Fans are competing to see which sports movie is the best of them all.
Historic12 kicked off this debate in r/movies by asking, “What do you have as the Greatest Sports Movie ever?” After acknowledging that there are a lot to choose from and that “they walk a similar line to superhero movies,” the Redditor cited Field of Dreams, the Kevin Costner-led fantasy flick about a man who builds a field on which ghosts play baseball. It may sound ridiculous, but it has an 88-percent approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes and was nominated for three Academy Awards.
Although several other Redditors chose Field of Dreams, it’s far from the top movie in the thread. That distinction goes to Rocky, although the 2011 hockey movie Goon is just one point behind.
Despite being the least popular of the Big Four North American professional sports, hockey is overrepresented among the best sports movies. In addition to Goon, which is currently in second place, Slap Shot and Miracle are high on the list.
As for other sports, football’s highest-upvoted representative is Remember the Titans and basketball’s highest-upvoted representative is White Men Can’t Jump. Baseball looks to have the most representatives, as, besides Field of Dreams, it comprises Moneyball, Bull Durham, The Natural, The Sandlot, A League of Their Own, Major League, BASEketball (sort of), and even “the softball episode of The Simpsons” (if that counts).
If you don’t see your favorite sport — or sports movie — represented, don’t worry, as there are many more selections in the thread!
