) Creed – 2015

Sport: Boxing
Budget: $35 Million
Box Office: $173.6 Million
Directed By: Ryan Coogler
Starring: Michael B. Jordan, Sylvester Stallone, Tessa Thompson, Phylicia Rashad

42) North Dallas Forty – 1979

Sport: Football
Box Office: $26.1 Million
Directed By: Ted Kotcheff
Starring: Nick Nolte, Mac Davis, Charles Durning, Dayle Haddon

41) Breaking Away – 1979

Sport: Cycling
Budget: $2.3 Million
Box Office: $20 Million
Directed By: Peter Yates
Starring: Dennis Quaid, Dennis Christopher, Daniel Stern

40) Any Given Sunday – 1999

Sport: Football
Budget: $55 Million
Box Office: $100.2 Million
Directed By: Oliver Stone
Starring: Al Pacino, Cameron Diaz, Dennis Quaid, James Woods, Jamie Foxx, LL Cool J

39) Warrior – 2011

Sport: Boxing
Budget: $25 Million
Box Office: $23.1 Million
Directed By: Gavin O’Connor
Starring: Tom Hardy, Joel Edgerton, Nick Nolte, Jennifer Morrison

38) 42 – 2013

Sport: Baseball
Budget: $40 Million
Box Office: $97.5 Million
Directed By: Brian Helgeland
Starring: Chadwick Boseman, Harrison Ford, Alan Tudyk, Nicole Beharie

37) Friday Night Lights – 2004

Sport: Football
Budget: $30 Million
Box Office: $62 Million
Directed By: Peter Berg
Starring: Billy Bob Thornton, Derek Luke, Jay Hernandez, Lucas Black, Tim McGraw

36) The Sandlot – 1993

Sport: Baseball
Budget: $7 Million
Box Office: $33.8 Million
Directed By: David Mickey Evans
Starring: Tom Guiry, Mike Vitar, Karen Allen, Denis Leary, James Earl Jones

35) He Got Game – 1998

Sport: Basketball
Budget: $25 Million
Box Office: $22.4 Million
Directed By: Spike Lee
Starring: Denzel Washington, Ray Allen, Milla Jovovich

34) Cinderella Man – 2005

Sport: Boxing
Budget: $88 Million
Box Office: $108.5 Million
Directed By: Ron Howard
Starring: Russell Crowe, Renee Zellweger, Paul Giamatti

33) Brian’s Song – 1971

Sport: Football
Directed By: Buzz Kulik
Starring: James Caan, Billy Dee Williams

32) Ali – 2001

Sport: Boxing
Budget: $107 Million
Box Office: $87.7 Million
Directed By: Michael Mann
Starring: Will Smith, Jamie Foxx, Jon Voight, Mario Van Peebles

31) The Fighter – 2010

Sport: Boxing
Budget: $25 Million
Box Office: $129.2 Million
Directed By: David O. Russell
Starring: Mark Wahlberg, Christian Bale, Amy Adams, Melissa Leo

30) The Longest Yard – 1974

Sport: Football
Budget: $2.9 Million
Box Office: $43 Million
Directed By: Robert Aldrich
Starring: Burt Reynolds, Eddie Albert, Ed Lauter

29) The Blind Side – 2009

Sport: Football
Budget: $29 Million
Box Office: $309.2 Million
Directed By: John Lee Hancock
Starring: Sandra Bullock, Quinton Aaron, Tim McGraw, Lily Collins

28) The Karate Kid – 1984

Sport: Karate
Budget: $8 Million
Box Office: $90.8 Million
Directed By: John G. Avildsen
Starring: Ralph Macchio, Pat Morita, Elisabeth Shue

27) Eight Men Out – 1988

Sport: Baseball
Budget: $6.1 Million
Box Office: $5.7 Million
Directed By: John Sayles
Starring: John Cusack, Clifton James, Christopher Lloyd, Charlie Sheen

26) Million Dollar Baby – 2004

Sport: Boxing
Budget: $30 Million
Box Office: $216.8 Million
Directed By: Clint Eastwood
Starring: Hilary Swank, Clint Eastwood, Morgan Freeman

25) The Bad News Bears – 1976

Sport: Baseball
Budget: $9 Million
Box Office: $42.3 Million
Directed By: Michael Ritchie
Starring: Walter Matthau, Tatum O’Neal, Chris Barnes, Vic Morrow

24) When We Were Kings – 1996

Sport: Boxing
Box Office: $2.8 Million
Directed By: Leon Gast
Starring: Muhammad Ali, George Foreman

23) Bend It Like Beckham – 2002

Sport: Soccer
Budget: $6 Million
Box Office: $76.6 Million
Directed By: Gurinder Chadha
Starring: Parminder Nagra, Keira Knightley, Jonathan Rhys Meyers

22) Tin Cup – 1996

Sport: Golf
Budget: $45 Million
Box Office: $75.9 Million
Directed By: Ron Shelton
Starring: Kevin Costner, Rene Russo, Cheech Marin, Don Johnson

21) Rudy – 1993

Sport: Football
Budget: $12 Million
Box Office: $22.8 Million
Directed By: David Anspaugh
Starring: Sean Astin, Ned Beatty, Charles S. Dutton, Lilli Taylor

20) Miracle – 2004

Sport: Ice Hockey
Budget: $28 Million
Box Office: $64.4 Million
Directed By: Gavin O’Connor
Starring: Kurt Russell, Patricia Clarkson, Noah Emmerich

19) White Men Can’t Jump – 1992

Sport: Basketball
Box Office: $90.8 Million
Directed By: Ron Shelton
Starring: Wesley Snipes, Woody Harrelson, Rosie Perez

18) The Wrestler – 2008

Sport: Professional Wrestling
Budget: $6 Million
Box Office: $44.7 Million
Directed By: Darren Aronofsky
Starring: Mickey Rourke, Marisa Tomei, Evan Rachel Wood

17) Remember the Titans – 2000

Sport: Football
Budget: $30 Million
Box Office: $136.7 Million
Directed By: Boaz Yakin
Starring: Denzel Washington, Will Patton, Ryan Hurst, Wood Harris, Donald Faison

16) Chariots of Fire – 1981

Sport: Athletics
Budget: $5.5 Million
Box Office: $59 Million
Directed By: Hugh Hudson
Starring: Ben Cross, Ian Charleson, Nigel Havers, Cheryl Campbell

15) A League of Their Own – 1992

Sport: Baseball
Budget: $40 Million
Box Office: $132.4 Million
Directed By: Penny Marshall
Starring: Tom Hanks, Geena Davis, Lori Petty, Jon Lovitz, Madonna, Rosie O’Donnell

14) Jerry Maguire – 1996

Sport: Football
Budget: $50 Million
Box Office: $273.6 Million
Directed By: Cameron Crowe
Starring: Tom Cruise, Cuba Gooding Jr., Renee Zellweger, Kelly Preston, Jay Mohr

13) The Pride of The Yankees – 1942

Sport: Baseball
Box Office: $2.5 Million
Directed By: Sam Wood
Starring: Gary Cooper, Teresa Wright, Walter Brennan, Babe Ruth

12) The Natural – 1984

Sport: Baseball
Budget: $28 Million
Box Office: $48 Million
Directed By: Barry Levinson
Starring: Robert Redford, Robert Duvall, Glenn Close, Kim Basinger

11) Hoop Dreams – 1994

Sport: Basketball Documentary
Budget: $700,000
Box Office: $11.8 Million
Directed By: Steve James
Starring: William Gates, Arthur Agee

10) The Hustler – 1961

Sport: Billiards
Budget: $2.1 Million
Box Office: $7.6 Million
Directed By: Robert Rossen
Starring: Paul Newman, Jackie Gleason, Piper Laurie

9) Major League – 1989

Sport: Baseball
Budget: $11 Million
Box Office: $49.8 Million
Directed By: David S. Ward
Starring: Tom Berenger, Charlie Sheen, Wesley Snipes, Corbin Bernsen, Rene Russo

8) Slap Shot – 1977

Sport: Ice Hockey
Box Office: $28 Million
Directed By: George Roy Hill
Starring: Paul Newman, Strother Martin, Michael Ontkean

7) Caddyshack – 1980

Sport: Golf
Budget: $6 Million
Box Office: $39.8 Million
Directed By: Harold Ramis
Starring: Chevy Chase, Bill Murray, Rodney Dangerfield, Ted Knight

6) Field of Dreams – 1989

Sport: Baseball
Budget: $15 Million
Box Office: $84.4 Million
Directed By: Phil Alden Robinson
Starring: Kevin Costner, James Earl Jones, Amy Madigan, Ray Liotta, Burt Lancaster