Skip to main content

The 14 best sports movies of all time

If you love all sports, here's a handful of the best films that feature sport

Chevy Chase and Rodney Dangerfield in Caddyshack.
Warner Bros.

Patriotism, unpredictability, and drama — these are the things that make us love watching and playing sports. Movies are an amazing way to celebrate and memorialize these themes, especially their dramatic aspects. In the matter of sports movies, people just want to see incredible stories, and sometimes they want to see someone getting laid out. Today, we’ve brought you a healthy dose of the two. 

With some based on real historical events and some praised for their inventive storytelling, we want to make it easier for you to find many of the best sports movies of all time. It wouldn’t take long for massive sports fans to name a few of their favorites, but finding something new and refreshing can really hit the heartstrings on a good day. Combining the visual aesthetics and the inspiring stories of an array of sports, we hope these give you that rising feeling in your throat as a touching moment surprises you with a single tear.

Recommended Videos

The Bad News Bears (1976)

The Bad News Bears
102m
Genre
Family, Comedy
Stars
Walter Matthau, Tatum O'Neal, Vic Morrow
Directed by
Michael Ritchie
Watch on Amazon
The Bad News Bears is a sports comedy film about a ragtag youth baseball team and their grumpy coach. The Bears is a hapless inner-city little league team in Southern California. They’re made up of misfit players who lack talent and discipline. The team’s coach, Morris Buttermaker (played by Walter Matthau), is a down-on-his-luck ex-minor league baseball player with a drinking problem. He reluctantly agrees to coach the Bears for the money. Buttermaker initially shows little interest in coaching, focusing on drinking and watching TV. However, he gradually starts to care about the team and its players. He enlists Amanda Whurlitzer (played by Tatum O’Neal), a talented but tough young girl, as the team’s pitcher. The Bears, despite their shortcomings, improve under Buttermaker’s guidance and start winning games, much to the surprise of everyone.

Rudy (1993)

Rudy
71%
7.5/10
114m
Genre
Drama, History
Stars
Sean Astin, Jon Favreau, Ned Beatty
Directed by
David Anspaugh
Watch on Amazon
Considered to be one of the best football movies of all time, Rudy is an inspiring and heart-wrenching story that has made even the toughest sports fans shed a tear. Rudy (Sean Astin) is neither financially nor academically blessed. He struggles with dyslexia and has a low-paying steel mill job that keeps him grounded, but he never loses sight of his true goal to gain admission to and play football for Notre Dame.

Miracle (2004)

Miracle
68%
7.4/10
135m
Genre
Drama, History
Stars
Kurt Russell, Patricia Clarkson, Noah Emmerich
Directed by
Gavin O'Connor
Watch on Disney+
Fantastic, melodramatic, and based on a very real story that truly united America, Miracle is probably the best hockey movie ever made. Herb Brooks (Kurt Russell) assembles an American hockey team to take on the Soviet Union, then the best team in the world, in a Cold War proxy at the 1980 Winter Olympics. Full of intrepid acting, incredible direction, and an unstoppable resolution, this is a wonderful retelling of one of the most patriotic moments in U.S. sports history.

Rocky (1976)

Rocky
70%
8.1/10
120m
Genre
Drama
Stars
Sylvester Stallone, Talia Shire, Burt Young
Directed by
John G. Avildsen
Watch on Amazon
Written by and starring Sylvester Stallone, Rocky is the rough and tough underdog boxer story that movie fans have endlessly appreciated since its conception — making it one of the best fighting movies of all time. Rocky is a little-known boxer and local resident of Philadelphia, but when he is randomly chosen to fight the heavyweight champion, Apollo Creed (Carl Weathers), he must overcome physical and emotional obstacles he never thought possible. Beautifully written, this film does more than tell a great sports story. It’s an inspiring story of personal triumph in defiance of all odds. You can also check out the greatest boxing fights in history for something less fictional.

Caddyshack (1980)

Caddyshack
48%
7.2/10
r
98m
Genre
Comedy
Stars
Chevy Chase, Rodney Dangerfield, Ted Knight
Directed by
Harold Ramis
Watch on Amazon
Hilarious and unconventional, Caddyshack is one of the best golf movies that envelops so many zany characters and storylines, it’s hard to pick a favorite. Danny Noonan (Michael O’Keefe) is a young and impressionable caddy at a high-class country club who is just trying to get a scholarship to afford an education, but what he receives is an education in the ways of life paralleled with golf. This film is unstoppably wacky and has some of the best comedic moments of the ’80s, making it an instant contender for one of the best comedies of all time.

The Replacements (2000)

The Replacements
30%
6.6/10
pg-13
118m
Genre
Comedy
Stars
Keanu Reeves, Gene Hackman, Brooke Langton
Directed by
Howard Deutch
Watch on Amazon
Though including this film on this list may be heavily debated, The Replacements is a football story that is loosely based on the 1987 NFL strike, one of the strangest moments in Washington football history. The Washington “Sentinels” have gone on strike late in the season, forcing their coach, Jimmy McGinty (Gene Hackman), to replace the entire team. As McGinty recruits new players from all over the board, this movie becomes a feel-good comedy that celebrates unlikely camaraderie and has a killer cast to boot. This gem is so rewatchable that you’ll be quoting it in no time.

Fat City (1972)

Fat City
88%
7.2/10
97m
Genre
Drama
Stars
Stacy Keach, Jeff Bridges, Susan Tyrrell
Directed by
John Huston
Watch on Amazon
One of the best Jeff Bridges movies ever, Fat City is filled with visceral boxing drama. When an older, washed-up boxer (Stacy Keach) begins to feel his age in the ring, he begins sparring with a young and promising new boxer (Bridges) who brings a slew of his own problems to the table. With plenty of background story and character development to go around, this movie goes beyond being a sports movie and offers some great societal commentary along the way.

Tin Cup (1996)

Tin Cup
60%
6.4/10
135m
Genre
Comedy, Romance
Stars
Kevin Costner, Rene Russo, Don Johnson
Directed by
Ron Shelton
Watch on Amazon
Featuring a cleverly written script and a charming cast of characters, Tin Cup is a golf movie about love, pride, and (of course) a comeback. Roy McAvoy (played by Kevin Costner) is a washed-up, trailer-living, former pro golfer working at a driving range who decides to attempt the PGA tour title after meeting his rival’s charming girlfriend and setting out to win her heart. A classic for recreational golfers everywhere, this film will have you playing entire courses with just your 7 iron, just to see if you can.

Ford v Ferrari (2019)

Ford v Ferrari
81%
8.1/10
pg-13
153m
Genre
Drama, Action, History
Stars
Christian Bale, Matt Damon, Jon Bernthal
Directed by
James Mangold
Watch on Amazon
The only racing-focused film on our list today, Ford v Ferrari is fast, furious, focused, and factual as it tells a lesser-known story in car racing history. Famous and successful car designer Carroll Shelby (Matt Damon) and fast-talking, flippant driver Ken Miles (played by Christian Bale) team up to create a race car for Ford that will hopefully match up against Enzo Ferrari’s five-time winning race cars at the 24-hour French Le Mans race in 1966. With incredible performances from the main actors and high tension from creative cinematography, this film will keep you laughing and on the edge of your seat.

The Last Dance (2020)

The Last Dance
9.1/10
tv-ma
1 Season
Genre
Documentary
Stars
Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen, Dennis Rodman
Created by
Michael Tollin
Watch on Netflix
One of the best sports documentaries to date (and so not technically a movie), The Last Dance takes a thorough look at the Chicago Bulls’ dynasty through never-before-seen footage of the team’s final championship-winning season in 1997-1998. The 10-part series gathered critical acclaim as it revisited the career of one of the world’s greatest athletes, Michael Jordan. It’s the rawest you’ll ever see Jordan, who keeps a cigar and a neat pour of Cincoro tequila by his tableside as he relives the years that made him internationally known as the greatest of all time in the world of basketball.

Field of Dreams (1989)

Field of Dreams
57%
7.5/10
pg
107m
Genre
Drama, Fantasy
Stars
Kevin Costner, Amy Madigan, Gaby Hoffmann
Directed by
Phil Alden Robinson
Watch on Amazon
Referred to as “my generation’s A Wonderful Lifeby star Kevin Costner, Field of Dreams is a heartwarming account of an Iowa farmer compelled to create something magical. When Ray Kinsella (Costner) gets inspiration from a detached voice telling him the ever-referenced line, “If you build it, they will come,” he becomes compelled to transform his ordinary cornfield into a baseball diamond. Based on the 1982 novel Shoeless Joe, which is loosely based on a true story, we witness the dream of a man inspired by what some called lunacy, but that turns out to be one of the most magical baseball movies of the century.

Goon (2012)

Goon
64%
6.8/10
92m
Genre
Comedy
Stars
Seann William Scott, Marc-André Grondin, Alison Pill
Directed by
Michael Dowse
Watch on Amazon
Added to this list for its unique story and uncharacteristic performance by Seann William Scott, this unexpected treasure is unlike any sports movie on the list. Alienated from his family of successful intellectuals, Doug Glatt is a bouncer who dreams of making something out of himself, and when his fighting skills catch the attention of a local semi-pro hockey coach, he becomes a name feared by most other players in the league. With great moments of true sincerity and unexpected comedy, Doug is an enforcer that will kick your heart in the ass.

Moneyball (2011)

Moneyball
134m
Genre
Drama
Stars
Brad Pitt, Jonah Hill, Philip Seymour Hoffman
Directed by
Bennett Miller
Watch on Amazon
How can you not be romantic about baseball? That’s the magical question at the heart of Moneyball. This movie, which tells the true story of Billy Beane’s upending of baseball by relying on statistics to build a great team with the Oakland A’s, somehow makes statistics more interesting than you ever could have imagined. Starring Brad Pitt in one of his very best performances, Moneyball is a truly brilliant examination of all the things about sports you can’t quantify, no matter how hard you might try.
MONEYBALL - Watch The Official Trailer - In Theaters 9/23

Challengers (2024)

Challengers
132m
Genre
Romance, Drama
Stars
Zendaya, Mike Faist, Josh O'Connor
Directed by
Luca Guadagnino
Watch on Amazon
An unusual but riveting tennis drama, Challengers follows a trio of young players who become romantically intermingled, and then find themselves competing with one another on the court. Directed by Luca Guadagnino, the tennis sequences here have plenty of flair, but the real dynamism comes from every interaction between the film’s principle actors. Zendaya and Josh O’Connor are particularly good in their central roles, and the stakes both on and off the court leading to the film’s final match only make the whole film feel even more satisfying.
CHALLENGERS | Final Trailer
Movie images and data from:
Connor Sheppard
Connor Sheppard is an Oregon-grown culture writer for The Manual. Intrigued from a young age by pop culture and movies, he…
8 intense and gripping movies like Sinners to watch next
These movies are just like Michael B. Jordan and Ryan Coogler's hit
Michael B Jordan in Sinners

Sinners is the biggest original movie of 2025 so far. With an overabundance of franchises and retreads, fans have fervently crowded theaters to see Ryan Coogler and Michael B. Jordan's next collaboration. The movie follows twin brothers who must fight back against evil spirits in a Mississippi town after returning to civilian life following World War I. The mix of racial commentary, social analysis, and beautiful set pieces has transfixed viewers to the big screen so far.

Going to a movie two or three times is always a good antidote for your movie craving, but if you've already exhausted your Sinners allotment for the time being, it might be best to look for similar films. Vampires, period pieces, racial implications, and so much more feature in this wide array of movies like Sinners. We've got you covered right here.

Read more
The first trailer for the final season of Squid Game is here
The show will return for its third and final season on June 27
The cast of season 3 of Squid Game.

After a long delay between the show's third and second seasons, the third season of Squid Game is coming less than a year after the second. Now, we've got our first trailer for the new season, and it follows up on the major cliffhanger that ended the show's second season. The second and third seasons were filmed at the same time and written as a single long arc.

The first teaser for season 3 suggests that Player 456 and the Front Man will meet one last time. It also reminds us that the show has more twists and turns to come, and promises to bring the story it started all those years ago to a satisfying conclusion.

Read more
Highly limited 2026 Mercedes-AMG GT 63 APXGP Edition based on new F1 movie
The limited edition model has design elements used by APXGP team in the movie F1
Actor Damson Idris in new movie F1 standing between F1 car and 2026 Mercedes-AMG GT 63 APXGP Edition.

Mercedes-AMG introduced a very special limited edition model during the 2025 Miami Grand Prix. The 2026 Mercedes-AMG GT 63 APXGP Edition incorporates components and design features of the fictional APXGP F1 team in the new F1 movie that will be released in June.
F1 the movie

Directed by Joseph Kosinski and produced by Jerry Bruckheimer, the Apple Original Film's movie was filmed at Formula 1 races worldwide during the previous two seasons, with appearances by real F1 drivers. The film stars Brad Pitt and Damson Idris. characters.

Read more