Best sports movie of all time

[celedhring]

To celebrate the Olympics, another movie poll!

What counts as a "sport" can be very muddy, so my informal rule is that if it has been featured at the Olympics (Winter or Summer) semi-regularly, then it gets in. So no billiards, pro wrestling, or motorsports.

My personal winnner is Raging Bull, which is one of my favorie movies of all time. But if I had to go for a "traditional" sports movie ("underdog beats all odds and becomes champ*"), I guess it's gotta be Rocky.

*or nearly

Obviously the field is huge, so I'm giving everybody 3 votes.

Nearly half the candidates are either boxing or baseball movies, but those are the most cinematic sports of all. Futbol movies suck for some reason

[Norgy]

Torn between "Raging Bull" and "Chariots of fire", really.

[Admiral Yi]

Hoosiers, Raging Bull, Mr. Baseball edging out Bull Durham.

[Syt]

No Happy Gilmore?

[crazy canuck]

BB is away so I will mention Men With Brooms for him.

[Norgy]

I think "The Damned United" was one of the best sports movies I have seen. Michael Sheen's version of Brian Clough was eerily like watching the man himself. But it is a rather niche film, since you'd really had to have a relationship to 1970s English football. 

[Maladict]

No Cool Runnings 

[Maladict]

I think "The Damned United" was one of the best sports movies I have seen. Michael Sheen's version of Brian Clough was eerily like watching the man himself. But it is a rather niche film, since you'd really had to have a relationship to 1970s English football. 

I thought it was a great film, and I was unfamiliar with any of the characters.

[Duque de Bragança]

Victory! is Escape to Victory, of course. 

[Norgy]

Victory! is Escape to Victory, of course. 

The one with Pelé AND Sylvester Stallone? Let's just say, it has not aged well.

[Duque de Bragança]

I disagree. It's not that it did not age well, it was already... problematic unless seen through the eyes of a football-loving child. It may be still used in debates when somebody claims not singing the anthem is not "respecting" it, there are other ways to do so... 

Last screening at the Cinémathèque mixed up the reels so we had a post-modern editing experience.

[celedhring]

Victory! is Escape to Victory, of course. 

The one with Pelé AND Sylvester Stallone? Let's just say, it has not aged well.

It's not a terribly good movie, to be honest. I put it there because of the amazing cast and that I'm partial to the sport. This one and Bend it Like Beckham are about the only notable football movies I could come up with Damned United would've been a decent pick, but I blanked on that one.

That said, there just aren't supergreat football movies. I guess it's a hard sport to put into film. Few scoring actions, lots of players to keep track of... Best way to approach it is probably with the off-the-pitch drama, like Damned United or Ted Lasso.

[Grey Fox]

We are Marshall.

[Sophie Scholl]

Field of Dreams, A League of Their Own, and, my favorite and not listed, The Legend of Bagger Vance. Each is important to me in different ways. Field of Dreams for my relationship with my dad and A League of Their Own for my relationship with my sister. Bagger is just... amazing. I've found myself scrolling through and finding it is on and, almost without fail, I'll watch the rest of it.

[Norgy]

With all the George Best clips, I think T2: Trainspotting might even qualify as a sports movie.