The Five Best Inspirational Sports Movies

As you peruse our list, note that these are our picks for the five best inspirational sports movies. There are many other fine movies about sports (A League of Their Own), sports figures (Brian's Song, The Pride of the Yankees), and sports-related stories (Field of Dreams). The aim of the movies below are to leave you in a feel-good, uplifting mood!

Sylvester Stallone.

1. Rocky (1976) - Sylvester Stallone's quintessential underdog tale has a simple plot: a journeyman boxer gets a shot at the world heavyweight title as part of a publicity stunt. The film's "secret sauce" is how it traces the transformation of its protagonist and the people around him. Rocky comes to believe in himself--as do his grizzled trainer, his shy girlfriend, and most of the residents of Philadelphia. It's not a movie about winning, but rather one about "going the distance" and giving one's all.

2. Rudy (1993) - In the late 1960s, the son of a Pittsburgh steel worker sets off to off to achieve his lifelong dream: playing football for Notre Dame. Unfortunately, Rudy Ruettiger lacks the physique and talent to become an elite football player. He also lacks the grades to get enrolled into Notre Dame. None of that is enough to stop Rudy. As the titular hero, Sean Astin makes it impossible not to root for his underdog character. He attacks every obstacle methodically, so it's impossible for one not to admire his tenacity and cheer for Rudy every step of the way. Based on the true life story of Daniel "Rudy" Ruettiger.

Dennis Hopper and Gene Hackman.

3. Hoosiers (1986) -  Screenwriter Angelo Pizzo and director David Anspaugh--the same team responsible for Rudy--made this earlier winning film about a small town high school basketball team. Gene Hackman stars as a disgraced college coach who gets one last chance at Hickory High School. Hoosiers is a tale of redemption and the importance of teamwork. However, it works best as an examination of the importance of sports in small town life in the days prior to the explosion of sports on television. The story was based on Milan High School's basketball team, which won the Indiana state championship in 1954.

4. Remember the Titans (2000) - Inspired by real-life coach Herman Boone, Remember the Titans tells the story of a racially-integrated Virginia high school football team in 1971. I was in ninth grade that year and attended a newly integrated high school in North Carolina. While our conflicts weren't as exaggerated as those in Remember the Titans, much of the film still rings true. This is a sports movie about overcoming barriers and coming together as a team. Told in flashback, Remember the Titans also stands as a testament to how positive, powerful experiences can change our lives forever and shape who we become.

Stallone and Michael Caine.

5. Victory (aka Escape to Victory) - The least known film on this list is actually a remake of a 1961 Hungarian film called Two Half-Times in Hell. During World War II, a British officer agrees to coach a team of fellow prisoners in a soccer match against a German team. Concurrently, an American prisoner plots to escape from the POW camp. Victory is a solid, engrossing movie that doesn't really gel until the ending. But it's the climax that makes this film and puts Victory at No. 5 in our list.

Honorable Mentions:  Breaking Away, The Longest Yard, Miracle, and We Are Marshall.