An Exultation of Sports: Nine Iconic Films

There are lots and lots (and lots!) of movies about sports. But every once in a while, a movie comes along that glorifies the sport in such an essential, thrilling way, it almost becomes an icon of that game. These are the films that do that for me, in alpha order by sport.

BASEBALL: The Natural, 1984:

I had many other choices in this category—1989's Field of Dreams is the obvious alternate here. But the sheer heroics of The Natural's protagonist, Roy Hobbs (Robert Redford in one of his best roles), and the sharp delineation of good and bad, right and wrong, and real players versus wannabes, lift this film to my list of icons. If you don't thrill to the crash of Hobb's home-run ball into the backboard, if the lightning-flash doesn't make the hair on the back of your neck stand on end, then probably nothing from a real diamond will, either.

Okay, Rocky is iconic already, for so many things. Who can hear that theme music and not see Sylvester Stallone as Rocky Balboa? But what makes this movie my icon for boxing is the way the very brutality of the sport becomes part of the growth process for Rocky. It isn't Apollo Creed (Carl Weathers) who Rocky must defeat, but himself. See if the hair doesn't rise on your neck when Rocky says, "I was thinkin', it really don't matter if I lose this fight. It really don't matter if this guy opens my head, either. 'Cause all I wanna do is go the distance."

In the '80s, the bicycle race for American cyclists was not the Tour de France, but the Coors Classic, thinly-disguised in this movie as the Hell of the West. My first glimpse of the tactics and strategy involved in stage racing came from this movie, which captures the competition quite well. The story is almost a sideline, but Kevin Costner's Marcus talks his brother David (played by David Marshall Grant) into coming along for the Hell of the West race. When Marcus collapses from a growing brain tumor, it's left to David to hold up the side against "Cannibal" Muzzin (Luca Bercovici). And while it's not a hair-raising scene, the training session with "Eddie" is my favorite. (Eddie is a large dog who provides motivation for David to ride faster.) Cycle-champ Eddy Merckx appears as himself—now that's hair-raising!

This classic film starring Katherine Hepburn and Spencer Tracy made waves in the early '50s for its portrayal of a woman athlete whose competitive edge was ruined whenever her patronizing fiancé showed up. It makes my shelf as the essential golf-flick (just barely passing 2000's The Legend of Bagger Vance, by the way) because the golf-play is realistic. Hepburn's character makes a coolly rational decision to play golf because she accepts her trainer (Tracy)'s assessment that more money is to be made there. Like Bagger Vance, though, this movie really is about the soul-searching and continuous recommitment that is required for a champion in any game.

This movie was billed as a black comedy, but for glorification of a sport, it tops my list. For the residents of Mystery, Alaska, ice hockey isn't so much a game as a way of life. When a pro team (The New York Rangers) comes to play, the entire town gets involved. Russell Crowe's Sheriff John Biebe sometimes takes a backseat to the antics of "Skank" Marden (Ron Eldard): "I play hockey and I fornicate, 'cause those are the two most fun things to do in cold weather." But the ice hockey—the game itself—is the central character in this movie, and it's real enough that the Rangers win. The most thrilling moments come in the face-offs between Mystery players and Rangers.

Article Author: DrPat

DrPat is the blog signature used by an old coot who hoards books, dances Argentine Tango, cooks a mean venison chili, and is happy to be along for the sag while my spouse does a marathon bicycle ride. …

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