5 Favorite Sports Movies 

A look at some of the great sports favorite movies of this generation

Kyle Bruderer | Sports writer | @Brudkyle

“Remember the Titans”

A common theme amongst great sports films is a nearly overwhelming amount of adversity. Most sports films follow the trend of an athlete or team, which lacks athleticism, leadership, or just all -around talent. “Remember The Titans” however, doesn’t really fit that sports film mold.

Up until the early 1970s, Virginia high schools had been segregated between white people and black people, but they were suddenly forced to integrate their classrooms as well as their football team. This film is beloved by so many because it’s a true story. While racism is still a big problem in our country today, “Remember the Titans” does a fantastic job in showing the importance of seeing people for who they are based on one’s heart, not their skin. If you’ve never seen this film, please do yourself a gigantic favor and watch it as soon as possible.

“The Sandlot”

It is theThis is the typical new kid in the neighborhood story. Smalls, the main character, is a bit of a nerd who likes building his erector set and who hasn’t ever experienced the real outdoors. His mother forces him outside and tells him to “get dirty.”

Along come Bennie, Squints, Yeah Yeah, Ham and all the other kids in the neighborhood who take Smalls under their wing and teach him how to play baseball.  While the film is about baseball, it is also definitely a comedic gem, filled with youthful shenanigans such as Squints jumping off the diving board at the community pool just so that he can kiss lifeguard Wendy Peffercorn. It is also about learning lessons the hard way such as celebrating a victory by chewing Big Chief Chewing Tobacco and going on the Tilt-A-Whirl. Most people can imagine what happens next.

For those of you who were fortunate enough to have a childhood without a big and fluffy blanket of electronics and technology, this film should be something relatable. In fact, the only technology shown in the movie is a hilarious makeshift remote controlled baseball retriever/catapult. If you were in fact one of those technology brainwashed kids, please enable and even force your children to play outside.

“Rudy”

As if a movie about college football isn’t great enough, Rudy could be best described with a single word, motivational.

This true story of an undersized high school football player who stops at nothing to fulfil his dream of playing for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish despite countless people telling him that he’s nuts will tug firmly on your heart strings. People all have mountains to climb during their personal journeys in life, but too often they only look at where they are or how much further they have to go rather than remembering what they’ve accomplished along the way. Rudy is a great example of that.

“Field of Dreams”

Imagine walking out into your cornfield ready to hoe some weeds and you hear a voice out of nowhere that says, “Iif you build it, he will come.” For Ray Kinsella, a farmer from Iowa, that is exactly what happened, and the rest is history. The film brought “Shoeless” Joe Jackson back to life along with other members of the 1919 Chicago White Sox, also known as the Black Sox for the scandal they were involved in by throwing the 1919 World Series. Add to that, the ending is when Ray is about to lose his farm, but a miracle happens when he starts to play catch with the younger version of his father. That miracle won’t be told here. Fans will just have to watch this film to find out.

“Hoosiers”

In a true David vs. Goliath story, the Hickory Huskers, a pint-sized school barely big enough for two syllables, win over the hearts of millions on their way to the Indiana State basketball finals.  Norman Dale, an embattled coach, takes over a team of seven players and guides them through obstacles such as playing without their best player, fan scrutiny, and lack of athletic ability.

He was almost forced out as head coach until Jimmy Chitwood, the team’s best player decided to start playing again only if the coach stayed.  Coach stayed and the rest is history.  At a time when the chances of a small school winning the state championship were slim to none, hard work and determination paid off. By the end of this movie you will be standing and cheering on the red and gold.