Each and every weekend throughout the year there are many sporting events broadcast around the work on television. The football season runs from August every year until the middle of May – then there are summer sports like cricket and baseball. The NFL enjoys a thrilling season from September through to February every year, and then, of course, there is the Formula 1 season, which runs through 21 race weekends from March until September.
It comes as no surprise that most of these have found their way into the movies over the years – especially currently where esports betting with Paypal has really come alive online making the whole experience more interactive and exciting. Here, we take a look at five of the best sports-themed movies spanning multiple categories.
The Longest Yard
Let’s kick things off with a movie that was so good that it has been remade TWICE! The Longest Yard was originally a 1974 vehicle for the late Hollywood legend Burt Reynolds. In the film, Reynolds plays an ex-American Football pro named Paul “Wrecking” Crewe who is sent to prison after stealing a car from his rich ex-girlfriend. There, he organises a football game between the convicts and the prison guards, one in which he is asked to fix by the ruthless warden. Crewe refuses and, along with his fellow inmates, uses the game to settle some debts with the field of guards. The film was remade in 2005 with Adam Sandler in the Reynolds role, and also in the 2001 UK version Mean Machine, the American Football them swapped for soccer.
Driven
If fast cars are your thing then you may want to look up this little-known Sylvester Stallone movie from 2001. Renny Harlin (Cliffhanger) directs this motor-racing themed flick about a rookie driver (Kip Pardue) who is taken under the wing of Stallone’s winged veteran Joe Tanto in order to make it to the top of the championship during a testing season. The film received middling reviews upon its release but is definitely worth a watching if you’re a fan of Stallone and very fast cars.
Any Given Sunday
It’s back to 1999 for this superb American Football movie featuring a superb cast. Al Pacino leads proceedings along with the likes of Jamie Foxx, Dennis Quaid, LL Cool J, Cameron Diaz, James Woods and many more. Oliver Stone directs the film which examines the inner workings, constant struggles, and relationships of a football team battling a series of losses. The film has perhaps become more known for its ‘inch by inch’ speech by Pacino, a motivational piece used countless times since. Any Given Sunday is perhaps the greatest film about football ever committed to film.
A League Of Their Own
Yo baseball now and to a period piece based on a true story. Penny Marshall directs Tom Hanks, Geena Davis and Madonna in this 1992 comedy-drama about the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. The film follows two sisters (played by Davis and Lori Petty) who become part of the first all-female baseball team, who must overcome their own sibling rivalry to ensure success on the field. Wonderfully directed, and acted – particularly by Davis and Hanks, A League Of Their Own is a timeless examination of the sport of baseball and on-pitch gender equality. A modern classic.
White Men Can’t Jump
Basketball is the order of service in this 1990s comedy-drama starring Wesley Snipes and Woody Harrelson as two street players who must work together to double-down on their hustling in order to come top in a thrilling tournament. White Men Can’t Jump has remained a firm favourite since its original 1992, not only for the two performances at the heart of the story but also from Rosie Perez who delights in her role as Harrelson’s character’s pushy partner. Definitely worth seeking out.
