Need something to fill your time now that the Huskies teams are done for the season? The Sheaf has compiled 10 great sports films to get you cheering.

1. Hoosiers – Hoosiers tells the Cinderella story of a small-town Indiana basketball team that makes it all the way to the state final. Gene Hackman plays a disgraced coach whose unorthodox leadership style doesn’t sit well with the team’s ardent supporters. The idyllic Indiana backdrop serves as the perfect sentimental setting for the ensuing events.

 

2. Hoop Dreams – The basketball documentary, which took director Steve James nearly eight years to complete, is one of the most accurate portrayals of young athletes chasing their dreams you will ever see. The film follows two young basketball players, William Gates and Arthur Agee, as they try to use the game to win fame, fortune and redemption for their families.

 

3. Raging Bull – Robert De Niro won the Best Actor Oscar for his portrayal of prizefighter Jake LaMotta in this 1980 biopic directed by Martin Scorsese. The film is artfully shot in black and white and follows LaMotta’s outbursts, trials and triumphs. More than anything, the movie is a character study of the volatile LaMotta, a role De Niro knocks out.

 

4. Field of Dreams – After hearing a mysterious voice whisper, “If you build it, he will come,” Ray, an Iowa farmer played by Kevin Costner, plows his field to build a baseball diamond. The film is considered an American classic, and the scene where Ray plays catch with his deceased father is near guaranteed to make you teary-eyed.

 

5. Remember the Titans – Denzel Washington plays the head coach of a newly integrated high school football team in this Disney classic. Set in 1971 Virginia, power struggles ensue as the team struggles to come together in the face of diversity. Whether or not you’re a die-hard football fan, this flick reminds us that our enemies aren’t so different from us.

 

6. A League of Their Own – Set during World War II, this is the fictional account of the real-life All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. Men have been deployed, leaving the ladies to man the diamond at a time when female athletes rarely garnered respect. Tom Hanks plays the coach, a fallen baseball great trying to kick the bottle and regain respect, who spews the famous line, “There’s no crying in baseball!”

 

7. Million Dollar Baby – If you haven’t seen this drama already, be prepared to get thrown a left hook. The film takes an unexpected turn that makes it a captivating watch and the catalyst of many heated debates. The flick stars Hilary Swank as young, determined boxer Maggie Fitzgerald. Clint Eastwood plays her embittered coach.

 

8. Rocky – This classic underdog story is set to one of the most memorable soundtracks in movie history. In the boxing ring, the amateur fighter Rocky Balboa takes on world heavyweight champion Apollo Creed. Creed comes to Philadelphia expecting an easy victory, but Balboa, the Italian stallion, has other plans.

 

9. Bend it Like Beckham – When Jess, played by Parminder Nagra, joins a football team (that’s soccer to us) she is met with heavy resistance from her conservative parents. The film is equal parts comedy and drama as it explores cultural differences and race relations, all framed by Jess’ love of football.

 

10. Dogtown and Z-Boys – With summer finally appearing on the horizon it’s the perfect time to watch this documentary on the 1970s California skateboard scene. The film uses original footage of the Zephyr skateboard team and more recent interviews to tell the story of how a group of teenagers forever influenced skateboarding culture.

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Graphic: Stephanie Mah