What, No "North Dallas Forty"?
Posted March 29th, 2007 by Rich Heldenfels
A few complaints about a list of the 25 greatest sports movies, after the jump …
In case you didn't bother with the link (and there's some screwiness in the numbers anyway), the list in descending order goes like this: Rocky, Raging Bull, Bull Durham, Hoosiers, The Natural, Caddyshack, Field of Dreams, Hoop Dreams, Remember the Titans, The Hustler, Slap Shot, White Men Can't Jump, Pride of the Yankees, Rudy, Jerry Maguire, Brian's Song, When We Were Kings, The Set-Up, Breaking Away, The Bad News Bears, Chariots of Fire, Bang the Drum Slowly, Miracle, A League of Their Own, Friday Night Lights.
As you can tell from the header on this post, I have a few issues with that list. Unfortunate omissions include not only "North Dallas Forty," which deserves consideration as the best football movie ever made, but the original "Longest Yard," "The Bingo Long Traveling All-Stars and Motor Kings," "Million Dollar Baby," "The Color of Money," "The Harder They Fall," "Champion" and — even though it's a fictional sport — "Rollerball."
March 29th, 2007 at 8:00 pm
Don't get me wrong, Rocky and Raging Bull were great movies, but the baseball movies are the best to me. Bull Durham or The Natural have to be the best sports movies ever made, IMO. Million Dollar Baby deserved a spot as well. Also, as an Indians fan, Major League has a place on my list as well. Other omissions that at least merited discussion: 61*, Eight Men Out, and Seabiscuit (if horse racing counts).
March 29th, 2007 at 8:03 pm
Good list. I had forgotten about "Eight Men Out" and "61*" even though I own the latter. I always pause when "Major League" is on cable (and there's a new DVD edition out soon).
March 30th, 2007 at 10:12 am
I would add Slapshot.
March 30th, 2007 at 10:12 am
Woops. It's already in there.
April 2nd, 2007 at 2:15 pm
What, no "Dodgeball"?
April 2nd, 2007 at 4:06 pm
Funny movie. And I was thinking of it recently when watching "Blades of Glory." But not quite among the all-time greats.