Sports Movies That Inspire Excellence

by Devin Caldwell

Throughout modern history, some of the most inspirational movies that have been made are those centered around sports. The stories are intriguing and often focus on the human ability to overachieve, overcome or make a comeback. Some are based on real-life accounts and others are fictional. These films spark many conversations about which ones are the best. Think about a few of these in different sports and the lessons they teach us.

Baseball

These movies make you and your friends want to grab your baseball gloves and hit the ballfield right away. The Rookie is about a 35-year-old science teacher in the football state of Texas who is inspired by the players on his high school baseball team to take another shot at his dream to be a major league pitcher. This true story, which ends with Jim Morris achieving his dream, is a lesson that age is a barrier that can be overcome.

Field of Dreams, on the other hand, is a fictional movie that is no less riveting. This story is about a rural Iowa farmer who builds a baseball field in his cornfield. The field provides an opportunity for past legends to redeem themselves and come back for one more chance. The message here is that everyone deserves a second chance.

Football

Many of the successful football movies are underdog stories in some way. Rudy, for example, was not just about a scrawny high school football player who proved everyone wrong by walking on to the University of Notre Dame football team at a time when it was the dominant college football program in the country. It was about this young man who was the first in his family to go to college, inspiring his younger siblings to also get a higher education. In turn, many filmgoers no doubt were moved to do things that they thought they could not achieve.

Remember the Titans is another movie based on a true story that proves that with effort differences, even those revolving around race, can be put aside. Herman Boone, the Black football coach of the T.C. Williams High Titans, in Alexandria, VA, helps his team of white and Black teenagers to overcome racial tensions following a school integration.

Basketball

Hoosiers is a modern-day David and Goliath story that portrays a small Indiana high school basketball team that won the Indiana state championship in the 1950s. Although fictional, it is based on a real-life school that conquered the giant Indiana basketball programs in this basketball-crazed state.

In another film based on a true story that saw a racial barrier broken, Glory Road tells the account of the Texas Western College basketball team, which won the 1966 NCAA championship with the first-ever all-black starting lineup. More than just a story about a basketball team, this picture delves into the racial discrimination that was rampant at that time.

Hockey

The first hockey movie that comes to the minds of many people is Miracle. The 1980 United States hockey team is the focal point of this film. It stunned the world and the Soviet Union team in the Olympics on its way to the Gold Medal. Again, this is much more than a sports story. It's about overcoming seemingly impossible odds to achieve a goal. It also stirred the emotions of a nation coming out of a decade of struggles.

Although fictional, The Mighty Ducks is another underdog story. It features a youth hockey team led by an attorney who is forced to coach the team as his community service for a drunk driving conviction. Accustomed to losing, the "Ducks" learn what it feels like to be winners.

There are many other films with sports themes that move viewers to believe in themselves. Among these are The Karate Kid, Chariots of Fire, Rocky, Cool Runnings and A League of Their Own, just to name a few. Whether they are based on real-life events or are fictional, they are entertaining and inspirational at the same time. These movies stand the test of time and facilitate memories for many who have watched them over the years.