100 Greatest Sport Movies
Criteria: These Greatest Sport Movies were chosen for their direction, acting, storyline, cinematography, box office success and popularity. These films were NOT chosen for how highly rated they are overall, but how they rate in the subject of "Sport Movies". (Not included sports are: martial arts, gladiators, chess, rodeo, which are included in some other "Sport Movie" lists.) (Documentary Sport movies are in a top 10 list below the main list)
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- DirectorMartin ScorseseStarsRobert De NiroCathy MoriartyJoe PesciThe life of boxer Jake LaMotta, whose violence and temper that led him to the top in the ring destroyed his life outside of it.
- DirectorRobert RossenStarsPaul NewmanJackie GleasonPiper LaurieAn up-and-coming pool player plays a long-time champion in a single high-stakes match.
- DirectorJohn G. AvildsenStarsSylvester StalloneTalia ShireBurt YoungA small-time Philadelphia boxer gets a supremely rare chance to fight the world heavyweight champion in a bout in which he strives to go the distance for his self-respect.
- DirectorRon SheltonStarsKevin CostnerSusan SarandonTim RobbinsA fan who has an affair with one minor-league baseball player each season meets an up-and-coming pitcher and the experienced catcher assigned to him.
- DirectorSam WoodStarsGary CooperTeresa WrightBabe RuthThe story of the life and career of famed baseball player Lou Gehrig.
- DirectorDavid AnspaughStarsGene HackmanBarbara HersheyDennis HopperA coach with a checkered past and a local drunk train a small-town high school basketball team to become a top contender for the state championship in 1950s Indiana.
- DirectorRalph NelsonStarsAnthony QuinnJackie GleasonMickey RooneyKnockout performances by Anthony Quinn, Jackie Gleason, Mickey Rooney and Julie Harris highlight this hard-hitting drama of corruption in the ring. Featuring Muhammad Ali.
- DirectorHugh HudsonStarsBen CrossIan CharlesonNicholas FarrellTwo British track athletes, one a determined Jew and the other a devout Christian, are driven to win in the 1924 Olympics as they wrestle with issues of pride and conscience.
- DirectorGeorge Roy HillStarsPaul NewmanMichael OntkeanStrother MartinA failing ice hockey team finds success with outrageously violent hockey goonery.
- DirectorBuzz KulikStarsJames CaanBilly Dee WilliamsJack WardenBased on the real-life relationship between teammates Brian Piccolo and Gale Sayers and the bond established when Piccolo discovers that he is dying.
- DirectorPeter YatesStarsDennis ChristopherDennis QuaidDaniel SternA working-class Indiana teen obsessed with the Italian cycling team vies for the affections of a college girl while searching for life goals with his friends.
- DirectorRobert WiseStarsRobert RyanAudrey TotterGeorge TobiasExpecting the usual loss, a boxing manager takes bribes from a betting gangster without telling his fighter.
- DirectorClint EastwoodStarsHilary SwankClint EastwoodMorgan FreemanFrankie, an ill-tempered old coach, reluctantly agrees to train aspiring boxer Maggie. Impressed with her determination and talent, he helps her become the best and the two soon form a close bond.
- DirectorPhil Alden RobinsonStarsKevin CostnerJames Earl JonesRay LiottaIowa farmer Ray Kinsella is inspired by a voice he can't ignore to pursue a dream he can hardly believe. Supported by his wife, Ray begins the quest by turning his ordinary cornfield into a place where dreams can come true.
- DirectorBarry LevinsonStarsRobert RedfordRobert DuvallGlenn CloseA middle-aged unknown comes seemingly out of nowhere to become a legendary baseball player with almost supernatural talent.
- DirectorRobert AldrichStarsBurt ReynoldsEddie AlbertEd LauterA sadistic warden asks a former pro quarterback, now serving time in his prison, to put together a team of inmates to take on (and get pummeled by) the guards.
- DirectorJohn D. HancockStarsMichael MoriartyRobert De NiroVincent GardeniaThe story of the friendship between a worldly-wise star pitcher and a half-wit catcher as they cope with the catcher's terminal illness through a baseball season.
- DirectorTony RichardsonStarsMichael RedgraveTom CourtenayAvis BunnageA young thief takes up long-distance running when he is sent to a borstal.
- DirectorGary RossStarsTobey MaguireJeff BridgesElizabeth BanksTrue story of the undersized Depression-era racehorse whose victories lifted not only the spirits of the team behind it but also those of their nation.
- DirectorRon HowardStarsRussell CroweRenée ZellwegerCraig BierkoThe true story of James J. Braddock, a supposedly washed-up boxer, who returned to the spotlight to win the heavyweight championship of the world.
- DirectorRobert RossenStarsJohn GarfieldLilli PalmerHazel BrooksA talented boxer's young career hits difficult terrain when an unethical promoter takes interest in him.
- DirectorMark RobsonStarsKirk DouglasArthur KennedyMarilyn MaxwellBoxer Midge Kelly rises to fame...mainly by stepping on other people.
- DirectorLindsay AndersonStarsRichard HarrisRachel RobertsAlan BadelDespite success on the field, a rising rugby star senses the emerging emptiness of his life as his inner angst begins to materialize through aggression and brutality, so he attempts to woo his landlady in hopes of finding reason to live.
- DirectorNorman JewisonStarsDenzel WashingtonVicellous ShannonDeborah Kara UngerThe story of Rubin 'Hurricane' Carter, a boxer wrongly imprisoned for murder, and the people who aided in his fight to prove his innocence.
- DirectorRobert WiseStarsPaul NewmanPier AngeliEverett SloaneBoxer Rocky Graziano's biopic, based on his autobiography, from childhood to his World Middleweight Championship title win at age 28 in 1947.
- DirectorBoaz YakinStarsDenzel WashingtonWill PattonWood HarrisIn 1971 Virginia high school football was everything to the people of Alexandria. But when the school board was forced to integrate an all-black school with an all-white one, the very foundation of football's tradition was put to the test.
- DirectorGavin O'ConnorStarsKurt RussellPatricia ClarksonNathan WestThe true story of Herb Brooks, the player-turned-coach who led the 1980 U.S. Olympic hockey team to victory over the seemingly invincible Soviet squad.
- DirectorJohn SaylesStarsJohn CusackClifton JamesJace AlexanderA dramatization of the Black Sox scandal when the underpaid Chicago White Sox accepted bribes to deliberately lose the 1919 World Series.
- DirectorTed KotcheffStarsNick NolteCharles DurningMac DavisA satire of American professional football in which a veteran pass-catcher's individuality and refusal to become part of the team family are bitterly resented by his disciplinarian coaches.
- DirectorPenny MarshallStarsTom HanksGeena DavisLori PettyTwo sisters join the first female professional baseball league and struggle to help it succeed amid their own growing rivalry.
- DirectorShimit AminStarsShah Rukh KhanVidya MalvadeSagarika GhatgeKabir Khan, the coach of the Indian Women's National Hockey Team, dreams of making his all-girls team emerge victorious against all odds.
- DirectorHarold BeckerStarsMatthew ModineLinda FiorentinoMichael SchoefflingA high school wrestler in Spokane, Washington has trouble focusing on his training regimen when a beautiful young drifter takes up temporary residence at his home.
- DirectorRobert MarkowitzStarsMichael MoriartyKevin ConwayMeryl StreepGerry Miller, a professional hockey player, gives in to internal and outside pressures and adopts a more aggressive style on the ice. During one particularly violent game a player on an opposing team dies, and the authorities charge Miller with manslaughter.
- DirectorClarence BrownStarsMickey RooneyElizabeth TaylorDonald CrispA jaded former jockey helps a young girl prepare a wild but gifted horse for England's Grand National Sweepstakes.
- DirectorLloyd BaconWilliam K. HowardStarsPat O'BrienGale PageRonald ReaganThe story of legendary Notre Dame football player and coach Knute Rockne.
- DirectorJohn Lee HancockStarsDennis QuaidJD EvermoreRachel GriffithsA Texas baseball coach makes the major league after agreeing to try out if his high school team made the playoffs.
- DirectorSylvester StalloneStarsSylvester StalloneTalia ShireBurt YoungRocky faces the ultimate challenge from a powerful new contender, and must turn to a former rival to help regain his throne as the undisputed fighting champion.
- DirectorFred C. NewmeyerSam TaylorStarsHarold LloydJobyna RalstonBrooks BenedictA nerdy college student will do anything to become popular on campus.
- DirectorMichael RitchieStarsRobert RedfordGene HackmanCamilla SparvQuietly cocky Robert Redford joins U.S. ski team as downhill racer and clashes with the team's coach, played by Gene Hackman. Lots of good skiing action leading to an exciting climax.
- DirectorSimon WincerStarsTom BurlinsonJudy MorrisMartin VaughanThe true story of a New Zealand racehorse that became a champion, with the help of a local stable-boy.
- DirectorRaoul WalshStarsErrol FlynnAlexis SmithJack CarsonAs bare-knuckled boxing enters the modern era, brash extrovert, Jim Corbett, uses new rules and dazzlingly innovative footwork to rise to the top of the top of the boxing world.
- DirectorAlexander HallStarsRobert MontgomeryClaude RainsEvelyn KeyesBoxer Joe Pendleton dies 50 years too soon due to a heavenly mistake, and is given a new life as a millionaire playboy.
- DirectorHarold RamisStarsChevy ChaseRodney DangerfieldBill MurrayAn exclusive golf course has to deal with a flatulent new member and a destructive dancing gopher.
- DirectorKing VidorStarsWallace BeeryJackie CooperIrene RichAn alcoholic ex-boxer struggles to provide a good living for his son.
- DirectorDavid S. WardStarsTom BerengerCharlie SheenCorbin BernsenThe new owner of the Cleveland Indians puts together a purposely horrible team so they'll lose and she can move the team. But when the plot is uncovered, they start winning just to spite her.
- DirectorBilly CrystalStarsBarry PepperThomas JaneAnthony Michael HallRoger Maris and Mickey Mantle race to break Babe Ruth's single-season home run record.
- DirectorWarren BeattyBuck HenryStarsWarren BeattyJames MasonJulie ChristieA Los Angeles Rams quarterback, accidentally taken away from his body by an overanxious angel before he was meant to die, returns to life in the body of a recently murdered millionaire.
- DirectorThomas CarterStarsSamuel L. JacksonRick GonzalezRobert Ri'chardControversy surrounds high school basketball coach Ken Carter after he benches his entire team for breaking their academic contract with him.
- DirectorAshutosh GowarikerStarsAamir KhanRaghubir YadavGracy SinghThe people of a small village in Victorian India stake their future on a game of cricket against their ruthless British rulers.
- DirectorSylvester StalloneStarsSylvester StalloneTalia ShireBurt YoungRocky struggles in family life after his bout with Apollo Creed, while the embarrassed champ insistently goads him to accept a challenge for a rematch.
- DirectorJohn HustonStarsStacy KeachJeff BridgesSusan TyrrellTwo men, working as professional boxers, come to blows when their careers each begin to take different directions.
- DirectorJohn HustonStarsMichael CaineSylvester StallonePeléAs allied P.O.W.s prepare for a soccer game against the German National Team to be played in Nazi-occupied Paris, the French Resistance and British officers are making plans for the team's escape.
- DirectorCameron CroweStarsTom CruiseCuba Gooding Jr.Renée ZellwegerWhen a sports agent has a moral epiphany and is fired for expressing it, he decides to put his new philosophy to the test as an independent agent with the only athlete who stays with him and his former colleague.
- DirectorGurinder ChadhaStarsParminder NagraKeira KnightleyJonathan Rhys MeyersTwo ambitious girls, despite their parents' wishes, have their hearts set on careers in professional football.
- DirectorSam WoodStarsJames StewartJune AllysonFrank MorganStar major league pitcher Monty Stratton loses a leg in a hunting accident, but becomes determined to leave the game on his own terms.
- DirectorGeorge AbbottStanley DonenStarsTab HunterGwen VerdonRay WalstonA frustrated fan of the hopeless Washington Senators makes a pact with the Devil to help the baseball team win the league pennant.
- DirectorMichael MannStarsWill SmithJamie FoxxJon VoightA biography of sports legend Muhammad Ali, focusing on his triumphs and controversies between 1964 and 1974.
- DirectorPeter BergStarsBilly Bob ThorntonJay HernandezDerek LukeBased on H.G. Bissinger's book, which profiled the economically depressed town of Odessa, Texas and their heroic high school football team, The Permian High Panthers.
- DirectorRobert TowneStarsBilly CrudupDonald SutherlandMonica PotterThe life of renowned runner Steve Prefontaine and his relationship with legendary coach Bill Bowerman.
- DirectorRon SheltonStarsTommy Lee JonesRobert WuhlLolita DavidovichA reporter hired to write the 'official' biography of Ty Cobb discovers just how dark the baseball legend's real story is.
- DirectorMartin RittStarsJames Earl JonesJane AlexanderLou GilbertA Black champion boxer and his white female companion struggle to survive while the white boxing establishment looks for ways to knock him down.
- DirectorMichael RitchieStarsWalter MatthauTatum O'NealVic MorrowAn aging, down-on-his-luck ex-minor leaguer coaches a team of misfits in an ultra-competitive California little league.
- DirectorRobert MulliganStarsAnthony PerkinsKarl MaldenNorma MooreTrue story of the life of Jimmy Piersall, who battled mental illness to achieve stardom in major league baseball.
- DirectorAnatole LitvakJean NegulescoStarsJames CagneyAnn SheridanArthur KennedyDanny is a content truck driver, but his girl Peggy shows potential as a dancer and hopes he too can show ambition. Danny acquiesces and pursues boxing to please her, but the two begin to spend more time working than time together.
- DirectorGeorge CukorStarsSpencer TracyKatharine HepburnAldo RayPat is a women's sports sensation unless her fiancé is around. Her new shady manager Mike keeps them apart and develops feelings for her.
- DirectorKevin Rodney SullivanStarsDelroy LindoMykelti WilliamsonEdward HerrmannBlack baseball greats, Satchel Paige and Josh Gibson, vie to be the first afro-American major leaguer, only to see the outspoken rookie, Jackie Robinson, be chosen.
- DirectorJohn FrankenheimerStarsJames GarnerEva Marie SaintYves MontandAmerican Grand Prix driver Pete Aron is fired by his Jordan-BRM racing team after a crash at Monaco that injures his British teammate, Scott Stoddard.
- DirectorTony ScottStarsTom CruiseNicole KidmanRobert DuvallA young hot-shot stock car driver gets his chance to compete at the top level.
- DirectorRon SheltonStarsKevin CostnerRene RussoDon JohnsonA washed-up golf pro working at a driving range tries to qualify for the U.S. Open in order to win the heart of his successful rival's girlfriend.
- DirectorJohn MiliusStarsJan-Michael VincentWilliam KattGary BuseyThe lives of some California surfers from the early 1960s to the 1970s.
- DirectorRobert RedfordStarsWill SmithMatt DamonCharlize TheronA down-and-out golfer attempts to recover his game and his life with help from a mystical caddie.
- DirectorSpike LeeStarsDenzel WashingtonMilla JovovichRay AllenA basketball player's father must try to convince him to go to a college so he can get a shorter sentence.
- DirectorTaylor HackfordStarsJessica LangeDennis QuaidTimothy HuttonA Louisiana football legend struggles to deal with life's complexities after his college career is over.
- DirectorWilliam FriedkinStarsNick NolteMary McDonnellJ.T. WalshA college basketball coach is forced to break the rules in order to get the players he needs to stay competitive.
- DirectorCarroll BallardStarsKelly RenoMickey RooneyTeri GarrAfter being shipwrecked with a magnificent horse off the coast of Africa in the 1940s, a boy bonds with the stallion, and trains him to race after their rescue.
- DirectorJames W. HorneBuster KeatonStarsBuster KeatonAnne CornwallFlora BramleyRonald's high-school valedictory address praises books and condemns sports. His girlfriend Mary condemns his attitude. Fearing to lose her to rival Jeff, he decides to go to college and pay more attentions to sports.
- DirectorLloyd BaconStarsRay MillandJean PetersPaul DouglasA scientist discovers a formula that makes a baseball which is repelled by wood. He promptly sets out to exploit his discovery.
- DirectorFranco ZeffirelliStarsJon VoightFaye DunawayRicky SchroderBilly Flynn is an ex-champion boxer who was KO'd by booze and gambling. When the wealthy, estranged mother of his young son begins trying to lure the boy away from him, Flynn must return to the ring to provide for his child.
- DirectorDavid AnspaughStarsSean AstinJon FavreauNed BeattyRudy has always been told that he was too small to play college football. But he is determined to overcome the odds and fulfill his dream of playing for Notre Dame.
- DirectorRoy Del RuthStarsWilliam BendixClaire TrevorCharles BickfordWilliam Bendix suits up in Yankee flannels as the renowned pitcher-turned-outfielder Babe Ruth in a sports biopic that mixes facts with fiction.
- DirectorLee H. KatzinJohn SturgesStarsSteve McQueenSiegfried RauchElga AndersenTwo car racing champions, an American and a German, face off on the world's hardest endurance course: Le Mans in France.
- DirectorSteve JamesStarsJared LetoR. Lee ErmeyEd O'NeillBased on the life of Olympic hopeful Steve Prefontaine, a long distance runner who lived in Oregon and died young.
- DirectorSam RaimiStarsKevin CostnerKelly PrestonJohn C. ReillyAfter 19 years of playing the game he's loved his whole life, Detroit Tigers pitcher Billy Chapel has to decide if he's going to risk everything and put everything out there.
- DirectorHenry HathawayStarsKirk DouglasBella DarviGilbert RolandFollows the professional and personal life of race car driver Gino Borgesa (Douglas), as he struggles on the track and in his love life.
- DirectorDavid Mickey EvansStarsTom GuiryMike VitarArt LaFleurIn the summer of 1962, a new kid in town is taken under the wing of a young baseball prodigy and his rowdy team, resulting in many adventures.
- DirectorMichael HoffmanStarsMichael KeatonRobert Downey Jr.Griffin DunneCombining real and fictional events, this movie centers around the historic 1986 World Series, and a day in the life of a playwright who skips opening night to watch the momentous game.
- DirectorRobert TowneStarsMariel HemingwayScott GlennPatrice DonnellyThe intertwined lives and loves of three highly ranked athletes striving for the national team; Chris bounces between the beds of male coach Terry and her female friend, competitor, and role model Tory.
- DirectorVictor SalvaStarsScott MechlowiczNick NolteAmy SmartDan, a college student and a world-champion gymnast, is disturbed and wants to add some meaning to his life. A chance encounter leads him to discover an enlightened way ahead.
- DirectorLewis SeilerStarsDoris DayRonald ReaganFrank LovejoyNebraska farmboy Grover Cleveland Alexander achieves baseball stardom before war injuries and alcoholism derail his career, but through his wife's faithful efforts he gets a chance for a comeback and redemption.
- DirectorFred SchepisiStarsTom SelleckKen TakakuraAya TakanashiJack Elliot, once a great baseball player, is forced to play in Japan where his brash, egotistical ways cause friction with his new teammates and friends.
- DirectorHoward DeutchStarsKeanu ReevesGene HackmanBrooke LangtonDuring a pro football strike, the owners hire substitute players.
- DirectorJon TurteltaubStarsJohn CandyLeonDoug E. DougWhen a Jamaican sprinter is disqualified from the Olympic Games, he enlists the help of a dishonored coach to start the first Jamaican Bobsled Team.
- DirectorWilliam DearStarsDanny GloverBrenda FrickerTony DanzaWhen a boy prays for a chance to have a family if the California Angels win the pennant, angels are assigned to make that possible.
- DirectorMichael WinnerStarsMichael CrawfordStanley BakerRyan O'NealFour marathon runners (one from England, one from the U.S., a Czechoslovakian, and an Australian Aborigine) prepare to run in the Olympic games. The film follows each one and shows what their motivations are for running in the games.
- DirectorStephen HerekStarsEmilio EstevezJoss AcklandLane SmithA self-centered Minnesota lawyer is sentenced to community service coaching a rag tag youth hockey team.
- DirectorMichael ChapmanStarsTom CruiseLea ThompsonCraig T. NelsonAn ambitious young football star is trapped in a dying mill town--unless his gridiron skills can win him a way out.
- DirectorJoe PytkaStarsMichael JordanWayne KnightTheresa RandleIn a desperate attempt to win a basketball match and earn their freedom, the Looney Tunes seek the aid of retired basketball champion, Michael Jordan.
- DirectorAndrew ScheinmanStarsLuke EdwardsTimothy BusfieldJohn AshtonA young boy is bequeathed the ownership of a professional baseball team.
- DirectorDaniel SternStarsThomas Ian NicholasGary BuseyAlbert HallWhen an accident miraculously gives a boy an incredibly powerful pitching arm, he becomes a major league pitcher for the Chicago Cubs.
- DirectorNorman JewisonStarsJames CaanJohn HousemanMaud AdamsIn a corporate-controlled future, an ultra-violent sport known as Rollerball represents the world, and one of its powerful athletes is out to defy those who want him out of the game.