The top 20 sports films of all-time have been ranked, this could be very controversial

Film and sports go hand in hand and some of the greatest moments on the silver screen have the latter as their subject.

People will always have their favourites when it comes to what they want to watch either in cinemas or at home.

And with any film genre, there is always fierce debate as to which is the best and where they rank.

Any list which is compiled is surely going to be subject of rigorous debate, and no doubt the following one will be no different.

Back in 2020, The Athletic published their take on the 100 greatest sports films of all time with input from several contributors.

So without further ado, we look at the top 20 selections in that list - do you agree with it?

Top 10

1. Rocky (1976) - Sylvester Stallone stars as the title character in this boxing classic which has gone on to spawn multiple sequels and spin-offs, with an iconic soundtrack to match it.
2. Raging Bull (1980) - Robert De Niro portrays Jake LaMotta in a biographical account of the legendary middleweight boxer. The Martin Scorsese directed film was nominated for eight Oscars, with De Niro eventually winning the Best Actor accolade for his performance.
3. Hoop Dreams (1994) - The documentary follows two African-American high school students from Chicago, Arthur Agee and William Gates, as the duo follow their dreams of becoming professional basketball players.
4. Bull Durham (1988) - This romantic comedy sees Kevin Costner as a veteran baseball catcher brought in to teach a rookie pitcher as they bid to reach the major leagues, with Susan Sarandon's character the romantic interest in the film.
   

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5. Miracle (2004) - From the mid-noughties, this account is about the United States men's ice hockey team which won the gold medal in the 1980 Winter Olympics, with the film taking its name due to the Americans beating the heavily fancied team from the Soviet Union in the final.
6. The Big Lebowski (1998) - Jeff Bridges plays a man who is assaulted by mistake instead of a millionaire with the same name, with bowling being the sport featured in this film. The millionaire recruits Bridges' character to deliver a ransom for his wife who has been kidnapped, but the plan goes awry.
7. Breaking Away (1979) - The comedy follows four male teenagers who are recent high school graduates. Cycling is the sport that is the main focus of this effort from the late seventies.
8. OJ: Made in America (2016) - This documentary explores the life of former NFL star OJ Simpson, his celebrity popularity, the acquittal of the murders of two women, and his conviction and imprisonment for a robbery in Las Vegas more than a decade later.
   

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9. When We Were Kings (1996) - Another documentary features on the list and covers the 1974 Rumble in the Jungle which saw the titanic clash between heavyweights George Foreman and Muhammad Ali in Zaire, now the DR Congo.
10. Major League (1989) - The sports comedy from the late eighties tells the story of just one season of a fictional baseball team called the Cleveland Indians.

Top 20

1. Rocky (1976)
2. Raging Bull (1980)
3. Hoop Dreams (1994)
4. Bull Durham (1988)
5. Miracle (2004)
6. The Big Lebowski (1998)
7. Breaking Away (1979)
8. OJ: Made in America (2016)
9. When We Were Kings (1996)
10. Major League (1989)
11. The Sandlot (1993)
12. Free Solo (2018)
13. Caddyshack (1980)
14. The Hustler (1961)
15. Hoosiers (1986)
16. Slap Shot (1977)
17. Senna (2010)
18. Icarus (2017)
19. The Bad News Bears (1976)
20. A League of Their Own (1992)

Topics: Boxing, NFL, Baseball, Cycling, Ice Hockey, Basketball

John McDougall