Football is back. Baseball is winding down. Basketball is preparing to start up. This is the best
time of year for many people, whether due to their love of sports entertainment, or the change in the weather, or for the fact that the awards season is finally approaching. September brings about many changes, most of which are welcome. So being that the NFL kicks off this weekend (officially kicked off with Wednesday night’s New York Giants/Dallas Cowboys game), I figured we could change up Circuit 3 for the week and let you post your three favorite/best sports themed films. Whether a biopic like The Pride of the Yankees or Raging Bull; a fictionalized sports story like The Natural or Rocky; a comedy like The Bad News Bears or Major League; a documentary like Hoop Dreams or Murderball; or just a movie with a sports background like Field of Dreams or Jerry Maguire; you can choose anything you like that extends to the world of sports.
My Circuit 3 for Sports Movies:
- Raging Bull (1980)
- Rocky (1976)
- Field of Dreams (1989)
What are your three best/favorite sports films?
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21 Comments












1. Remember the Titans
2. Bend It Like Beckham
3. The Sandlot/Bull Durham
This list was a lot tougher to compile because it’s hard to define a sports film since so many try and be about more than just the game.
Terence Johnson(Quote) (Reply)
don’t forget about caddyshack.
randall g gerber(Quote) (Reply)
what about caddyshack
randall g gerber(Quote) (Reply)
This is a tough one for me, as sports and movies are probably my 2 favorite things in the world.
If pressed to narrow down to 3, I suppose I’d say Rocky, Chariots of Fire and Field of Dreams.
So many honorable mentions, though – in no particular order – Seabiscuit, Bull Durham, Bad News Bears, Hoop Dreams, Raging Bull, Breaking Away, Major League, Caddyshack, Rudy, Eight Men Out, Friday Night Lights, Vision Quest…
Wow, some of those are my among my favorite movies. Tough category!
Barry Burns(Quote) (Reply)
Ugh, and Jerry Maguire too. Man, seriously, tough category.
Barry Burns(Quote) (Reply)
1. Breaking Away
2. The Bad News Bears
3. The Longest Yard (74)
Dean Treadway(Quote) (Reply)
Runners Up would include: Moneyball, The Pride of the Yankees, Raging Bull, Rocky, The Fighter, Personal Best, Hoosiers, Slap Shot, Body and Soul, The Black Stallion, Brian’s Song, Field of Dreams, All the Right Moves, Rudy, Bull Durham, The Wrestler, Million Dollar Baby, The Color of Money, The Hustler, Somebody Up There Likes Me, Grand Prix, The Natural, Champion, North Dallas Forty, The Bingo Long Travelling All Stars and Motor Kings, Eight Men Out, It Happens Every Spring, Dogtown and Z-Boys, The Set-Up, Hoop Dreams, Big Fan, Bang the Drum Slowly, The Endless Summer, When We Were Kings, Murderball
Dean Treadway(Quote) (Reply)
I need to revisit Breaking Away. Been SO long.
Mark Johnson(Quote) (Reply)
1. Raging Bull (1980)
2. Hoop Dreams (1994)
3. TIE – The Natural (1984) AND Moneyball (2011)
HM: Bull Durham
Kel D(Quote) (Reply)
I’m going to do a Top 10, but my 3 would be:
1. Rocky
2. Jerry Maguire
3. Warrior
Followed by…
4. Field of Dreams
5. The Wrestler
6. Moneyball
7. Raging Bull
8. Little Big League
9. Million Dollar Baby
10. Rookie of the Year
Joey Magidson(Quote) (Reply)
No Hoosiers? I was torn between that and Field of Dreams for my #3. I grew up on Norman Dale’s (Hackman) coaching skills.
Mark Johnson(Quote) (Reply)
1. Moneyball
2. The Fighter
3. Field of Dreams
Kevin(Quote) (Reply)
1. Rocky
2. Caddyshack
3. The Sandlot
John Rivera(Quote) (Reply)
Love seeing The Sandlot get a few mentions.
Mark Johnson(Quote) (Reply)
1. Friday Night Lights
2. Moneyball
3. The Express
Chris(Quote) (Reply)
1. Pride of the Yankees
2. Angels in the Outfield
3. Real Steel (a film about a boxing robot made me cry…don’t ask why)
Joseph Braverman(Quote) (Reply)
I forgot that The Karate Kid could be a sports movie, so I’d add that up here.
Joseph Braverman(Quote) (Reply)
Talladega Nights, National Velvet, Pride of the Yankees
Gary Swafford(Quote) (Reply)
This is kinda rough.
1. Jerry McGuire
2. The Sandlot
3. Murderball
Holden(Quote) (Reply)
How about a few odd ones
1. The King of Kong: A Fist Full of Quarters
2. The Damned United
3. Lords of Dogtown
My favorites are probably The Wrestler, Moneyball, and Rocky
Steve Glansberg(Quote) (Reply)
LOVE King of Kong. One of my favorite docs ever. Not sure if video games are a sport, but they are certainly a competition in this film, so why not?
Mark Johnson(Quote) (Reply)