15 Epic Sports Movies Based on True Stories to Watch Right Now (2024)

'Remember the Titans' / Walt Disney Pictures

Published May 12, 2023

It’s no secret that some of the best sports movies are based on true stories, as sports often provide the necessary mix of drama that even the best screenwriter couldn’t dream up. Football, basketball, soccer, baseball, and even pro wrestling have given us truly inspirational stories that are as exciting as the events themselves. If you’re looking for a great sports movie to watch, check out our list for 15 of the best.

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• IMDb score: 7.5/10
• Director: David Anspaugh
• Based On: The life and story of Daniel “Rudy” Reuttiger
• Awards:
  • Studio Heart Crystal Award at the Heartland Film Festival
  • Christopher Award

Next to Rocky, Rudy is probably what most people think of when discussing inspiring sports movies. Rudy tells the story of Rudy Reuttiger, a young man whose only dream was to play football for the University of Notre Dame. A story of hard work and perseverance, Rudy stars Sean Astin in the title role and, like his real-life counterpart, endures a ton of punishment on his path to getting into a game.

While the movie isn’t entirely factual, the film is certainly one of the best sports movies based on a true story and guaranteed to inspire and motivate you.

Unless you hate Notre Dame football, that is.

• IMDb score: 7.4/10
• Director: Gavin O’Connor
• Based On: The Miracle on Ice
• Awards:
  • Best Sports Movie at the 2004 ESPYS
  • Best Intergenerational Film at the AARP Movies for Grownups Awards

Based on one of, if not the most impactful sports story in American history, Miracle follows the United States Men’s Hockey team on their journey to defeat the highly touted Soviets at the 1980 Winter Olympics. Starring Kurt Russell as Coach Herb Brooks, Miracle is a fantastic sports film that is also a great retelling of what makes the original story so inspiring.

• IMDb score: 7.2/10
• Director: Peter Berg
• Based On: Friday Night Lights: A Town, a Team, and a Dream
• Awards:
  • Best Sports Movie at the 2005 ESPYS
  • Movie of the Year at the 2005 AFI Awards

A story so incredible it inspired this movie AND a TV series, Friday Night Lights: A Town, a Team, and a Dream, follows the 1988 Permian High School football team. If there’s one thing you should know about West Texas, High School football is king, and this movie shows just how important it is. Billy Bob Thornton plays Head Coach Gary Gaines as he tries to guide the Permian Panthers to a state championship while also attempting to navigate the local area politics surrounding the team.

Additionally, the stories of the players are told as well, with their struggles both on and off the field being followed, showing how much pressure is put on them to win, no matter the cost.

• IMDb score: 7.3/10
• Director: Penny Marshall
• Based On: The ​​All-American Girls Professional Baseball League
• Awards:
  • 2012 addition to the National Film Registry
  • Best Casting for a Feature Film, 1993 Casting Society of America Awards
  • 1993 Winner BMI Film Music Award
  • 1993 Winner of Funniest Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture (Tom Hanks) at the American Comedy Awards

“Are you crying? There’s no crying! There’s no crying in baseball!”

With the country embroiled in World War II and Major League Baseball on the verge of suspending operations, the team’s owners elect to fund a women’s league in order to keep things afloat and the fanbases entertained. While the story of A League of Their Own is fictional, the Rockford Peaches were a real team that competed in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League.

Tom Hanks, Geena Davis, and Madonna lead the film, anchoring it with a ton of heart and humor, and they help make A League of Their Own a classic sports movie.

• IMDb score: 7.8/10
• Director: Boaz Yakin
• Based On: The ​​true story of Herman Boone
• Awards:
  • 2001 Best Performance in a Feature Film-Hayden Panettiere at the Young Artist Awards
  • 2001 Best Film Music Award at the BMI Film & TV Awards
  • 2001 Best Actor at the BET Awards for Denzel Washington
  • 2001 Outstanding Motion Picture at the NAACP Image Awards
  • 2001 Best Actor for Denzel Washington at the NAACP Image Awards
  • 2001 Best Actor for Denzel Washington at the Black Reel Awards

A fictionalized retelling of the story of Virginia’s T.C. Williams’s High School’s integrated football team, Remember the Titans is another classic for the sports movie genre. Denzel Washington portrays Herman Boone, the newly named Head Coach, who is now responsible for helping the team come together, despite the overt racism of the day. Gradually he’s able to help the players overcome their biases and leads them to a state championship. While the film isn’t very accurate to real-life events, Remember the Titans remains an inspiring story of perseverance and how we can all strive to overcome our differences to work together.

• IMDb score: 7.8/10
• Director: David O’Russell
• Based On: The ​​true story of Mickey Ward and Dicky Eklund
• Awards:
  • Best Supporting Actor at the 2011 Academy Awards for Christian Bale
  • Best Supporting Actress at the 2011 Academy Awards for Melissa Leo

Centering on the life of boxer Mickey Ward and his half-brother Dicky Eklund, The Fighter stars Mark Wahlberg and Christian Bale in these roles and is pound for pound (no pun intended) one of the best boxing movies you’ll ever watch.

As evidenced by his eventual win for Best Supporting Actor at the 2011 Oscars, Christian Bale is a revelation as Eklund, who struggles with drug addiction while attempting to train his half-brother Mickey. It’s become one of his most well-known performances and is regarded as one of his best.

• IMDb score: 7.0/10
• Director: Ericson Core
• Based On: The ​​true story of Vincent Papale

Every athlete dreams of a second chance, or in Vincent Papale, a first chance. Portrayed by Mark Wahlberg, Papale was a bartender in Philadelphia and life long Eagles fan who, after a grueling training camp, earns a shot to play for the team.In real-life Papale had played some minor league football and wasn’t a bartender, but the movie portrays his journey relatively accurately. Similar to movies like Miracle and Remember the Titans, this film is an inspiring tale of what can happen if you never give up on your dreams.

• IMDb score: 7.1/10
• Director: Stephen Merchant
• Based On: The ​​true story of professional wrestler Paige
• Awards:
  • 2020 Winner of British/Irish Actress of the Year at London Critics Circle Film Awards-Florence Pugh
  • 2020 Winner of Best Breakthrough Performance at Georgia Film Critics Association-Florence Pugh

Many sports movies center around a similar trope: Never giving up on your dreams, and that the journey, no matter how painful, will be worth it in the end. Fighting With My Family follows Saraya Bevis, better known as Paige, and her quest to become the next wrestler in the WWE. Portrayed by Florence Pugh, Paige’s story is fun for any fan of sports movies, but especially for wrestling fanatics. The cameos from different wrestlers, most notably The Rock, make it a must-watch for wrestling fans.

• IMDb score: 7.6/10
• Director: Bennett Miller
• Based On: The ​​story Oakland Athletics’ GM Billy Beane and his attempts to build a competitive team
• Awards: Nominated for 6 Oscars including:
  • Best Picture
  • Best Actor-Brad Pitt
  • Best Supporting Actor-Jonah Hill
  • Best Film Editing
  • Best Sound Mixing

“How can you not be romantic about baseball?”

On paper, a story about the business side of baseball doesn’t sound exciting. However, thanks to an incredible script from Aaron Sorkin, and outstanding performances from Brad Pitt and Jonah Hill, Moneyball is an absolute home run. (Sorry, I had to do it.)

It’s dramatic, inspiring, and while it’s not a 100% accurate retelling events, it makes for one hell of a movie.

• IMDb score: 7.4/10
• Director: David Anspaugh
• Based On: The story of the 1954 Milan High School Basketball team
• Awards: Nominated for two Oscars including:
  • Best Supporting Actor: Dennis Hopper
  • Best Original Score: Jerry Goldsmith

No sports movies list is complete with Hoosiers. One of the all-time great basketball movies, Hoosiers loosely follows the story of the 1954 Milan High School basketball team from Indiana, and their state championship winning season. Led by great performances from Gene Hackman and Dennis Hopper, Hoosiers is a movie that only gets better every time you watch it.

• IMDb score: 8.1/10
• Director: Martin Scorsese
• Based On: The story of Jake Lamotta
• Awards: Winner of two Oscars:
  • Best Actor: Robert DeNiro
  • Best Film Editing

Any time that Robert DeNiro, Joe Pesci, and Martin Scorsese get together, you know that you’ve got something good coming.

DeNiro plays Jake Lamotta, an Italian-American boxer from New York City, whose life outside the ring is as violent and tulmutous as the one inside it. Pesci plays his brother Joey and Cathy Moriarty portrays his then wife Vikki, with both of them given Oscar nominations for their performances.

It’s a darkly tragic tale of what happens when your worst instincts take over, and LaMotta remains a controversial figure to this day.

• IMDb score: 8.1/10
• Director: Buzz Kulik
• Based On: The story of the friendship between Gale Sayers and Brian Piccolo
• Awards: Winner of five Emmys:
  • Outstanding Single Program - Drama or Comedy
  • Nominated for Outstanding Single Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role-James Caan
  • Nominated for Outstanding Single Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role-Billy Dee Williams
  • Outstanding Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in Drama-Jack Warden

While Brian’s Song might have been a made-for-TV movie, it remains one of the best sports movies ever made, thanks to the performances of James Caan and Billy Dee Williams. The friendship of Gale Sayers and Brian Piccolo takes center stage in this movie, with both actors giving as great of performances as you can ask for.

• IMDb score: 8.1/10
• Director: James Mangold
• Based On: Carrol Shelby and Ken Miles’s attempt to win the 1966 “24 Hours at Le Mans” race.
• Awards:
  • Best Film Editing at the 2020 Oscars
  • Best Sound Editing at the 2020 Oscars

Winner of two Oscars and nominated for four, including Best Picture, Ford v. Ferrari follows Shelby America owner Carroll Shelby (Matt Damon) and Ken Miles (Christian Bale) as they look to build the perfect race car that will beat the Ferrari team at the legendary Le Mans race.

Director James Mangold shoots the hell out of this movie, showcasing the speed and intensity of racing, and how dangerous it can be. Their story might end in tragedy, but the journey these two men go on to win is an epic one.

• IMDb score: 6.9/10
• Director: John Lee Hancock
• Based On: The career of MLB pitcher Jim Morris
• Awards:
  • Best Sports Movie at 2002 ESPYs

While The Rookie is a fairly paint by the numbers sports movie, that doesn’t mean it doesn’t hit as hard as some of the others. Dennis Quaid plays Jim Morris who, after thinking his baseball career was over, takes a job as a coach at a Texas high school. After making a deal with his team, he tries out for the Tampa Bay Devil Rays and impresses the local scouts.Another inspiring story of courage and perseverance, The Rookie makes for a great family watch.

• IMDb score: 7.2/10
• Director: James Gartner
• Based On: The story of the 1966 Texas Western Basketball Team
• Awards:
  • Best Sports Movie at 2006 ESPYs

Portrayed by Josh Lucas, Texas Western basketball Don Haskins was the first coach in NCAA history to lead an all-black starting lineup. Glory Road tells this story with a ton of heart, and also explores the racism and discrimination the team faced during that period.