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Chinstraps and mouthpieces: America’s top 10 sports movies ever, according to columnist

By Shawn Linenberger - | Jan 15, 2003

After the much ballyhooed Fiesta Bowl and two classic NFL wild card games in the last two weeks, film directors could probably find some inspiration for future scripts.
That’s been the case in the past as some of those actual events have made their way to the big screen. Other sports movies haven’t been based on actual events, but both can be found in my list for top 10 sports movies of all time.
Last week’s column included the honorable mention movies, while this week features the best sports flicks.
Let the drum roll begin now:

10.) A League of their Own (1992)
Directed by Penny Marshall
Running time: 128 minutes

Women don’t light up the big screen as athletes very often, but this movie certainly makes up some ground. Set during World War II, the movie follows a team in a women’s professional baseball league created because of Major League Baseball’s absence during the war. With a very strong cast (Tom Hanks, Madonna, Geena Davis, Garry Marshall, Rosie O’Donnell, Bill Pullman and Jon Lovitz), this movie hits the mark.

9.) Bull Durham (1988)
Directed by Ron Shelton
Running time: 108 min.

The minors score a major win with this movie. Kevin Costner as the catcher and Tim Robbins as the loose cannon pitching prospect for the minor league Durham Bulls. Susan Sarandon playing the team groupie helps make Bull Durham a sports movie that’s on many top sports lists.

8.) Varsity Blues (1999)
Directed by Brian Robbins
Running time: 106 min.

There’s nothing quite like high school football in Texas. Same goes for this movie, which has a slightly far-fetched finish, but it still possesses a great story line. Paul Walker, James Van Der Beek and Jon Voight star in the high school classic.

7.) Eight Men Out (1988)
Directed by John Sayles
Running time: 119 min.

This story about the 1919 Chicago White Sox scandal has a hefty cast, most notably John Cusack, Charlie Sheen and D.B. Sweeney as Shoeless Joe Jackson. The dramatization shows the World Series team, which threw the series for money after owner Charles Comiskey continued to pay the players much less than other teams.
Eight Men Out recreates the time well. An avid Cubs fan, I don’t mind watching a movie about the misfortunes of the White Sox. For either reason, the movie is one of the better baseball movies ever made.

6.) Rudy (1993)
Directed by David Anspaugh
Running time: 116 min.

Sean Astin stars as Rudy in a football movie based on the true story of Rudy Ruettiger, a college student who walked on at Notre Dame. Underdogs are always embraced by moviegoers, and Rudy falls into that category. Sean Astin provides a motivational touch to the movie. Ned Beatty also stars.

5.) Field of Dreams (1989)
Directed by Phil Alden Robinson
Running time: 107 min.

A different look at the 1919 Chicago Black Sox comes to life in Field of Dreams. The team that threw the World Series to the Cincinnati Reds gets another chance at baseball 70 years later when Ray Kinsella (Kevin Costner) hears voices instructing him to establish a baseball diamond in his Iowa corn field. The words “If you build it, they will come” have become a part of pop culture.
James Earl Jones and Ray Liotta also star in the popular baseball movie.

4.) The Rookie (2002)
Directed by John Lee Hancock
Running time: 127 min.

Dennis Quaid is Jimmy Morris in another movie based on a true story. Morris is a top prospect for the majors in his younger years, but an injury takes him out of the equation for professional baseball — at least for a while. While coaching a high school team in west Texas, Morris tells his team he’ll try out for the majors again if his struggling team makes the playoffs. They do, so he tries out. An inspirational movie from Walt Disney Pictures.

3.) The Natural (1984)
Directed by Barry Levinson
Running time: 137 min.

In his mid-30s, Roy Hobbs (Robert Redford) makes a magical comeback in baseball with the help of a bat made from a lightning-struck tree. Another sports fantasy, the impressive cast also includes Glenn Close, Robert Duvall, Kim Basinger, Barbara Hershey and Wilford Brimley.

2.) Remember the Titans (2000)
Directed by Boaz Yakin
Running time: 113 min.

Based on actual events, the movie documents desegregation in Virginia and on a tradition-rich high school football team. A football movie can’t get much better than this one. Denzel Washington and Will Patton star.

1.) Hoosiers (1986)
Directed by David Anspaugh
Running time: 115 min.

Before releasing Rudy, Anspaugh directed the greatest sports movie ever. Gene Hackman, Dennis Hopper and Barbara Hershey star in the film based on the true story of a small Indiana high school that made the 1954 one-class state finals.