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This year saw the rise of the sports genre on television as well as in film. Aside from numerous sports-related TV shows, A League of Their Own, The Swimmers, Hustle, and Tyson's Run were among the best sports films released this year.
On that note, here's a list of the five best sports films of 2022.
Hustle & 4 other 2022 sports films you must see
1) Hustle
Hustle , starring Adam Sandler, follows a basketball scout who meets a phenomenal player abroad after a series of unfortunate events.
Hustle was released on Netflix in June 2022. It's one of the few Netflix releases to ever have such a wildly successful debut to universal acclaim.
2) The Swimmers
The Swimmers is more than just a sports drama about triumph. It also deals with political and humanitarian issues as it follows two Syrian sisters who flee their war-torn home in Damascus and swim across the Mediterranean to Greece. Their tenacity and perseverance are highlighted in the story that follows them to the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro.
The film is primarily a biographical drama that eventually evolves into a sports drama. Nathalie Issa, Manal Issa, and Ahmed Malek play the lead characters. The film premiered in September at the 2022 Toronto International Film Festival to critical acclaim. It was then released in select theaters in November before debuting on Netflix on November 23, 2022.
3) Tyson's Run
Tyson's Run is about a young boy named Tyson who defies his autism by running marathons. Tyson is inspired by a footballer he meets while helping his father clean up the team. The film also explores his struggles with impressing his father.
Tyson's Run stars Barkhad Abdi, Major Dodson, and Rory Cochrane in principal roles. The film was released in select cinemas in March 2022.
4) The First Slam Dunk
While few animated films come to mind when one thinks of sports dramas, The First Slam Dunk, based on the Slam Dunk manga series, is an excellent Japanese animated sports film. It revolves around Hanamichi Sakuragi, who after being dumped by multiple women, falls in love with a girl who is obsessed with basketball.
The First Slam Dunk tells a story that is as much about its protagonist as it is about basketball, thanks to its near-perfect animation and the Japanese technique of characterizing its actors through the visual arts.
5) Olga
Olga, like The Swimmers, tells a more political story than most sports films. It follows a young Ukrainian gymnast, 15, who is exiled in Switzerland and battling for a spot at the National Sports Center. The outbreak of the Euromaidan revolt complicates matters for her and her politically involved family.
Although the film was released in Switzerland in 2021, it was not released in the United States until June 2022. The film was the official Swiss entry for Best International Feature Film at the 94th Academy Awards.
Anastasia Budiashkina stars as a young Olga and delivers a brilliant performance that keeps the audience invested in the character through all her hardships.
