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In honor of the Oscars last night, I’ve decided to put together a list of the top sports movies of all time. There’s a lot of great ones, so this has been one of my toughest Top 10 lists to put together so far, but these, in my opinion, are the best:

#10 MIRACLE: this movie was released in 2004 and was about the United States men’s hockey team, led by coach Herb Brooks. The unbelievable story of their gold medal victory over a heavily favored Soviet team was eventually called the “Miracle on Ice.”

#9 THE ROOKIE: a film made in 2002 starring Dennis Quaid about a high school baseball coach making the major leagues.

#8 FIELD OF DREAMS: from 1989, an Iowa corn farmer (Kevin Costner), hearing voices, interprets them as a command to build a baseball diamond in his fields; he does, and the Chicago Black Sox come.

#7 RUDY: a 1993 film about a kid who had dreams of playing football at Notre Dame, despite a road full of obstacles.

#6 A LEAGUE OF THEIR OWN: the 1993 comedy-drama is a fictionalized version of the true story of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. Ever heard the saying “there’s no crying in baseball”?

#5 HOOSIERS: a 1986 film about an Indiana high school team winning the state championship.

#4 CHARIOTS OF FIRE: a 1981 film about two athletes who run in the 1924 Olympics. One running to overcome prejudice and one for the glory of God.

#3 RAGING BULL: a 1980 film starring Robert De Niro, about an American middleweight boxer whose jealousy and rage destroyed his relationship with his wife and family.

#2 BULL DURHAM: Kevin Costner makes the list again in his 1988 film about a fan who has an affair with one minor-league baseball player each season meets an up-and-coming pitcher and the experienced catcher assigned to him.

#1 ROCKY: holding down the number one spot, of course, is Rocky. This film tells the story about Rocky Balboa who goes from rags to riches. Rocky starts as a club fighter and works all the way to getting a shot at the world heavyweight championship.

Honorable Mention: The Mighty Ducks, Space Jam, Remember the Titans, Any Given Sunday

Image Sources: fastpitchleadership, thereelmccoy, usatoday, highdefdiscnews, brendachapman.com, mbird, bfi.org.uk, thedaisycutter, apocalypsecinema, manvsdebt

Top 10 Greatest Sports Movies