5 Great Summertime Sports Movies
By John House on July 13, 2010Sports and Entertainment have always had a great relationship, perhaps now more than ever. With LeBron James getting a television special to announce his new team decision and Chad Ochocinco appearing on Dancing with the Stars, it seems like a fine time to think about great sports movies. It’s a great way to beat the heat and it beats summer re-runs. Everyone has their favorite sports film, so here are just a few to consider when going to the video store.
First and foremost, Brian’s Song. The movie that journalized the life of Chicago Bears, Brian Piccolo and his fight with cancer as well as his special relationship with running back, Gale Sayers. The original starred James Caan and Billy Dee Williams and became the standard for tear jerking sports films.
Next is a movie that had America cheering in 1976 and made a career for actor Sylvester Stallone. The original Rocky was an unlikely hit. The movie had a budget of 1.1 million dollars. The entire filming took 28 days but ended up making in excess of 200 million dollars and took home an impressive three Oscars. The story of a washed up boxer making it big has always been a favorite of crowds everywhere.
Two baseball movies stand above the rest, The Natural and Field of Dreams, were both movies that played on every youngsters passion for the great American past-time. Although both movies are very different, they both seem to play on life is simple, with hot dogs and apple pie themes. Both Robert Redford and Kevin Costner give memorable performances and both have fine supporting casts.
Finally, this is my favorite and perhaps the greatest underdog movie ever, Rudy. This film rolled the great over achiever story in to the legend of Notre Dame football, for an emotional and inspiring trek through a young man’s eyes. Every sports fan recognizes the hallowed ground that is Notre Dame Football and the director quickly pulls you in to become part of this young man’s unlikely journey to legend.
There have been some outstanding sports films made in the last several years, but revisiting these old classics will be a great way to pass a steamy summer night.
Tags: Billy Dee Williams, Brian Piccolo, Brian’s Song, Chad Ochocinco, Chicago Bears, Field of Dreams, Film, Gale Sayers, James Caan, Kevin Costner, LeBron James, movies, notre dame, Robert Redford, Rocky, Rudy, sports movies, Sylvester Stallone, The Natural
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