Which Sport has the Best Movies?

[Gulftastic]

When I worked on the sports desk of one of my old papers, this topic of great (and shit) sports films would come up every few months.

The desk was always divided between the lucky few who had seen The Club, and those that hadn't (yet), and had never heard of it. Funnily enough, they would be among its most vociferous champions the next time the conversation came around.

It's a fantastic bit of Australiana - and its kind of amazing to think that the relatively niche sport of Aussie Rules (which, at the time, wasn't even played outside Victoria) can get such a quality piece of work dedicated to it, while the people's game is STILL waiting for a decent vehicle.[nb]Hey, I'll always love Escape to Victory, but really ... [/nb]

It's a film that seemed to be on telly fairly often when I was a a kid. Also, I've got a mate who's made for the sport, and he never shuts the fuck up about the film. Not that we mind.

[thecuriousorange]

The British sport of Hooliganism has The Football Factory, Green Street etc. 

[Van Dammage]

[biggytitbo]

The other really great snooker movie is of course The Thinnest Cut, the Hollywood retelling of the 1985 Taylor-Davis black ball world snooker final. Harvey Keitel as Dennis Taylor, Christian Bale as Steve Davis and perhaps the only bit about the film that didn't work, Arnold Schwarzenegger fatally miscast as Len Gangley.

[maett]

I saw this snooker farrago when it came out on video (1985), it was really awful then, it must have stewed nicely in the intervening years.

[Shoulders?-Stomach!]

Boring answer is, it's Boxing. As acknowledged already.

Films about team sports seem to only ever have one plot arc.

[marquis_de_sad]

There are probably more films about ping pong than you might expect:











But this is the best one:

[thecuriousorange]

I don't know where else to post this, so I'll just stick it here. The oficial Rotten Tomatoes synopsis of Rocky V is completely wrong and clearly written by someone who hasn't seen the film at all. They got this summary via a game of Chinese whispers, I assume.

Back from the USSR fight (Rocky 4) the battled boxer suffers from too many blows to the head and is no longer a ring contender. He is willing, however, to pass along his formulae for fisticuff success to a young protege (Sage Stallone, Sly's true-live son) who learns the ropes from the best. Along comes a conniving trainer who wants to take the young fighter away from his mentor. This film features a big-time street brawl between the old Rocky and his newly trained protege, Rocky Jr. 

http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/rocky_v

[Nobody Soup]

Basketball has 'White Men Are Shite' and that Roger Rabbit film with Michael Jordan.

basketball has hoop dreams which is probably among the best documentaries ever. sporting or otherwise though.

though bringing in documentaries surfing has a pretty good set.





and of course point break (image wouldn't work, can't be arsed finding another)

and could sneakily put dogtown and the z-boys sorta, even though it's a skateboarding films they have their origins in surfing.

[biggytitbo]

I saw this snooker farrago when it came out on video (1985), it was really awful then, it must have stewed nicely in the intervening years.

Phil Daniels, the king of mid 80s snooker films.