Ray Liotta, who played Shoeless Joe Jackson in Field of Dreams, died Thursday at 67. In honor of Liotta, we looked the all-time best sports movies during Friday’s PFT Live.
We did it in the form of a draft, with Peter King and yours truly going back and forth through three rounds.
There have been many great sports movies over the years. (There have been a few that haven’t been so great, too.) And we all have a great memory associated with seeing one of them, don’t we?
Although I went with Rocky II over the original Rocky as my pick in the best-ever sports movie category (the moment Adrian came out of the coma and told Rocky to “WIN!” is my favorite movie moment ever), one of the greatest memories of my childhood comes from seeing Rocky with my dad. I knew nothing about it; my dad came home from his bar one night (he was a bookie) and wanted to go see it. But it was a school night. Things like that never happened on a school night.
My mother surprisingly didn’t object. So off we went. And it was awesome. Everything about it. And then, to cap things off, we crossed the street from the Coronet Theater in my hometown of Wheeling, West Virginia to a new pizza place. I can’t remember the name of it. I don’t think it stayed open for very long. But I still remember the how that pizza looked, how it smelled, how it tasted. Even now, 46 years later.
Maybe the original Rocky should have been my first choice, after all. Some of my best memories of growing up include going to the movies with my dad. And the best of those memories happened the night we saw Rocky Balboa fight Apollo Creed in a fight far more as compelling than any real fight I’d ever watch.
Cool Runnings one of the best.
Football may indeed be the real national pastime, but baseball has produced far more good movies, maybe more than any other sport. Field of Dreams, Bull Durham, Major League I and II, Eight Men Out, A League Of Their Own, the list goes on and on. Football? The Longest Yard (the Burt Reynolds-Eddie Albert original, not the remake),Friday Night Lights, Remember the Titans – the list gets awfully thin after these.
Gary Cooper in Pride of the Yankees.
The Natural. Most underrated easily is Bang the Drum Slowly.
In regards to the best football movies, North Dallas 40 is easily the best and most realistic.
The program or blue chips were my favorite fictional films. Brian’s song and invincible are my favorite true stories.
Slapshot, Miracle, Field of Dreams, Caddyshack, The Big Lebowski
Eight Men Out for baseball … North Dallas 40 for football.
I’m just gonna say it: Don’t sleep on Balls of Fury
Chariots of Fire, Breaking Away, Brian’s Song, Downhill Racer, The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner, A League of Their Own (there’s no crying in baseball).
The original Rollerball. Got the corporate stuff perfectly.
tough to go with one… Raging Bull Remember the Titans Moneyball/Hoosiers
Rocky, Rocky II, Field of Dreams, Slapshot, Bull Durham, The Natural, Rudy, The Longest Yard, Major League, Jerry Maguire, Goon, Friday Night Lights, Cool Runnings, Rocky III, Eight Men Out, Remember the Titans, Invictus, Tin Cup. It’s hard to beat boxing for drama, as it’s mano a mano, and boxers invest more time and training into a title bout than any other athlete does for a single game. That said, I agree with Mike. Rocky wins in a knockout, and Rocky II’s not far behind.
The Garbage Picking Field Goal Kicking Philadelphia Phenomenon starring the incomparable Tony Danza.
Cinderella Man, Rocky & For the love of the Game are a few of my favorites.
Field of Dreams. Major League. North Dallas Forty. Rocky’s in the top ten but cmon, Kevin Costner finally having a game of catch with his long-past father played by Ray Liotta? AND James Earl Jones is in it? That was the best sports movie 5 and 10 years ago way before we lost Ray. RIP to a legend.
North Dallas 40. Jim Bobs fine foods
Brian’s Song. The cinematography is dated, but the cast is strong (Billy Dee Williams, James Caan) and the true story is so compelling.
For the NFL, especially these days?
Best baseball movie has to be BANG THE DRUM SLOWLY with Robert DeNiro & Michael Moriarty. A close second/third would be FOR LOVE OF THE GAME with Kevin Costner and THE NATURAL with Robert Redford.
Varsity Blues. whipped cream bikini…anyone?
The Program is one of the most underrated sports movies ever. Great football movie.
Rudy was a good one. I loved the sandlot a lot though. I was in little league at the time and played a lot of ball with friends. We’d play home run derby any time we had a chance.
Let’s face it the best sports movies are golf movies. Caddyshack, Tin Cup, the legend of bagger Vance.
Hoosiers. Nothing else to say.
The Replacements, Rocky, The Bad News Bears, The Sandlot, Caddyshack, Little Giants, Blades of Glory, Dodgeball. Major League, White Men Can’t Jump
The first Rocky movie is straight up one of the best movies ever made. Stallone’s acting is just so good. His career may have gone in the direction of blockbuster action movies that don’t require the level of subtlety or talent than you need from an elite actor playing a complex role, but Rocky makes you think that he could have gone that way and succeeded.
Baseball: Eight Men Out and Bull Durham (tie) Basketball: Glory Road Hockey: Goon Football: The Replacements NFL: The Untouchables
I can’t believe I actually agree with you, Florio. Rocky I and II were epic, and IV could possibly be lumped in there as well for best sports films of all time. Every thing else is a distant 2nd.
If you know, you know.
Most entertaining Slap Shot. Football drama Brian’s Song, most entertaining North Dallas 40. Baseball to many to list. I throw the soccer one out, Victory with Stallone and Michael Caine.
The Wrestler with Mickey Rourke
Basketball, Happy Gilmore, rookie of the year, the replacements, Talladega nights(for weirdos that consider racing a sport), waterboy, Kingpin, sandlot. Didn’t think I saw them on here already so just going with different, some not the greatest but enjoyed them all.
I also saw the first Rocky movie in a theater with my dad, who is now 1600 miles away from where I live battling lung cancer. Thank you for writing this piece. And although I’m sure the moderators will snip me and you’ll never see this, you should write like this more often. It is far more exemplary of your abilities and talent than some of the clickbait nonsense that gets published under your name.
no votes for waterboy? WTF?
Game films from when I was young. Everone was on edge knowing what would happen. Hollywood can’t duplicate the emotion and passion of making or missing a play.
Personal favorites are The Natural, Rocky, and North Dallas 40
Anyone saying Moneyball must not be a fan of Art Howe (as a player or manager). What they did to him in the movie was criminal. Also, the fact that Oakland had the best pitching staff in baseball was way more a factor than “Moneyball” in there limited success. I’m saying this as a SABR guy, BTW…….
Burt Lancaster’s soliloquy as Moonlight Graham is just jaw-dropping sports-themed movie magic. Celluloid gold. His moment there, and James Earl Jones, make Field of Dreams the brilliant option that it is.
That said, I vote The Sandlot. “You’re killing me, Smalls.”
There are a lot of great sports movies. And I think almost everyone will agree the Air Bud franchise are the best of them all. While Air Bud: Golden Retriever has that heart wrenching scene where air bud is taken out on a stretcher after getting laid out by Ray Lewis. I have to go with Air Bud: Seventh Inning Fetch as the best sports movie of all time.
Peter Gent’s book, North Dallas Forty I read as a kid. The movie was the greatest sports movie ever. The subject matter of what football players in the NFL had to do to continue playing was eye opening. And that was in the 1970’s. Great sports movie, the best ever.
Bang the Drum Slowly (1956 version, with Paul Newman) Somebody Up There Likes Me (also 1956, also Paul Newman) The Hustler (also Paul Newman) The Big Lebowski (no Paul Newman) Rush Brian’s Song North Dallas Forty
football, North Dallas Forty, Paper Lion, Invicible
boxing, Raging Bull, The Harder They Fall, Million Dollar Baby, Once We Were Kings
track and field, Chariots of Fire
auto racing, Rush, Grand Prix, Genevieve, The Brass Ring, This Time Tomorrow
horse racing, The Black Stallion
fishing, Jaws, Moby Dick (Gregory Peck)
hunting, The Lost World—Jurassic Park, Gator Bait
Bull Durham and Major League
North Dallas 40, Rocky, Raging Bull, Paper Lion, great movies
Miricle, Rudy, Marshall, Remember the Titans, The Greatest Game Ever Played, Secretariat, Bobby Jones Stroke of Genius, Brians Song, Field of Dreams, A League of Thier Own.
Happy Gilmore. Also love Any Given Sunday and Waterboy was pretty fun.
Jaws…(fishing is a sport right?).
This won’t be a popular agreement at all, but I grew up in the 80’s. In no way am I implying it’s a “great” sports movie at all, but personally, at that time, I loved Wildcats, with Goldie Hawn and Woody Harrelson. It was completely of the era, with the exception that the head coach, was a woman. Still enjoy it, to this day.
Bull Durham Rocky Field of Dreams Moneyball [how can you not be romantic about baseball] Tin Cup
Hoosiers since I grew up in Indiana and lived like 15 min from the gym they used
Baseball: 61* (a must see) Football: Draft Day Hockey: Mystery, Alaska Basketball: One on One Soccer: Victory
BB: The Life and Times of the Greatest Football Coach Ever. It’s a future movie based on his life through my binoculars. And I’m going to direct it!
Tough question, comes down to Rudy and Rocky 4 for me but ill give it to Rudy. My all time favorite is The Sandlot but thats more of a kids film so not including it
#1 Rollerball. (The original, not the remake). #2 Million Dollar Baby. #3 Slapshot.
BASEketball or The Garbage Picking Field Goal Kicking Philadelphia Phenomenon (for a very obvious reason!!!! Lol
Rocky Bloodsport Blind Side Lmao at guy who posted cool runnings
Raging Bull Chariots of Fire Heaven Can Wait Here Comes Mr. Jordan Bull Durham Field of Dreams Rocky The Bad News Bears Bang the Drum Slowly North Dallas Forty Hoosiers Eight Men Out A League of Their Own Moneyball Major League Million Dollar Baby Breaking Away Blades of Glory (but need to watch The Cutting Edge first to fully appreciate the humor and satire)
Field of Dreams Rocky I Rocky II The Natural Million Dollar Baby Raging Bull Remember the Titans The Big Lebowski Caddyshack
For a young guy, have to be Brian’s Song. No better movie to watch with your girl friend, especially if she enjoys “comforting” after watching an emotional, tear jerker film. I may be an old guy now, but I do have fond memories from 35 to 40 years ago, wonderful movie with a wonderful lady that I later married.
Can’t have this user name and not mention The Program.
Happy Gilmore was moronic as are most Adam Sandler movies with the exception of the recent Uncut Gems which was excellent.
I like everyone’s suggestions. Don’t forget Hoop Dreams.
Gold: “Bull Durham”; Silver: “Field of Dreams”; Bronze: “Bang the Drum Slowly”.
Original The Longest Yard. Not the terrible remake.
I always loved “Hoosiers” but “We are Marshall” is a wonderful film on many levels.
Hoosiers, Rocky movies were hokey. They’d stop those fights long before they’re bleeding everywhere.
I agree Florio, but no Karate Kid references in the comments???
While not technically a sports movie, the baseball scenes in The Naked Gun were classic and should be honored.
Major League Miracle Snapshot Rudy A league of their own Sandlot Friday night lights
Obviously Raging Bull. The Big Lebowski is a close second, if you want to count that. Moneyball was one of the better more recent ones.
White Men Can’t Jump Tin Cup
The original Death Race 2000 of course
Tough to pick a “best” one. Sports has so many options for a great movie from teamwork to struggles to drama. My vote is the Natural but I liked Lucas as a kid. Don’t throw it to Lucas!
Going to single out a few hidden gems that are personal favorites of mine. Anyone remember the great hockey movie Youngblood? Rob Lowe, Patrick Swayze, the great Ed Lauter as the coach, and the lovely Cynthia Gibb. How about the great bike racing drama American Flyers with Kevin Costner? How about the funny and entertaining horse racing/betting flick Let It Ride with Richard Dreyfus? I like thinking outside the box and will defend these 3 movies til the end of time. Anyone with me? LOL I’m sure I’m alone with these picks and I don’t care.
Never saw any of Mike & Peter’s picks so I’m sure no cares what I think,
Draft Day The Big Lebowski Grand Prix Le Mans
You must be logged in to leave a comment. Not a member? Register now!
This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.