The Top 20 Sports Movies of the Last 20 Years

Creating a list of the greatest sports movies of all time is a difficult task. My personal complaint to most lists is that they are all the same. They all include classics like Bull Durham, Hoosiers, and The Natural.

There is nothing wrong with this, but I decided to create a newer list of great sports movies. While those movies are great, it is widely accepted that they are in the upper echelon of sports movies.

With that in mind, I set out to create a list of sports movies which includes some more recent masterpieces. Without further adieu, here is my list of the top 20 sports movies of the last 20 years.

20. He Got Game (1998) –Most sports movies focus so much on athletics that they fail to develop the plot, but this is not the case in He Got Game.

It provides a jaded, yet potentially truthful, portrayal of recruiting in college athletics (e.g. sex, booze, and a threesome with two blondes) and also introduces you to Jesus Shuttlesworth’s fractured family, troubled past, and guilt-stricken father.

If that’s not enough for you, consider this: in what other movie can you watch Ray Allen deliver an MTV-Award caliber performance? Yes, he was nominated as MTV’s breakthrough male actor in 1998… NICE.

19. Days of Thunder (1990) – Tom Cruise, Nicole Kidman, and Uncle Eddie from the Vacation movie series. That’s all I need… Days of Thunder could be labeled “Talladega Nights with drama instead of comedy,” as it featured a hot-headed lead driver, a skilled competitor, a domineering boss, and so many bumps that NASCAR nearly lost its mind.

Not to mention that a 23-year-old Nicole Kidman played a brain surgeon…(was “Brain Surgeon” some sort of Bachelor’s Degree in 1990?)

18. Tin Cup (1996) – Biggest knock on Tin Cup: it’s a chick flick first and sports movie second. While sports movies, just like movies in general, tend to introduce a love interest, Tin Cup spends too much lovey-dovey time between Robin Hood and that chick who was in the Lethal Weapon series.

As everyone knows, however, the movie is made when he decides to go for the green (over and over and over).

Fun fact (and this is via Wikipedia so take it for what its worth): Costner’s meltdown is based on a similar round by golf analyst David McCord. I wish I had the footage… I’m sure it’s priceless.

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