Sports Movies' Real MVPs
In May 2014, Thunder superstar and all-around likable human being Kevin Durant won the NBA’s MVP award for the first time in his career. Overcome with emotion, he was unable to hold back tears during his heartfelt acceptance speech.
After graciously thanking everyone he’s ever met, KD turned his attention to his mother, who was in attendance. “You made us believe, you kept us off the streets, you put clothes on our backs, put food on the table,” Durant said before adding, “You the real MVP.”
And from the outpouring of love from one of the most revered athletes in sports today, a meme was born. “You the Real MVP” has been a daily staple of most Twitter timelines for months and doesn’t seem to be losing any steam—probably because it’s easily applicable and always relevant.
The whole “Real MVP” thing can be applied to almost anything, including sports movies. Much like Durant himself, the MVP of a given movie is usually the protagonist—the star. Of course, we all know that the good guys aren’t always the most entertaining characters.
Metta World Peace is never going to win an MVP, but Kevin Durant is never gonna get real with the media about how creepy it would be if Jesus cursed people with baby teeth until age 20. Same goes for the movies.
The MVP is always going to come out on top, but sometimes the journey matters just as much, if not more than the destination. So if a movie is like a road trip, the real MVP may not even make it to the end, but he’s the star of most stories told about it later and somehow in every single picture taken along the way.
With that in mind, let's take a look at some of the most recognizable MVPs in sports movies and their realer, rawer counterparts.
'Rookie of the Year': MVP
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Henry Rowengartner
In Rookie of the Year Henry Rowengartner, a below-average grade-school baseball player, is magically and miraculously transformed into a major league pitcher after a broken arm results in some freakishly tightened elbow tendons and a fastball worthy of a place on the Cubs roster.
Henry struggles early on, but before long he becomes as familiar to fans in Chicago as 90-plus-loss seasons.
'Rookie of the Year': Real MVP
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Henry Rowengartner’s Mom
Although she has always insisted that baseball is in Henry’s blood because his absentee father was a pitcher, there are signs throughout the film that his untapped talented actually comes from his mother.
A master of the floater, Mrs. Rowengartner’s influence and inspiration is what guides him through one final very intense inning on the mound after his pitching superpowers magically disappear.
'Happy Gilmore': MVP
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Happy Gilmore
Happy Gilmore is the obvious choice for MVP in Happy Gilmore—that is pretty much always the case when the movie is named after a character. Happy faces an obstacle, undergoes a transformation, beats the villain, gets the girl, and eventually overcomes the obstacle.
Classic protagonist stuff.
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'Happy Gilmore': Real MVP
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Shooter McGavin
Sorry, but anyone who has actually seen Happy Gilmore knows that supervillain Shooter McGavin is the real MVP. Shooter’s increasingly maniacal antics throughout the movie are always perfectly counterbalanced by accidental comedy.
He hates Happy with every fiber of his being but has absolutely no idea how to communicate with him. And the result…is just glorious.
'Jerry Maguire': MVPs
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Jerry Maguire, Dorothy Boyd and Rod Tidwell
Jerry Maguire is a good movie with a lot of MVPs, all of whom get their happy endings, unrealistic as they may be.
After quitting her job to follow a seemingly unstable nutcase who just lost his out the door, Dorothy Boyd’s unrequited love for a man she hardly knows becomes…requited. Defying all logic and common sense, NFL player Rod Tidwell also follows his unemployed agent out the door, but in the end Jerry does show him the money.
And of course there’s Jerry himself, who lost his job the moment he found his soul. His road to redemption is very bumpy, but in the end he finds that the one thing he needs most in life is something he never knew he wanted.
'Jerry Maguire': Real MVP
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Ray Boyd
Let’s be real. When you get right down to it, Jerry Maguire is really all about Ray. He’s all grown up now, but there’s no question that Jonathan Lipnicki was one of the most ridiculously adorable children in the history of cinema.
And thanks to Ray, anyone who has ever seen the movie knows the precise weight of a human head.
'Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story': MVP
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Peter La Fleur
Just in case you were wondering if Peter La Fleur was an average Joe just trying to make it in the world, in Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story Vince Vaugn plays the owner of a struggling gym(nasium) called Average Joe’s.
Forced to compete with the sexy new gym down the street, La Fleur does what any nobody would do to save his business—he gathers together a bunch of other average Joes and assembles an adult dodgeball league that he eventually uses to bring down his nemesis and get the girl.
'Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story': Real MVP
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Patches O’Houlihan
“If you can dodge a wrench, you can dodge a ball.” ‘Nuff said.
'The Fighter': MVP
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Micky Ward
The Fighter tells the story of Boston-born boxer “Irish” Micky Ward, played by Mark(y Mark) Wahlberg, and his struggle to build a successful career when those closest to him do nothing but drag him down.
Ward ultimately overcomes his struggles, making him the obvious MVP of the film, despite brother Dicky Englund, played by Christian Bale, stealing every scene he’s in.
'The Fighter': Real MVP
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Charlene Fleming
Equal parts sexy and tough, Micky Ward meets his match in bartender Charlene Fleming. After some initial hiccups, the couple quickly become inseparable, much to the chagrin of…pretty much all of Micky’s family.
Labeled an “MTV girl” by his many violent sisters, Charlene stands her ground when repeatedly challenged, particularly by his mother, something Micky had never been able to do himself before meeting her.
'Major League': MVP
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Jake Taylor
An aging catcher with chronically enfeebled knees, Jake Taylor has to be the MVP of Major League. Just happy to have a job, he’s the voice of reason and experience inside a locker room populated by a comically inept bunch of misfits assembled for the sole purpose of losing.
The Indians, as we know, win in the end, but nobody wins bigger than Jake. He gets a job, he gets the girl and he gets the chance to play the hero.
'Major League': Real MVP
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Lou Brown
Jake Taylor gets credit for keeping it together and pushing his knees to places he’ll likely regret later in life, but what other option does he have?
At his age, Lou Brown doesn’t have much of anything on the line. With a dreadful-by-design team to manage and a dilapidated facility in which to do it, he could have easily gone Roger “I’m too old for this s--t" Murtaugh and bailed. But Brown stayed and slowly constructed a winning machine that ran on nothing but spite and the sacrificed chickens of the State Farm guy.
'A League of Their Own': MVPs
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Dottie Hinson and Kit Keller
Though it’s truly an ensemble cast, the core plot of A League of Their Own revolves around the relationship of overly competitive sisters Dottie Hinson and Kit Keller. The drama builds throughout the movie before boiling over in the penultimate championship scene.
The sisters part on good terms but remain distant over the years before being reunited at the Baseball Hall of Fame years later.
'A League of Their Own': Real MVPs
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Mae Mordabito and Doris Murphy
With all the drama those Oregon sisters are bringing, Mae Moradabito and Doris Murphy provide much-needed comic relief throughout the film. Played by real-life best friends (at the time) Madonna and Rosie O’Donnell, their characters always manage to lighten the mood, even in the most serious of situations.
They are definitely the real MVPs—with Tom Hanks getting an honorable mention as manager Jimmy Dugan.
'BASEketball': MVPs
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Joe Cooper and Doug Remer
BASEketball is an acquired taste—much like circus peanuts, which I love and everybody else on Earth seems to hate.
Love it or loath it, there’s no question that the movie’s MVPs are Joe Cooper and Doug Remer, played by South Park creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone. Having spent the 10 years since high school drinking beer and playing Nintendo, Coop and Remer invent a new sport on the spot after a couple of former classmates challenge them to a game of basketball.
Combining the shooting of basketball and the standing around doing nothing of baseball, BASEketball is quickly embraced by the public, and the old friends vow to change sports for the better. Coop and Remer both encounter some obstacles along the way but in the end overcome them all and share a passionate kiss along the way.
'BASEketball': Real MVP
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Squeak Scolari
Early in the movie, Squeak, who works for the gas company, loses his job after he is unable to disconnect the service at Coop and Remer’s house. A masochist at heart, he moves in with the guys and becomes their full-time (verbal) punching bag—something he genuinely seems to enjoy.
Squeak steals every scene he’s in and even some he’s not—talking about Squeak going out with an opponent’s sister is the ultimate psych-out.
'The Mighty Ducks': MVPs
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Gordon Bombay and Charlie Conway
In The Mighty Ducks, Gordon Bombay begins as a soulless, egomaniac defense attorney with a drinking problem and ends as a Pee Wee hockey coach fresh off the most unlikely district championship in the history of district championships, boarding a bus to pursue his once defunct dream of playing professional hockey.
Charlie Conway begins as a Pee Wee hockey player short on talent and long on heart and ends as a marginally talented hockey player who single-handedly won the championship in a shootout thanks to his ability to master a single shot.
'The Mighty Ducks': Real MVP
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Coach Jack Riley
Though he would come across as needlessly mean under almost any circumstances, Coach Jack Riley ascends to cartoonish levels of villainy, mostly due to his position as someone who works with children. Despite the decades Coach Riley dedicates to popping his collar and crushing dreams, in the end it almost seems worth it.
Coach Bombay went on to great professional success outside the game, and it was his own bad experiences that helped him transform the lives of an entire team full of kids.
'D2: The Mighty Ducks': MVPs
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Gordon Bombay and Charlie Conway
Here we go again.
In D2: The Mighty Ducks, coach Gordon Bombay and his charity case Charlie Conway continue their winning ways. Once again Bombay enjoys unrealistic success in a short period of time, leading to an ego attack that almost costs him the respect of his team before he figures things out just in time to save the day. Only this time he gets two girls.
Charlie continues to enjoy the perks of being coach’s pet despite having almost not discernible hockey skills. It's probably because of that weird situation between Coach Bombay and his mother; you know that didn’t end well.
Unlike the first movie in which all the pressure was on Charlie, in the sequel he gets to play the hero simply by giving up his roster spot to a suddenly healthy Adam Banks.
'D2: The Mighty Ducks': Real MVP
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Julie “The Cat” Gaffney
The real MVP is actually Julie Gaffney, one of the ringers brought in by Hendricks to supplement a deficient Ducks team that has no business competing internationally for the United States.
Though she’s clearly 10 times the goalie overweight and bumbling Greg Goldberg is, Gaffney is forced to ride the bench throughout the Goodwill Games due to Coach Bombay’s misguided sense of loyalty.
Then with a championship on the line in their rematch against Iceland, he finally comes to his senses and pulls Goldberg in favor of Gaffney. Unfazed by the pressure, she comes up with an easy stop, and the Americans defeat those evil Icelandic…bastards?
'Varsity Blues': MVP
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Jonathan Moxon
Coming in to start for an injured Lance Harbor, bookish Jonathan Moxon, who’s more concerned about getting into Brown University than playing football, clashes with coach Bud Kilmer right from the start.
Varsity Blues’ protagonist is briefly seduced by the perks of being the starting quarterback but never loses his moral compass. And in the end, everyone is better off thanks to Mox’s moralizing.
'Varsity Blues': Real MVP
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Charlie Tweeder
Mox may be the hero, but hard-living wild man Charlie Tweeter is the movie’s real MVP.
When people in West Canaan complain about football players running amok in town, they’re talking about Tweeder. With absolutely no respect for authority and lacking completely in inhibitions, Tweeder’s idea of leaving a party early is stealing a cop car and driving around naked with a couple of ladies.
We actually have Scott Caan himself to thank for one of Varsity Blues funniest scenes. NFL.com recently published an oral history of the film in which James Van Der Beek revealed that the nudity wasn’t a part of the original script. Caan came up with the idea himself and pitched it to the director. The rest, as they say, is history.
'Rocky IV': MVP
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Rocky Balboa
Sylvester Stallone’s Rocky Balboa is the protagonist in what seems to be a never-ending series based on a movie that wasn’t that great to begin with.
The most recent was Rocky Balboa, which was released back in 2006. Although, according to Stallone’s IMDB page there’s currently yet another one in the works. With Rocky pretty much always being…Rocky, the films in the series are usually identified by his opponents.
'Rocky IV': Real MVP
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Ivan Drago
As far as the series goes, nothing beats Rocky IV in terms of drama. The physical embodiment of the Soviet Union, Ivan Drago is one of those next-level villains who completely overshadow the hero. Drago personified the Soviet empire perfectly for an American audience at the time. He was basically a robotic killing machine (poor Apollo Creed!) that made Rocky all the more likable by comparison.
That’s what the greatest villains do. When Gladiator was released back in 2000, Russell Crowe, who played the protagonist Maximus, became the breakout star after the film cleaned up at the Oscars. But Maximus wouldn’t even exist if it wasn’t for the epic levels of meanness reached by his nemesis Commodus, played masterfully by Joaquin Phoenix.
Great villains are always the real MVPs of their movies—after all, it’s much easier to play the hero.
'Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby': MVP
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Ricky Bobby
In the words of the great Ricky Bobby himself, if you don’t like Talladega Nights, then f--k you!
There’s no question that Will Ferrell’s had a number misses at this point—particularly in the sports movie department, which is a well he’s gone to a few too many times—but he knocked it out of the park with Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby.
One of the funniest and highly quotable movies of a generation, Ricky’s particularly American brand of bluster and bravado have made him a national treasure.
'Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby': Real MVP
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Cal Naughton Jr.
Ricky Bobby may be a force of nature, but that’s thanks in large part to his best friend Cal Naughton Jr.—the yin to his yang, the shake to his bake.
Cal sacrifices himself regularly to slingshot Bobby to victory, laughs at his jokes, backs him in fights, supports his right to say grace to whatever-age Jesus he wants—even the off-putting baby version. And when Ricky strips down to his underwear trying to extinguish nonexistent flames, Cal is right there with him fighting the same imaginary fire.
Okay! So Cal does eventually steal Ricky’s career and wife when he’s at his lowest point, but the fact that Ricky can’t stay mad at him for more than a few minutes at a time says it all. Plus, Cal really did him a favor in the long run by taking Carly off his hands anyway—if it wasn’t for that, Ricky never would have repaired his relationship with his father, re-established his career or gotten together with Susan.
Being forced to move back in with his mother also saved his kids, Walker and Texas Ranger, from a lifetime of incarceration, which is obviously where they were heading.
So basically, Cal Naughton is personally responsible for everything good that has ever or will ever happen…to anyone…anywhere. He and Kevin Durant's loving mother are in a class by themselves.
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