Baseball
Eight Men Out
2 hours, 51 min.
Chicago White Sox
1919
Black Sox Scandal - 1919 World Series Fix
Bottom of the ninth in Chicago! 2 outs. The Cincinnati Reds lead the Chicago
White Sox 4 games to 3. Shoeless Joe Jackson up at the plate.
And it's a ground ball, fielded by Morrie
Rath at 2nd, to first, and Cincinnati wins the World Series!!!!
--Of Course the White Sox lost-- The series was lost before it began.
In 1919, the World Series was a best of 9 series; players had no
bargaining power at all in terms of wages; the White Sox had the
best pitcher in baseball; The team was underpaid and hated the owner;
and infamous gangster and gambler, Arnold Rothstein, was in his prime.
Put all this together and you get angry underpaid baseball players who
seize the chance to get back at the team owner and make a lot of money
while doing it. All the players had to do was lose 5 games. However,
it was not a team-wide effort. Not every player was in on the fix or
willing to throw the World Series. But enough players were; enough key
players (Baseball is all about pitching).
This movie is about one of the biggest scandals in baseball that has
become known as the Black Sox Scandal for the White Sox players who
threw the World Series for gambling profit. This scandal directly led to the
creation of the role of Commissioner of Baseball. The first Commissioner
responded firmly and banned 8 White Sox players from professional
Baseball for life.
Starring John Cusack, Clifton James, Christopher Lloyd, Charlie Sheen,
John Mahoney, David Strathairn, D.B. Sweeney, and Michael Lerner
Cobb
2 hours, 9 min.
Ty Cobb (The Georgia Peach)
December 18, 1886 - July 17, 1961
One of the Greatest Players of All Time
He played in 3,034 games; scored 2,245 runs; had 4,189 hits; stole
892 bases; and retired with a .366 batting average. The Baseball Hall
of Fame was created in 1936 and Cobb got the most votes - more than
any player ever got until 1992. His career spanned from 1905 to 1928 and
includes the highest career batting average, the most batting titles,
most hits until the year 1985, most runs scored until the year 2001,
most games played until the year 1974, and most stolen bases.
These record numbers did not come peacefully. He played to win and he
did not hold back at all. He was also known to be violent off the field
and was involved in a few fights and lawsuits, which gave him
a very controversial reputation.
This movie is about Ty Cobb deciding to have his autobiography written
towards the end of his life to set the record straight on who he was
as a person and as a player.
Starring Tommy Lee Jones, Robert Wuhl, and Lolita Davidovich.
The Pride of the Yankees
2 hours, 8 min.
Lou Gehrig (The Iron Horse)
June 19, 1903 - June 2, 1941
"The Luckiest Man on the Face of the Earth"
He won the World Series 6 times; hit 4 home runs in one game; was the
captain of the New York Yankees; is in the Hall of Fame; was the first
player to have his number retired; and is widely considered the
greatest first baseman in baseball history. On top of all that, he
played the most consecutive games in baseball over any other player until
1995 and had the most grand slams until 2013. His career lasted from
1923 to 1939, but it could have lasted longer and probably included
more impressive records. His career, and life, was cut short by ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis),
more commonly known today as Lou Gehrig's Disease.
This movie is about the Iron Horse. Today there is an award given to
the player who demonstrates the most integrity - the Lou Gehrig award.
He was one of the best players on one of the best teams in baseball and
he worked just as hard as anyone. The movie also stars some of his
old teammates like Babe Ruth playing themselves. Lou Gehrig was a
national icon and this film was is for him.
Starring Gary Cooper, Teresa Wright, and Babe Ruth.
A League of Their Own
2 hours, 8 min.
The Rockford Peaches
1943
All American Girls Professional Baseball League
During WWII, many American men were enlisted or drafted into the military
and went off to Europe to fight. This included many professional baseball
players. To keep the sport alive, baseball executives including
Branch Rickey and Philip Wrigley decided to create a professional
women's baseball league. This league lasted form 1943 to 1954.
Consistent with American society and sports at the time, there were
no Black women in the league and the players' contracts dictated how
the women were to behave and look on and off the field. The league
was mostly based in the Midwest and ended due to financial strain as
the men's league regained its players, popularity, ended segregation,
and society changed in general.
This movie is about the creation of the women's professional baseball
league. The movie focuses on a real team: the Rockford Peaches; but
the characters are fictional. In reality, the Peaches didn't make it
to the World Series in the league's first season, but they did win the
most championships by the end of it in 1954. The movie follows the
team and the league from it being an idea to the World Series at the
end of its first season.
Starring Geena Davis, Madonna, and Tom Hanks.
42
2 hours, 8 min.
Jackie Robinson
January 31, 1919 - October 24, 1972
First* Black MLB Player
He was a World Series Champion, six-time All Star, a batting champion,
a stolen base leader, and MLB's first Rookie of the Year in 1947 - the year that
racial segregation in the MLB ended. There had been Black baseball players
before him but not since the 1880s and none were signed to a team as
a starter until Jackie Robinson, number 42. His number is retired in
all of Major League Baseball. The Hall of Famer retired with a .311
batting average. Today, there are many non-white players in baseball
but back in 1947, it was only him. He had to play against other teams,
his own teammates, and a racist society. It wasn't easy.
The Brooklyn Dodgers (now the LA Dodgers), under GM Branch Rickey, broke
MLB's color line and signed Robinson. They selected him because he
could endure all the abuse that was sure to come; he could take it
without fighting back. After fighting the Second World War in Europe,
America had to fight its own war at home and Robinson was on the
frontline. He was undoubtedly a great player, and midway through the
'47 season, another Black player was signed to the Cleveland Indians.
The next year, more came and Baseball, America's pastime, was definitely no longer
segregated.
This movie is about Jackie Robinson's entry into the MLB and breaking
the color line that had been in place since the 1880s. The movie follows
Robinson from the end of his time playing in the Negro League through
the end of his first season with the Dodgers, and shows the kind of abuse
that he had to overcome in between.
Starring Chadwick Boseman, Harrison Ford, and Lucas Black.
The Rookie
2 hours, 7 min.
Jim Morris
January 19, 1964 -
Famous, but short, MLB career
Most professional baseball players star on their high school teams and
are scouted by MLB organizations and drafted after graduation or from
college. These players enter the Minor League system and hope to
elevate from level A to AA to AAA to the MLB. The major obstacles on
that journey are other players and injuries sustained from playing. To
get to be a MLB rookie is a major accomplishment.
Jim Morris became a MLB rookie at 35 years old. He went to a high
school without a baseball team and so played football instead. He
managed to be drafted into baseball and played in the minor leagues.
He was a pitcher. Unfortunately, he kept getting arm injuries and had
to end his baseball career at the A level. Then, came the fairytale
high school baseball coach to MLB player story
that inspired this movie.
This movie is about how Jim Morris became an MLB pitcher. It shows his
youth and his injuries and then follows him to being a high school baseball
coach. Apparently, he made a deal with his team that if they won a
championship then he would try out for a major league team. They won.
Despite his age and past injuries, Morris could throw a baseball at
almost 100 miles per hour. He was signed, elevated through the Minors,
and was called up by the Tampa Bay Devil Rays in 1999. His past injuries
caught up and prevented much of a MLB career, but he did have one.
Starring Dennis Quaid, Rachel Griffiths, and Jay Hernandez.
Moneyball
2 hours, 13 min.
Billy Beane
March 29, 1962 -
Oakland Athletics 2002 season
Beane played for four MLB teams in five years from 1984-89 and ended his playing
career with a .219 batting average. After an unsuccessful playing career,
he became a scout for the Oakland A's and then eventually General Manager.
The team began focusing on data and baseball statistics, rather than
traditional game observation, to find players.
Focusing on data revolutionized Baseball. The stats are called sabermetrics
and they led to players' values being reassessed. This allowed the A's to
cut costs while also significantly improving as a team by getting
undervalued players. This shift led to the A's making
the playoffs four years in a row.
This movie is about the A's 2002 season. They just lost three star
players, but they won 20 games straight and finished first in the West
winning over 100 games. The movie shows the significant shift to
sabermetric baseball, or moneyball, that the A's pioneered and it
shows just how effective the new method was and has been. Every team
does it now.
Starring Brad Pitt, Jonah Hill, and Philip Seymour Hoffman.
Tennis
Battle of the Sexes
2 hours, 2 min.
Billie Jean King v Bobby Riggs
1973
Historically, and throughout American society, women have been discriminated
against by men and have been thought of as weaker. However, many times
throughout history, women have proven their strength and that the
discrimination is not warranted. In tennis history, the proof came
in 1973 when Billie Jean King defeated Bobby Riggs in three sets in
front of the whole world. King's career included time as the number 1
player and 12 Grand Slam titles in
singles; Riggs's included 3 Grand Slam titles.
This movie is about the famous match between King and Riggs. Riggs was
at one time the number 1 player in the world. About 25 years later, he
believed that he could beat the best women's player even though he had
been retired and was in his 50s. He challenged King who eventually
accepted and the match was on. King was playing for women's sports.
Starring Emma Stone, Steve Carell, and Bill Pullman.
Borg vs McEnroe
1 hour, 48 min.
The Rivalry Between Björn Borg and John McEnroe
1980
Borg's was the number 1 tennis player in the world and won 11 Grand Slam
singles titles. McEnroe was also the number 1 player in the world for a
time and won 7 Grand Slam singles titles. These were two of the best
players at the time and their rivalry was worth a movie. In addition
to them both being good at tennis, they were completely different
people. McEnroe is famous for his tantrums on the court and showing
a lot of emotion. In contrast, Borg was emotionless and calm.
This movie is about the rivalry between these two great players. The
movie displays it in the climactic Wimledon men's final of 1980.
In 1980, Borg was looking to win the men's singles title at Wimbledon for
a record 5th time in a row. McEnroe got to the final for the first time.
They played a Fire versus Ice tennis match that is considered one of the
greatest tennis matches of all time. The movie is also incredibly
entertaining and tries to capture some of the best tennis ever played.
Starring Sverrir Gudnason, Shia LaBeouf, and Stellan Skarsgård .
Football
My All American
1 hour, 58 min.
Freddie Steinmark
January 27, 1949 - June 6, 1971
His Tragedy Inspired His Team to Win the National Championship
He played football at the University of Texas. His time on the
UT Longhorns included playing one of the most famous college football
games in history and battling a terrible experience with his team and
the whole country at his side.
In 1969, the hundredth year of college football,
the UT Longhorns beat the Arkansas Razorbacks in what is
known as the Game of the Century. Texas was down 14 to 0 and
amazingly came back to score 15 in the fourth quarter and won. The
two teams were the best in their league and among the best in the
country at the time - both undefeated that season. Even President
Nixon and future president George H.W. Bush were at the game. Also
at the game, and playing on the field for Texas, was Freddie Steinmark.
He played with a leg pain that was so bad he got it checked out and
X-rayed after the game. It turned out that he had a big bone tumor that
required an immediate amputation. His battle with cancer sparked a
national movement and the National Cancer Act of 1971.
This movie is about Steinmark and how he inspired his
team to continue on and win the Cotton Bowl and how he inspired the
nation to loudly and officially tackle cancer.
Starring Aaron Eckhart, Finn Wittrock, and Robin Tunney.
We Are Marshall
2 hours, 11 min.
Marshall University's Football Team
1970-1971
Aftermath of Southern Airways Flight 932
After a loss on the road, the Marshall University Thundering Herd
football team and its coaches boarded a flight to go home. The flight
was pretty much full of Marshall students, staff, and fans. Errors and
mistakes during the end of the flight resulted in the deadliest
sports plane crash in U.S. history. All 75 people onboard died and
that included most of Marshall's football team.
This movie is about how Marshall University's football program
bounced back. The school hired Jack Lengyel who, with coach Red
Dawson who was not on the flight, rebuilt the team. They got players
from other Univeristy sports teams, students who haven't ever played
football, and got special permission from the NCAA to let freshmen on
the team. The team overcame the overarching challenges and was
able to play, compete, and win.
Starring Matthew McConaughey, Matthew Fox, and Anthony Mackie.
Rudy
1 hour, 54 min.
Rudy Ruettiger
August 22, 1948 -
Lived His Dream of Playing for Notre Dame
Rudy did not have great grades and did not have the build of a football
player. But Rudy did have more determination than most people could
imagine. He eventually got into Notre Dame and was in an opportunity
to realize his dream of playing on Notre Dame's football team. He
tried out, tried to walk-on, and worked hard enough that everyone
could see that he deserved a spot. He worked hard enough and was so
determined that he earned time on the field. He entered as a defensive
end and was in the game for three plays. He ended his college football
career by recording a sack and being the first Notre Dame player to be
carried off the field by his team after the game.
This movie is about the inspiration that got to play college football
for his dream team despite the challenges and odds against him. It's
a movie that shows how a dream can be willed into reality with enough
hard work and dedication.
Starring Sean Astin, Jon Favreau, and Ned Beatty.
Remember the Titans
1 hour, 53 min.
Herman Boone and the 1971 T.C. Williams HS football team
October 28, 1935 - December 18, 2019
Newly Integrated High School Football Team's Perfect Season
America has a racist history. America also has a history full of
football played at the professional, college, and high school levels.
After the civil rights laws were passed and segregation was ending all
across the country, there was no doubt that every part of American
society would be affected and high school football was no exception.
In Alexandria, Virginia in 1971, three high schools were merged into
one and so were their football teams. The point of this was to
decrease segregation in schools. Herman Boone was named head coach
of the new team. So through endless racial tension on the team, in
the school, in the town, and in the country, the team had to play
together.
This movie is about that 1971 season where the Titans went undefeated
all the way up to the national championship. The movie shows the
race related issues that permeated throughout society and how it
created an invisible but very present challenge to the players and
even the coaches coming together to play as a team and win.
Starring Denzel Washington, Will Patton, and Donald Faison.
Invincible
1 hour, 45 min.
Vince Papale
February 9, 1946 -
A Fan Becomes an NFL Player
Most Professional football players in the NFL are drafted out of
college and played college ball in the NCAA. But Vince Papale did not
follow that usual route. He was a track star in college but then played
football in non-NFL minor leagues. While he was a high school football
coach, he tried out for the World Football League and got on a team.
These minor leagues didn't last too long and almost left Papale without
a real future in football. But he played well enough to get a private
tryout for the Philadelphia Eagles in 1976. He got on the team and
became one of the oldest NFL rookies. He played for 3 seasons.
This movie is about Papale going from a football fan and pretty good
player to a pro NFL player on the Eagles. The movie certainly changes
things up to make for a more coherent story, but it's a great film
based on a great true story nonetheless.
Starring Mark Wahlberg, Greg Kinnear, and Elizabeth Banks.
The Blind Side
2 hours, 9 min.
Michael Oher
May 28, 1986 -
From Foster Care to First Round Pick
He had a very rough childhood, absent parents, did not get much attention
or structure growing up, and had very little stability in his life. He
floated around schools and then foster homes. The first and most
stable thing in his life became football. He played in high school
and got to attend a good school and play on its team. Then came a
stable foster family, the Tuohys. They and football gave him the structure
that had been missing for most of his life. He was a very talented
athlete and he pulled his grades up enough to qualify for the NCAA. He
got scholarship offers from many schools to play and he decided to play for
his foster parents alma mater, the University of Mississippi. After his
college career, he was drafted number 23 overall in the 2009 NFL draft.
This movie is about Oher's life and him overcoming endless obstacles to
become a professional football player. The movie shows his challenging
childhood, football talent, and the controversy that came with his
decision to go his foster parents' alma mater.
Starring Sandra Bullock, Tim McGraw, and Quinton Aaron.
Boxing
Cinderella Man
2 hours, 25 min.
James J. Braddock
June 7, 1905 - November 29, 1974
World Heavyweight Champion (1935-37)
He was born in New York, the son of Irish immigrants, and became a
professional boxer at 21 years old. The beginning of his career was
amazingly successful and in 1929 he finally got a chance to win a title
with a fight at Yankee Stadium. Unfortunately, he not only lost the
match, he also injured his hand. To make things even worse, 1929 was
the beginning of the Great Depression. Braddock's career also took
a big hit after that loss. He could no longer support his family only
with boxing and Braddock had to work on the docks and any other job
he could find. The Depression was rough for everyone and Braddock even
had to depend on welfare to survive. Times were bad. Then came the
Cinderella story that earned Braddock his nickname that the movie is
titled after.
This movie is about Braddock rising up out of some of the hardest times
in American history and becoming a champion. During the Depression, he
was given a chance to fight against a top boxer and seized the
opportunity. He won to everyone's surprise. Braddock revived his career
and kept shocking the world all the way to another title fight where
he won one of the greatest upset matches ever. He was the heavyweight
champion from 1935 to 1937.
Starring Russell Crowe, Renée Zellweger, and Paul Giamatti.
Somebody Up There Likes Me
1 hour, 54 min.
Rocky Graziano
January 1, 1919 - May 22, 1990
World Middleweight Champion (1947-48)
He grew up fighting in New York. He wasn't a great student, or a model citizen,
or even a good soldier (apparently he punched an officer and then went
AWOL). But he was an amazing boxer. After all the trouble of his youth, he changed his name and
went pro. He left his name but took all his aggressive boxing talent
and became one of the most famous fighters in America, along with his
childhood friend, Jake LaMotta ("Raging Bull"). Graziano was a nearly
unstoppable boxer who won almost every fight by knockout. His life was
full of violence but the fights that he lost were the most
brutal and bloody times of his life. He could hit and he could take
hits like no one else. He was also constantly dealing with the law,
even as a pro boxer (bribery allegations). But, he still managed to win a title and become
the Middleweight champion of the world. His career is also marked by a
famous rivalry with Tony Zale with whom he fought three times for the
title. After losing two out of three, Graziano then lost to Sugar Ray Robinson
before he finally called it quits.
This movie is based on Graziano's autobiography of the same title. The
movie follows Graziano from street fights in New York, to legal trouble
and military issue all the way to a boxing title. The movie shows the
obstacles that he faced on that journey and the luck and skill that
allowed him to become a champion.
Starring Paul Newman, Pier Angeli, and Everett Sloane.
Raging Bull
2 hours, 9 min.
Jake LaMotta
July 10, 1922 - September 19, 2017
World Middleweight Champion (1949-1951)
He grew up fighting in New York. Through a childhood filled with street
fights and problems with the law, LaMotta became a professional boxer at
19 years old. He was a fierce fighter and was known to be relentless,
giving and taking an incredible amount of pain and brutality in the
ring. Like his fellow New York fighter and friend, Rocky Graziano,
LaMotta also had a famous rivalry with another champion fighter, Sugar
Ray Robinson, with whom he fought six times. LaMotta, the Bronx Bull,
beat Robinson and gave him the first loss of his career. He also
had legal and ethical problems during his career, even admitting to
throwing a fight for the mafia. He was one of the toughest guys who
ever boxed and his aggressive style eventually got him a boxing title.
This movie is based on LaMotta's autobiography of the same title. The
movie focuses on the intense aggression that defined him inside and
outside of the ring. The film follows him from near the beginning
of his career to the top of it and then through the decline that
coincided with personal issues in his life.
Starring Robert De Niro, Joe Pesci, and Cathy Moriarty.
Ali
2 hours, 47 min.
Muhammad Ali (The Greatest)
January 17, 1942 - June 3, 2016
World Heavyweight Champion (1964-67; 1974-77; 1978)
He fought his first professional match when he was 18 years old and had
an amazing career to follow. Not just a talented boxer, he was also
known to aggravate his opponents in the ring with insults and mockery.
He was also very vocal during interviews and served as his own
hype man. But he had the skill to back it up, first demonstrated to
the world in a major upset when he won the heavyweight title at 22
years old. He also had a lot more going than just boxing. He was a
Black American during the 60s when the Vietnam War was raging and the
America was going through dramatic social and political changes.
He also converted to Islam, changing his name
from Cassius Clay, and was very involved in the Muslim community, as was
his friend, Malcolm X. After refusing to be drafted, Ali was banned from
boxing but he became a prominent figure in the counterculture movement that
characterized the 1960s. After his return to boxing, he was amazingly
able to win back the title after the famous Rumble in the Jungle fight.
This movie follows Ali from him winning the title as Cassius Clay, through
his experiences as a Muslim Black American in the 60s and to his
return as heavyweight champion. The movie shows his famous boxing
styles including his trash talk, and the film also shows his life
outside the ring and his important place in American history.
Starring Will Smith, Jamie Foxx, and Jon Voight.
The Fighter
1 hour, 54 min.
Micky Ward
October 4, 1965 -
WBU Light Welterweight Champion (2000)
He was an extremely talented young boxer in New England, having turned
pro at 20 years old. But then he started losing and eventually stopped
boxing completely. Something happened, but Ward made a come back.
He got medical care for his injured hand, his half-brother got out
of jail and was able to support his boxing, and Ward had talent. He
returned to professional boxing and continuously won until he reached
the title fights, finally winning the WBU light Welterweight title. He
also had a famous rivalry with another boxer, Arturo Gatti. Their
fights were incredible, but not for a title. The last two fights were awarded Fight of
the Year by Ring magazine. THey inflicted so much on each other
that they both needed hospital trips after the fights.
The movie follows Ward's life from the initial decline of his career. The
movie is primarily a story about Ward's difficult but inspirational
come back and journey to winning a boxing title.
Starring Mark Wahlberg, Christian Bale, and Amy Adams.
Hockey
Miracle
2 hours, 16 min.
U.S. Men's Ice Hockey Team
1980 Winter Olympics
Miracle on Ice
The Winter Olympics in 1980 included an ice hockey tournament with
a famous game between the Cold War rivals, the U.S. and the Soviet Union,
played in Upstate New York. The Soviet Union won the previous four
gold medals and had a team full of experience with players that were
internationally known. The U.S. team was full of amateurs. The U.S. team had
been surprising the world with unlikely wins before this famous game.
Against all the odds, the U.S. team beat the Soviet team in what
Sports Illustrated named as the ultimate moment in sports of the
20th Century. The U.S. team went on to win gold.
This movie is about head coach, Herb Brooks, leading the U.S. Men's
Ice Hockey team to the most unlikely victory in the 1980 Winter Olympics.
The movie shows the team being built and coming together to win
one of the most inspiring games ever played. The real situation and the
movie will make you agree with the sportscaster who was calling the
game and famously exclaimed at the end: "Do you believe in miracles? YES!"
Starring Kurt Russell, Patricia Clarkson, and Noah Emmerich.