So what are the ten top sports movies? Many movies come and go, and some even fade away without a mention. But then there are some movies which are here to stay and be remembered. And for sports fans, the ability to remain in memory goes much higher if the movie revolves around an athletic pursuit. With not one but two sports movies hitting the theatres today - 'Million Dollar Arm' and 'Hawaa Hawaai', here is a look at the top 10 sports movies over time:
#10 Bend It Like Beckham
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Last but not the least, comes in a movie from our very own Indian stable, directed by Gurinder Chadha and co-written by Paul Mayeda Berges, Guljit Bindra and the director herself.
The movie revolves around the life of a Punjabi teenage girl in London and the hardships faced by her in her endeavour to play football, being a woman. The movie chronicles the stereotypes regarding women in Indian society and tries to break some of them during the course of the movie.
Being a low budget movie at just $6 million, it did a brilliant job at the box-office and grossed more than $76 million world-wide.
#9 Seabiscuit
Directed and written by Gary Ross, Seabiscuit is based on the book Seabiscuit: An American Legend by Laura Hillenbrand.
Seabiscuit is a racehorse and the grandson of Man o' War (a great race horse), which went on the become the world's greatest money winner at that time after winning the race at Santa Anita Park.
#8 Gridiron Gang
Directed by Phil Joanou and written by Jeff Maguire, The Gridiron Gang as the name suggests is based on the sport of American Football (also known as Gridiron Football).
The movie starred the famous professional wrestler-turned-actor Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson, wherein he coaches a team of juvenile home inmates known as 'Mustangs' and makes them winners, teaching them responsibilty and team-work.
#7 The Damned United
Grabbing the 7th spot in the list is 'The Damned United', directed by Tom Hooper. Its screenplay was written by Peter Morgan, based on the novel The Damned Utd by David Peace. The novel is based on one of the most successful football managers in the history of football - Brian Clough - and his unsucessful tenure at Leeds United in 1974.
The movie vividly describes the exploits of Brian Clough, who was dubbed as "the greatest manager that England never had".
#6 Bull Durham
Written and directed by Ron Shelton, Bull Durham is based on the experiences of the director himself in Minor League Baseball.
The movie is a sports comedy and although it had a paltry budget of $9 million, the movie became a hit, earning a staggering $50 million in North America.
#5 The Karate Kid (2010)
This one is a remake of the 1984 film by the same name. This installment was directed by Herald Zwart and written by Christopher Murphy.
The movie revolves around a kid who moved to Beijing from Detroit and gets bullied by the local boys. He finds his Kung-Fu Master in the form of the local maintenance guy (played by Jackie Chan) and despite being an underdog, he goes on to win the Kung-Fu championship.
Karate Kid is a movie which, like its original version, served as an inspiration to many and also gave a great start to the career of Jaden Smith, Will Smith's son.
#4 Coach Carter
This movie is adapted from a screenplay written by Mark Schwahn and John Gatin and was directed by Thomas Carter.
Coach Carter is based on the true story of a basketball coach Ken Carter (portrayed by Samuel L.Jackson), who became famous due to his off-court antics of benching an undefeated high school basketball team due to their poor academic performance.
#3 Remember the Titans
This movie is based on American football. It is an adaptation of a screenplay written by Gregory Allen Howard and directed by Boaz Yakin.
The movie follows the life of a African-American coach Herman Boone (portrayed by Denzel Washington) at a racially segregated school, and describes how he overcomes the hate and spreads communal harmony.
The movie has been inspiring for many people acoss the globe, and surely is a big slap on the face of racial discrimination.
#2 Rocky
Coming second on our list of top 10 sports movies is 'Rocky'. A cult classic, Rocky was directed by John G. Avildsen and written by none other than the man who plays the part of Rocky in the movie, Sylvester Stallone himself.
The movie has a total of 6 parts. The final one, titled 'Rocky Balboa', was released in 2006, three decades after the first one. The final one has a famous quote too:
#1 Hoosiers
'Hoosiers' is based on basketball, directed by David Anspaugh and written by Angelo Pizzo. It is the story of a high school basketball team which went on to win the State Championship. The plot is loosely based on the story of the Milan High School Basketball Team, which won the Indiana State Championship in 1954.
Hoosiers has achieved many laurels, like being ranked 13th by the American Film Institute in its list of the most inspirational films. Apart from that, it has also been selected by the Library of Congress for preservation in the United States National Film Registry.
