I think sports movies are some of the best movies. Whether it’s a great true story or a hilarious comedy, they’ve carved out their own space in cinema. But what is each sports best movie? That’s a difficult question to answer, but one that I will tackle for you. Some sports are easier than others to find the best. There just aren’t a lot of bowling movies. And sports like baseball have a pretty deep catalogue. There are plenty of great comedies around the sports and also some serious movies that pull at your heartstrings. This is each sports best movie according to me along with IMDB. And not the critic score. We’re the audience, so the Audience Score will be factored into the final ranking. Here are some of the more difficult decisions when looking at each sports best movie.

I already mentioned baseball having a ton of movies. Major League, Bull Durham, A League of Their Own, The Natural, Moneyball… the list goes on and on. Golf is a sneaky competitive sport in cinema as well. Happy Gilmore, Tin Cup, The Greatest Game Ever Played are all fantastic movies. It really comes down to what type of movie you prefer or are in the mood for. There are a ton of different sports, so I’m going to keep Olympic sports together but separate them into Summer and Winter sports. I am also going to exclude documentaries. There are some fantastic sports documentaries and mini-series out there, but we’re just looking at the best movie for each sport.

• Baseball: Moneyball

  I’ve already said this is the deepest sport. But I think Moneyball has the best parts of all baseball movies. It’s got some humor, a great story line, and it’s based on a true story. This is a great movie that happens to be about baseball.

• Basketball: Hoosiers

  This was a close one, but Hoosiers is a lot like Moneyball in the sense that it is a great movie that happens to be about basketball. White Men Can’t Jump (the original) and Coach Carter were in contention for the best basketball movie.

• Football: Friday Night Lights

  A good football movie is difficult to execute. And I think only a handful have done a good job of capturing what it is to be on a football team. Friday Night Lights just edges out Remember the Titans and Rudy. But those three stand above all others.

• Hockey: Miracle

  For my money this is one of the best sports movies of all time. However hockey has some really good movies beyond Miracle. Mystery Alaska, The Mighty Ducks, Slapshot, and Good are all excellent. I think Miracle stands above the others though.

• Boxing: Rocky

  For a niche sport like boxing, there are a ton of great movies around the sport. And they all started with Rocky which launched one of the most successful movie franchise of all-time. Other great boxing movies include Million Dollar Baby, the Creed movies, and Ali. Whether the original Rocky is your favorite or one of the sequels, it all started with the original in 1976.

• Golf: Caddyshack

  There were three movies that stood above all others in golf; Caddyshack, Tin Cup, and The Greatest Game Ever Played. But Caddyshack has its place as one of the best comedies ever made, regardless of the topic. It’s also got a phenomenal cast.

• Auto Racing: Ford vs Ferrari

  Some lists might include street racing movies. I am not. This is pure auto racing movies. And Ford vs Ferrari combines the action from the best racing movies with a spectacular storyline. The movie stands on its own as the best auto racing movie ever made.

• Winter Olympics: Blades of Glory

  Could I have put Miracle on the list twice? sure. But why not put one of my favorite comedies of all time on the list. It’s a stupid Will Farrell comedy, but I grew up on Will Ferrell humor and find it hilarious. Go watch Eddie the Eagle if you want a movie with a little more depth to it.

• Olympics: Race

  There are not a lot of movies around the Summer Olympics. But the story of Jesse Owens collecting gold like a 49er at the 1936 games in Nazi controlled Germany is one of the best sports stories ever. It deserves its due as one of the best sports movies.

• Tennis: King Richard

  I have not seen this movie, but I have heard great things. There aren’t a ton of tennis movies, but one that needs mentioning is 7 Days in Hell which is a mockumentary about tennis. Check out the trailer here.

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