Top 10 Movie Sports Showdowns
- 9 years ago
The team coming together. The underdog emerging victorious. The realization of so much unrealized desire. There’s a reason sports movies are so popular - what could be a more dramatic climax than an epic showdown on the field or court? These are 10 of our favorites.
What did you think of the list? Do you agree that these are the best sports showdowns in movie history? Or do you have a match, game, or face-off that you like better? What’s your favorite sports movie? What spots sequence do you think elevates an otherwise lackluster film? What other topics would you like to see us count down in future Movie Lists?
Let us know in the comments!
THE LIST
Escape to Victory (1981)
The proxy war between Allied POWs and a German professional team in the midst of WWII is a classic trope, elevated by the presence of Michael Caine, Sly Stallone, and Pele. Pele!
Chasing Mavericks (2012)
Okay, the movie's overall plot is played out, but the final sequence where 14-year-old Joey Moriarty takes on the huge waves at Mavericks leaves nothing on the table.
The Social Network (2010)
Okay, so The Social Network is by no means a sports movie, but the Harvard Team’s narrow defeat at the Royal Regatta makes you forget that for a brief moment, and there could be no better illustration for the Winklevoss twins’ motivation for the rest of the film.
White Men Can’t Jump (1992)
Sports scenes don’t have to be epic or dramatic. In fact, sports showdowns are at least as real when they’re laced with comedy. And we’ve got to give it to Wesley Snipes and Woody Harrelson for the trash-talking schooling they show off in the movie’s tournament scene.
He Got Game (1998)
The brilliance of these scene is in its lack of scale, honesty (the outcome was not the one in the script), and use of sports for proxy in personal conflict… perfect.
Chariots of Fire (1981)
Ten seconds of sprinting stretched through editing and slow motion into a 2-minute sequence is possibly the best filmic representation of the beauty of simple running. Ever.
The Natural (1984)
Baseball is filled with legends, and legendary moments, but the completely fictional home run at the climax of the Natural deserves as much a place in the pantheon of great baseball moments.
Miracle (2004)
The Miracle on Ice - USA Hockey’s improbable defeat of the Soviet Olympic Team in 1984 - was a solid underdog story going in. But the news-coverage-like cinematography, and the anchoring of the story in the story of coach Herb Brooks really makes the moment shine when it comes.
Friday Night Lights (2004)
Okay, we’re overall bigger fans of the TV show this movie spawned, but the Permian Panthers’ end-of-season moment at the Texas State Football Championship captures some of the sports moments we don’t see in sports movies nearly as often.
Rocky (1976)
The fight between Rocky Balboa and Apollo Creed is possibly the most iconic showdown in all of sports movies. The culmination of training montages, the broken nose, the final decision, “Adrien!” there’s a reason Rocky piled up the Oscar Nominations (and 3 wins), and this final showdown was one of them.
What did you think of the list? Do you agree that these are the best sports showdowns in movie history? Or do you have a match, game, or face-off that you like better? What’s your favorite sports movie? What spots sequence do you think elevates an otherwise lackluster film? What other topics would you like to see us count down in future Movie Lists?
Let us know in the comments!
THE LIST
Escape to Victory (1981)
The proxy war between Allied POWs and a German professional team in the midst of WWII is a classic trope, elevated by the presence of Michael Caine, Sly Stallone, and Pele. Pele!
Chasing Mavericks (2012)
Okay, the movie's overall plot is played out, but the final sequence where 14-year-old Joey Moriarty takes on the huge waves at Mavericks leaves nothing on the table.
The Social Network (2010)
Okay, so The Social Network is by no means a sports movie, but the Harvard Team’s narrow defeat at the Royal Regatta makes you forget that for a brief moment, and there could be no better illustration for the Winklevoss twins’ motivation for the rest of the film.
White Men Can’t Jump (1992)
Sports scenes don’t have to be epic or dramatic. In fact, sports showdowns are at least as real when they’re laced with comedy. And we’ve got to give it to Wesley Snipes and Woody Harrelson for the trash-talking schooling they show off in the movie’s tournament scene.
He Got Game (1998)
The brilliance of these scene is in its lack of scale, honesty (the outcome was not the one in the script), and use of sports for proxy in personal conflict… perfect.
Chariots of Fire (1981)
Ten seconds of sprinting stretched through editing and slow motion into a 2-minute sequence is possibly the best filmic representation of the beauty of simple running. Ever.
The Natural (1984)
Baseball is filled with legends, and legendary moments, but the completely fictional home run at the climax of the Natural deserves as much a place in the pantheon of great baseball moments.
Miracle (2004)
The Miracle on Ice - USA Hockey’s improbable defeat of the Soviet Olympic Team in 1984 - was a solid underdog story going in. But the news-coverage-like cinematography, and the anchoring of the story in the story of coach Herb Brooks really makes the moment shine when it comes.
Friday Night Lights (2004)
Okay, we’re overall bigger fans of the TV show this movie spawned, but the Permian Panthers’ end-of-season moment at the Texas State Football Championship captures some of the sports moments we don’t see in sports movies nearly as often.
Rocky (1976)
The fight between Rocky Balboa and Apollo Creed is possibly the most iconic showdown in all of sports movies. The culmination of training montages, the broken nose, the final decision, “Adrien!” there’s a reason Rocky piled up the Oscar Nominations (and 3 wins), and this final showdown was one of them.