Top 20 Inspirational Sports Movies

this video is brought to you by fx's

welcome to wrexham premieres august 24th

on fx stream on hulu boys my heart is

full

my heart's full

welcome to watch mojo and today we're

counting down our picks for the top 20

inspirational sports movies how can you

not be romantic about baseball

for this list we're looking at films

that cover a variety of sports but all

manage to lift our spirits since we'll

be covering several moments of triumph

beware of spoilers what's your favorite

sports movie rave about it in the

comments

number 20 42. yeah what you're going to

do if one of these pictures throws

through your head yeah

jack yeah

i'll duck jackie robinson was one of the

most seminal baseball players to ever

take the field not only because he broke

the color barrier upon starting for the

brooklyn dodgers in 1947 but also

because he backed up his presence with

10 all-star seasons in the big leagues

and superb off-field decorum in the face

of great adversity he even became the

first player to have his number 42

retired across all of mlb obviously such

a legacy is tough to live up to and

while the biopic 42 may not achieve the

same stature it more than gets the job

done you want a player doesn't have the

guts to fight back

led by actors like the late great

chadwick boseman and harrison ford it's

hard not to get swept up in its

theatrics and arter you believe that

don't you

i don't think it matters what i believe

only what i do number 19 the karate kid

skirting the line between sports movie

and coming-of-age teen drama is 1984's

the karate kid karate

here

karate here

karate never here while the discipline

of karate is unlike many of the other

sports depicted here the plot mechanics

of the movie more than make it eligible

for this list in one of the ultimate

zero to hero character arcs teenager

daniel larusso takes up the martial art

to defend himself from tormentors in his

new hometown trained by the tragically

wise mr miyagi he rides a series of

compelling montages to prove his

doubters wrong

it all culminates in the regional

tournament where he overcomes physical

and mental hurdles to win the day with

one awesome move

[Applause]

[Music]

there's a reason this classic spawned a

whole franchise that continues to this

day

number 18 fighting with my family

the newest entry on this list fighting

with my family came out of nowhere

partly because it starred a then unknown

florence pew but partly because it

depicted a relatively recent story in

the world of sports what if i screw up

you won't

come on you're going to smash it

tomorrow

how do you know because you're a knight

wrestling's in your blood

that's not good that makes it sound like

hypnotized here pew plays paige an

aspiring wrestler who comes from a

family full of them her dream is to make

it to the wwe but things take a turn

when she qualifies for training whereas

her brother zack does not from here we

get two stories for the price of one as

the former struggles with the pressure

to succeed while the latter struggles to

move on okay do you actually know what

it's like right i want one thing in life

one dream that you think about every

single day you work for and you train

for and you get that close to it and

then your own sister takes it away from

you and then it turns out she doesn't

even want it in the first place thanks

to strong performances and compelling

storytelling fighting with my family

manages to give non-wrestling fans a

newfound appreciation for the sport

[Applause]

breaking away

our first oscar winner on this list

breaking away took home the award for

best original screenplay and for good

reason how you doing guys

well we're a little disturbed by the

developments in the middle east but

other than that this coming-of-age movie

follows four recent high school

graduates in the college town of

bloomington indiana as they continually

clash with the university students the

sports angle comes in through the likes

of dave whose fascination with italian

culture particularly competitive cycling

gives the gang the opportunity to prove

they're more than just local cutters

they're going to keep calling us cutters

them is just a dirty word

me is just something else i never got a

chance to be while the movie has a lot

more to offer than just friendly

competition like a who's who of future

stars we can't help but cheer when dave

brings it home in the climactic race

against the college kids

[Applause]

[Music]

[Applause]

number 16 the blind side

granted not all aspects of the blind

side are historically accurate and its

depiction of race relations likely

warrants a whole other discussion it

doesn't entirely address but it is hard

to argue with the movie's dramatic

elements tony here's your quarterback

all right you protect his blind side

when you look at him you think of me how

you have my back how you have his

okay

sandra bullock stars as leanne tui in a

role that would earn her an oscar when

leanne comes across the likes of

struggling 17 year old michael ohr she

resolves herself and her family to take

him in on route to a full adoption

leanne guides michael into taking up

football which he excels at from there

michael enrolls to play at college which

would eventually lead him to being

drafted into the nfl honey you're

changing that boy's life

no

he's changing mine number 15. cinderella

man

oddly enough the term cinderella has

become synonymous with sports stories

particularly those of the underdogs this

movie depicts one of its earliest uses

in sports specifically in referring to

boxer james j braddock aka the

cinderella man the cinderella man

cinderella man yeah oh i like it it's

kind of girly yeah

braddock earned this nickname by making

one of the greatest comebacks in sports

history overcoming ostensible retirement

due to multiple injuries and outright

poverty in the wake of the great

depression to claim the world

heavyweight title in 1935.

you're everybody's hope

and you get to europe

and you

are the champion of my heart

here ron howard re-teams with his

beautiful mind star russell crowe to

bring braddock's tale to cinematic life

with a story that's taylor made for the

movies the filmmakers do it justice by

building up braddock's ascension out of

hopelessness to sheer triumph

[Applause]

number 14 seabiscuit

another movie set during the great

depression this cinderella story instead

follows that of a horse kind of small

isn't he

going to look a lot smaller in a second

georgie perhaps the most famous race

horse ever seabiscuit was a relatively

small stallion that managed to surpass

expectations and capture hearts

everywhere naturally this too made for

prime big screen stuff and gary ross's

2003 namesake film does not disappoint i

got better

he made me better

how you made me better

jesus christ

and that's as much my horse as it is

yours here toby maguire stars as jockey

john red pollard whose plucky

disposition makes him a perfect fit for

the title horse injury later sidelines

red for the big race against a triple

crown winning rival but all his and

seabiscuit's hard work pays off as the

latter wins the race of the century

[Applause]

yes

yes

[Applause]

red's later recovery and persistence in

the face of further injury inspires us

to never give up our passions

number 13 chariots of fire these days

chariots of fire is best known for one

iconic vangelis score and a slow motion

run on the beach

[Music]

while that scene is magnificent in

bookending the film this best picture

winner has a lot more to offer set in

the early 20th century the film

primarily follows two real-life olympic

runners the scottish eric little and the

english harold abrahams as the two are

selected to represent great britain in

the 1924 games they're each forced to

confront how their passions clash with

their religious beliefs on the world's

largest stage i believe that god made me

for a

purpose for china

but he also made me fast

and when i run

i feel his pleasure moreover the film

deftly depicts the inner turmoil every

athlete contends with in the pressure to

succeed which makes it all the more

gratifying when these two finally win

gold

[Applause]

number 12 bend it like beckham

while many movies on this list are based

on true events spend it like beckham

instead leans into the personability

surrounding the plot to get viewers in

its corner indeed many of writer

director garinda chatta's movies

chronicle the struggles of indian women

living in the uk and this comedy drama

is no different here protagonist jess

seeks to pursue a future in soccer or

football against the wishes of her

traditional sikh family no more football

just your mother is right it's not nice

you must start behaving like a proper

woman as one might expect this leads to

just living a double life that's rife

with misconceptions and humorous moments

but underneath that is a compelling

story of identity as we relate to jess's

plate of honoring her family while still

wanting to forge her own path i don't

want her to make the same mistakes that

her father made of

accepting life accepting situations

i want her to fight

and i want her to win

number 11 coach carter

you shooting the ball

what's your name sir

jason lyle but

ain't absurd

you're not a sir

are you a madam

if there's one role samuel l jackson was

born to play it may just be that of a

hard-ass basketball coach indeed jackson

is stellar as the real-life ken carter

who managed to change the lives of

several young athletes during his time

coaching high school basketball in

richmond california moreover carter made

sure every single one of his players

over his five-year tenure graduated

making sure they put scholastic

interests ahead of athletic ones while

the basketball featured in coach carter

is exhilarating it's not the crux of the

story instead rather than the climactic

playoff game they ultimately lose it's

the fact that carter is able to inspire

his students into excelling at all

aspects of life that's the true victory

what you achieved

is that every elusive victory within

and gentlemen

i am so

proud of you

number 10 invictus whereas most movies

on this list focus on sports in the

western world this drama shifts it to

the nation of south africa the story is

set around the events of the 1995 rugby

world cup where the national team the

springboks won their first title the

achievement was particularly meaningful

for the host country as it was just

coming out of the devastating effects of

apartheid how charged with punishment

the scroll

i am the master of my fate

i am the captain of myself

naturally politics play a key role in

the film as morgan freeman stars as then

president nelson mandela freeman is

excellent in the role as is matt damon

as springbok's captain francois pinar

listen to your country

seven minutes

seven minutes

defense defense defense

this is it

this is our destiny coupled with clint

eastwood's sharp directing invictus

greatly succeeds in depicting a

watershed moment in international sports

history

number nine remember the titans

how could we forget another sports drama

that tackles racial tensions remember

the titans does it perhaps better than

its contemporaries well don't give a

damn about how sensitive these kids are

especially the young black kids

you ain't doing these kids a favor by

patronizing them

equipping them here denzel washington

stars as coach herman boone who joins

the tc williams high school football

team in alexandria virginia for the 1971

season

not only that but the school has become

more racially integrated than ever as

does the football team by proxy

obviously tensions are high but leave it

to washington's stern yet captivating

intonations to bring everyone together i

don't care if you like each other or not

but you will respect each other

and maybe

i don't know maybe he will

[Music]

learn to play this game like men even

though the team goes undefeated on route

to a state championship every single

down is filled with excitement and we

can't help but celebrate when they

finally achieve the impossible number

eight field of dreams

it's hard not to be romantic about

baseball in baseball movies seldom get

more romantic than field of dreams

here kevin costner plays ray an iowa

farmer who gets messages from beyond to

construct a baseball field in his corn

stalks from there since departed players

like shoeless joe jackson appear to play

once more as rey is further encouraged

to bring people to the field i'd wake up

at night

with the smell of the ballpark in my

nose

the cool of the grass on my feet

the thrill of the grass even though the

movie doesn't have an actual athlete for

a protagonist it manages to get so much

right about the love of the game it's

also a testament to always follow your

heart and your dreams even if they may

seem crazy to others

this is one we can never get sick of

hey dad

[Music]

you want to have a catch

i'd like that

number 7. warrior

now here's a fictional sports story so

moving it had people fooled into

believing it was based on true events i

said i know you in the court

i wasn't gonna

call better than me

my brother was in the corner despite

growing up in the same toxic household

estranged brothers tommy and brendan

could not be more different tommy played

by tom hardy is a returning veteran

whereas brendan played by joel edgerton

is a high school physics teacher

struggling to make ends meet following

his daughter's medical issues out of

necessity and their mutual badassery the

brothers both enter a mixed martial arts

tournament needing the cash prize but

their past is brought back to light when

they each make it to the finals more

grounded than most inspirational sports

movies warrior is a family drama you

won't soon forget

[Music]

number six the natural

it doesn't matter if you're watching

baseball when you hear it or not this

randy newman score is bound to give you

chills

[Music]

backing up those sounds is the natural

story about the fictional roy hobbs a

former up-and-coming baseball star who

finally gets his chance in the majors

after having his youth mercilessly taken

away from him there are a lot of moving

parts to this one but where the movie

succeeds is in its simplicity easily

capturing the ethos of the game and

transposing it to the screen go pick me

out a winner bobby

okay

robert redford is stellar as hobbs whose

recaptured vigor helps turn a flailing

team into contenders

hobbs persisting in playing the game he

loves even at the risk of his life never

fails to enthrall

[Applause]

it's way back high up in there

[Music]

number five hoosiers

after all these years hoosiers is still

the ultimate small town team rises up to

beat the big dog cinderella story well

those of you don't know my name is

norman dale i coach college ball for 10

years but it's been 12 years since i've

blown this so i'm going to be learning

from you just like you learned from me

another tough coach gene hackman's

norman dale arrives in the fictional

town of hickory indiana to revitalize

the high school basketball program the

people of hickory have a fervor for the

sport but dale's no-nonsense coaching

style quickly irks just about everyone

however upon instilling belief in his

players that they can achieve greatness

dale is kept on and ultimately takes

them to the state championship don't get

caught up thinking about winning or

losing this game

if you put your effort and concentration

into playing to your potential to be the

best that you can be i don't care what

the scoreboard says at the end of the

game in my book we're gonna be winners

there in one of the most improbable

upsets of all time they defeat the big

city favorites and bring the title home

to hickory if that's not inspiring we

don't know what is

number four brian song

brian's song holds the distinction of

being the only made-for-tv movie on this

list it is so powerful in fact that it

has managed to transcend its boundaries

and become one of the most revered

sports films of all time what the hell

do you do on fake drawstreet right well

no

take draw screen right i uh

pick up a linebacker if he's coming uh

unless of course in buckets then i

simply notify the quarterback central

priesthood

the late james khan plays brian piccolo

a running back for the chicago bears who

was given a terminal cancer diagnosis

during his rookie season the story is

made even more dynamic through the lens

of his teammate gail sayers played by

billy d williams joe's expecting again

that's great yeah we think so you know

if it's a ball we kind of like to name

it after you oh good yeah it's got a

real nice ring to it go speed pickle

piccolo and sayers are roomed together a

racially integrated situation that was

basically unheard of back in 1965 and

the two become close friends seriously

if you want to cry and be moved you need

only watch brian's song

let me get you next training camp

all right

i'll be waiting number three miracle

before giving us warrior gavin o'connor

directed this movie about the 1980 u.s

winter olympics hockey team as many

people will already know the team defied

all expectations when it defeated a much

more experienced soviet squad at the

height of the cold war on their way to

taking home the gold regardless the

movie manages to enthrall from beginning

to end tonight

we

are the greatest hockey team

in the world

you were born to be hockey players kurt

russell is magnetic as coach herb brooks

whose insight into picking not the best

players but the right ones is just the

first step on a long road to glory

indeed we feel the rigorous training

regimens along with the players which

makes it all the more gratifying in the

end miracle shows just how well movies

can recreate timeless moments

[Applause]

number two rudy

[Music]

three features after hoosiers david

anspa returned to the sports genre to

direct rudy a biopic about one-time

notre dame football player daniel rudy

rudiger while the movie embellishes a

good deal about the theatrics of

rudiger's story we cannot deny it makes

for riveting filmmaking the secret to

happiness in this life is to be grateful

for the gifts the good lord has bestowed

upon us

not everyone is meant to go to college

here sean aston's rudy is told time and

again he doesn't have the physique to

make the collegiate team but his

all-time dream to be a member of the

fighting irish won't be denied he works

he studies and he toils for years just

to get on the practice squad and even

more so just to get on the field but in

the end thanks to the support of his

teammates rudy finally sees his dream

become reality

[Music]

number one rocky

you knew it was coming this boxing drama

from the streets of philadelphia is the

ultimate underdog story as is the behind

the scenes one surrounding writer star

sylvester stallone a virtual nobody in

the world of boxing rocky balboa is

serendipitously given a bout against the

heavyweight world champion not expected

to win by a long shot all rocky wants is

to go the distance to prove that he

belongs in the ring see and that bell

rings and i'm still standing

i'm gonna know for the first time in my

life you see

that weren't just another bomb from the

neighborhood he trains he falls in love

and he trains some more it's an

emotional journey for both him and us

which makes it all the more satisfying

when he holds his own rocky may not come

out on top but he earns the respect of

the whole world and himself making him

the real winner

[Music]

this video is brought to you by fx's

welcome to wrexham premieres august 24th

on fx stream on hulu

[Music]