Oscar fever: 20 sports movies that won the Oscar or were nominated

Breaking Away (1979)

The movie is based in a small town setting where two teenagers get into bicycle racing to win the affection of a girl and it ended up an Oscar for its efforts. More importantly, this movie was the inspiration for the 90′s Bollywood superhit, ‘Jo Jeeta Wohi Sikandar’.

Jerry Maguire (1996)

Starring Tom Cruise, this comedy-drama sports film, was inspired from the life of the famous American sports agent, Leigh Steinberg. Cruise played the title role in the movie, but was outshone by his fellow actor Cuba Gooding Jr. who bagged an Oscar for Best Actor in a Supporting Role.

Seabiscuit

The movie is based on a non-fictional book named Seabiscuit. It is about an under-sized and under-rated racehorse named Seabiscuit, that braves the odds to sprint to victory and ends up inspiring not just the team, but also the hopes of an entire nation.

The movie also famously helped inspire Rahul Dravid to his monumental performances in the 2003 tour of Australia which India drew 1-1.

Field of Dreams (1989)

Field of Dreams is based on baseball. Directed by Phil Alden Robinson, it is the story of a man who hears voices in his head to build a baseball diamond in his fields. The film received nominations in three categories at the Academy awards,

Bang the drum slowly (1973)

This Robert De Niro starrer, adapted from a baseball novel of the same name, captures the relationship between a team’s pitcher and its catcher as they deal with the former’s terminal illness through the season. The movie was nominated for one Oscar.