This compilation of films covers all sports activities. Sports films have been made since the era of silent films, such as the 1915 film The Champion starring Charlie Chaplin. Films in this genre can range from serious (Raging Bull) to silly (Horse Feathers). A classic theme for sports films is the triumph of an individual or team who prevail despite the difficulties, standard elements of melodrama.[1]
Team sport
editAmerican football
editAssociation football
editAustralian rules football
edit| Title | Year | Genre | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Great Macarthy | 1975 | Comedy | |
| The Club | 1980 | Comedy/Drama | Boardroom and dressing room intrigues spill onto the field for an Australian rules football club. |
| Australian Rules | 2002 | Drama | |
| Blinder | 2013 | Drama | |
| Aussie Rules the World | 2014 | Documentary |
Baseball
editBasketball
editCheerleading and dance
edit| Title | Year | Genre | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Debbie Does Dallas | 1978 | Adult | Pornographic film, no connection to the Dallas Cowboys or their cheerleaders. |
| Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders | 1979 | Drama | Made-for-TV drama about the famous NFL cheerleading squad. |
| Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders II | 1980 | Drama | TV sequel to the 1979 movie. |
| Laker Girls | 1990 | Drama | Television film about the Los Angeles basketball dance team. |
| Willing to Kill: The Texas Cheerleader Story | 1992 | Drama | TV film based on Wanda Holloway's 1991 attempt to hire a hit man to kill the mother of her daughter's cheerleading rival. With Lesley Ann Warren as Holloway. |
| The Positively True Adventures of the Alleged Texas Cheerleader-Murdering Mom | 1993 | Comedy | A more light-hearted TV movie also based on the Wanda Holloway story, with Emmy-winning performances by Holly Hunter and Beau Bridges. |
| A Friend to Die For | 1994 | Drama | Tori Spelling and Kellie Martin in a TV film based on a California cheerleader's murder. |
| But I'm a Cheerleader | 1999 | Romance | Natasha Lyonne as a cheerleader whose parents disapprove of her personal life. |
| Bring It On | 2000 | Comedy | A clash between rival cheerleading squads, starring Kirsten Dunst. |
| Sugar & Spice | 2001 | Comedy | Minnesota high school girls rob a bank. With Mena Suvari and James Marsden. |
| All Cheerleaders Die | 2001 | Horror comedy | |
| Gotta Kick It Up! | 2002 | Family comedy | Television film based on true story about middle schoolers. |
| Cheerleader Queens | 2003 | Comedy | Thai film |
| Bring It On Again | 2004 | Comedy | Sequel to the 2000 film. |
| Bring It On: All or Nothing | 2006 | Comedy | Second sequel to the 2000 film. |
| Bring It On: In It to Win It | 2007 | Comedy | Third sequel to the 2000 film. |
| Fab Five: The Texas Cheerleader Scandal | 2008 | Drama | Based on controversial true events involving five girls from Texas. |
| Bring It On: Fight to the Finish | 2009 | Comedy | Fourth sequel to the 2000 film. |
| Fired Up! | 2009 | Comedy | Football players con their way into a cheerleading camp. |
| Attack of the 50 Foot Cheerleader | 2012 | Comedy | An experimental drug makes a cheerleader grow 10 times her normal size. |
| All Cheerleaders Die | 2013 | Horror comedy | Remake of the 2001 film. |
| Daughters of the Sexual Revolution | 2018 | Documentary | Documentary about the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders. |
Cricket
edit| Title | Year | Genre | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Badger's Green | 1934 | Comedy | |
| Badger's Green | 1949 | Comedy | |
| It's Not Cricket | 1949 | Comedy | British army officers in Post-World War II Germany try to track down a wanted war criminal, who unbeknownst to them is on their cricket team. |
| The Final Test | 1953 | Drama | A famed cricketer wants his rebellious son to attend his last match. |
| Playing Away | 1987 | Comedy | TV film |
| Awwal Number | 1990 | Action | |
| Lagaan | 2001 | Drama | In the 1890s, a group of Indian cricket novices must defeat a well-trained team of British officers to avoid punitive taxes on their village. Received numerous awards and nominations, including a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film. |
| Wondrous Oblivion | 2003 | Comedy, drama | |
| Iqbal | 2005 | Drama | |
| Hit for Six | 2007 | Drama | |
| Chennai 600028 | 2007 | Comedy, drama | Tamil film |
| Chain Kulii Ki Main Kulii | 2007 | Comedy, drama | |
| Say Salaam India | 2007 | Drama | |
| Hattrick | 2007 | Comedy, drama | |
| Meerabai Not Out | 2008 | Drama | |
| Hansie | 2008 | Drama | Tells the story of South African cricketer Hansie Cronje. |
| I Know How Many Runs You Scored Last Summer | 2008 | Horror comedy | |
| Victory | 2009 | Drama | |
| Dil Bole Hadippa! | 2009 | Comedy, drama | |
| Tournament – Play & Replay | 2010 | Road movie | |
| Patiala House | 2011 | Family drama | |
| Fire in Babylon | 2011 | Documentary | Covers the record-breaking West Indies cricket team of the 1970s and 1980s. |
| Golconda High School | 2011 | Drama | Telugu film |
| Ferrari Ki Sawaari | 2012 | Comedy, drama | |
| Main Hoon Shahid Afridi | 2013 | Drama | A boy who dreams to become Shahid Afridi finds himself down on luck when the only club he ever knew goes bankrupt. |
| Dhoni | 2013 | Drama | An Indian Tamil-Telugu bilingual film highlighting the conflict between a middle class widower and his son, who is very good at cricket but poor at academics. |
| Save Your Legs! | 2013 | Comedy | |
| 1983 | 2014 | Comedy, drama | Ten-year-old Rameshan (Nivin Pauly) is hooked to the game of cricket when India wins the World Cup in 1983. The film shows his life from that point on until the present. |
| Jeeva | 2014 | Drama | An Indian Tamil film depicting the struggles of young man in his quest to become a leading cricketer. |
| The Little Master | 2015 | Documentary | Made for TV as part of the ESPN Films Presents series, part of the network's 30 for 30 project. The life and impact of Sachin Tendulkar, set against the backdrop of India's quest to win the 2011 Cricket World Cup. |
| Azhar | 2016 | Biographical | The life of former Indian international cricketer Mohammad Azharuddin. |
| M.S. Dhoni: The Untold Story | 2016 | Biographical | The life of Indian ODI captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni. |
| Sachin: A Billion Dreams | 2016 | Biographical | The life of former Indian international cricketer Sachin Tendulkar. |
| Chennai 600028 II: Second Innings | 2016 | Comedy, drama | Sequel to Chennai 600028. |
| Kanaa | 2018 | Drama | |
| 83 | 2021 | Drama | Based on the India national cricket team that won the 1983 Cricket World Cup. |
| Kaun Pravin Tambe? | 2022 | Biographical | Based on the Life of Pravin Tambe who becomes the oldest cricketer to debut at the age of 40 proving "Age Is Just A Number" |
| Shabaash Mithu | 2022 | Biographical | The life of former Indian women's cricket captain Mithali Raj. |
Curling
edit| Title | Year | Genre | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Men with Brooms | 2002 | Romantic comedy | |
| Kong Curling | 2011 | Comedy | |
| Gerri Curls | 2021 | Comedy |
Dandi biyo (Gillidanda)
edit| Title | Year | Genre | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Damaru Ko Dandibiyo | 2018 | Romantic comedy | A Nepali film starring Khagendra Lamichhane about a dandi biyo (gillidanda) league in the hills of Nepal. |
Handball
edit| Title | Year | Genre | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Szansa | 1979 | Drama | |
| Bulggot shoot tonki | 1993 | Family drama | |
| Forever the Moment | 2008 | Drama | South Korean film about handball at the 2004 Summer Olympics. |
| Projekt Gold | 2007 | Documentary | Film about the German national handball team at the 2007 World Men's Handball Championship. |
Hockey (Field hockey)
edit| Title | Year | Genre | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chak De! India | 2007 | Drama | A disgraced former field hockey player (Shahrukh Khan) seeks redemption by coaching the India women's national field hockey team. Won numerous Indian film awards. |
| Prithipal Singh... A Story | 2015 | Documentary | Recounts the life of Indian field hockey legend Prithipal Singh. |
| Khido Khundi | 2017 | Drama | A young man decides to play field hockey and beat overseas players as he knows about the rich history of the village of Sansarpur in Punjab, which has produced over 15 hockey legends who represented not only India but other countries as well. |
| Gold | 2018 | Drama | A newly independent India competes in field hockey at the 1948 Summer Olympics. Film has fictional characters based on Balbir Singh Sr., Dhyan Chand and others. |
| Harjeeta | 2018 | Biographical | Film based on the life of Harjeet Singh Tuli, captain of the Indian junior hockey team of India that won a World Cup in field hockey. |
| Soorma | 2018 | Drama | Biopic based on the life of hockey player Sandeep Singh, starring Diljit Dosanjh and Taapsee Pannu. |
Hockey (Ice hockey)
editKabaddi
edit| Title | Year | Genre | Language | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Okkadu | 2003 | Drama | Telugu | |
| Ghilli | 2004 | Drama | Tamil | A remake of Okkadu. |
| Ajay | 2006 | Drama | Kannada | A remake of Okkadu. |
| Kabbadi | 2009 | Drama | Kannada | |
| Vennila Kabadi Kuzhu | 2009 | Drama | Tamil | Also remade as Bheemili Kabaddi Jattu. |
| Kabaddi Ik Mohabbat | 2010 | Drama | Punjabi | |
| Kabaddi Once Again | 2012 | Drama | Punjabi | Film set in England. |
| Aryan | 2014 | Drama | Kannada | |
| Panga | 2020 | Drama | Hindi | A female kabaddi player comes back to the sport after marriage and having a kid. |
Lacrosse
edit| Title | Year | Genre | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wild Child | 2008 | Drama | A California girl (Emma Roberts) moves to England, where she develops a skill for lacrosse. |
| A Warrior's Heart | 2011 | Drama | A teen lacrosse star (Kellan Lutz) is instructed by a former wartime friend of his father. |
| Crooked Arrows | 2012 | Drama | A Native American high school lacrosse team rediscovers its heritage in a New York league. |
| Fantastic Lies | 2016 | Documentary | Made for TV as a part of ESPN's 30 for 30 series. A 10-year retrospective of the Duke lacrosse case. |
| Keepers of the Game | 2016 | Documentary | An all-Mohawk girls' high school team in New York face opposition from within their tribe and struggle to keep their funding. |
| The Grizzlies | 2018 | Drama | Based on the true story of a youth lacrosse team set up to combat youth suicide in the community of Kugluktuk, Nunavut. |
Rugby
edit| Title | Year | Genre | Code | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| This Sporting Life | 1963 | Drama | Rugby league | Richard Harris stars in an Oscar-nominated performance as a coal miner recruited to play rugby. |
| Grand Slam | 1978 | Comedy | Rugby union | Old friends including Hugh Griffith are eager to attend Wales' match with France. |
| The First Kangaroos | 1988 | Comedy, drama | Rugby league | Dennis Waterman stars in a story of an Australian team on a tour of Great Britain. |
| Old Scores | 1991 | Comedy, drama | Rugby union | A controversial match between New Zealand and Wales is replayed 25 years later with the original teams. Starring Windsor Davies, Martyn Sanderson, and John Bach. |
| Up 'n' Under | 1998 | Comedy | Rugby league | Story of an inept pub team, based on a John Godber play. |
| School Wars: Hero | 2004 | Rugby union | ||
| Sye | 2004 | Rugby union | Story of a students' challenge to win a rugby game to retain their college. | |
| Murderball | 2005 | Documentary | Wheelchair rugby | Oscar-nominated documentary about rival quadraplegic athletes aiming for the Paralympic Games. |
| Freetime Machos | 2005 | Documentary | Rugby union | |
| Footy Legends | 2006 | Comedy | Rugby league | Story of a young Vietnamese-Australian's obsession with rugby. |
| Number 10 | 2006 | Rugby union | ||
| The Final Winter | 2007 | Drama | Rugby league | Story of an Australian's fight to keep commercialism from ruining the game. |
| Forever Strong | 2008 | Drama | Rugby union | Based on an amalgam of true stories from the rugby program of Highland High School in Salt Lake City. |
| Invictus | 2009 | Drama | Rugby union | Based on the 1995 Rugby World Cup and the ultimately victorious host team, South Africa. Morgan Freeman as Nelson Mandela and Matt Damon as Springboks captain François Pienaar. |
| The 16th Man | 2010 | Documentary | Rugby union | Made for TV as part of ESPN's 30 for 30 series. Also chronicles the 1995 Rugby World Cup, but focuses more on Mandela's support of the Springboks and its effect on post-apartheid South Africa. |
| A Giant Awakens: the Rise of American Rugby | 2010 | Documentary | Rugby union | |
| Getroud Met Rugby: Die Onvertelde Stori | 2011 | Drama | Rugby union | A struggling rugby union player fights to regain his place in his former team by coaching a troubled ex-convict to be a star player himself. Starring Izak Davel and Altus Theart. A tie-in to Season 4 of the Afrikaans TV series Getroud Met Rugby. |
| The Kick | 2014 | Drama | Rugby union | NZ made-for-TV film dramatizing how Stephen Donald went from afterthought in the All Blacks fly-half pool to scoring what proved to be the winning points in the 2011 Rugby World Cup final. |
| Prep School | 2015 | Drama | Rugby union | When the star player of an elite prep school rugby team suffers an emotional collapse, his friends and teammates respond in their own ways, ranging from heroic to horrifying. Starring Carly Schroeder and Clayton Rohner. |
| Chasing Great | 2016 | Documentary | Rugby union | New Zealand film exploring the life and career of All Blacks legend Richie McCaw against the backdrop of his final playing season leading up to the 2015 Rugby World Cup. |
| Mercenary | 2016 | Drama | Rugby union | French film focusing on the journey of a young man from the French possession of Wallis and Futuna to play in Metropolitan France. Lead character portrayed by real-life professional player Toki Pilioko. |
Volleyball
edit| Title | Year | Genre | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spiker | 1986 | Drama | A strict coach (Michael Parks) trains candidates for U.S. men's volleyball team. |
| Side Out | 1990 | Comedy | California beach volleyball story starring C. Thomas Howell. |
| The Iron Ladies | 2000 | Comedy | Thai film about a men's (and transgender) volleyball team. |
| The Iron Ladies 2 | 2003 | Comedy | Sequel to the surprise hit about a gay volleyball team having troubles with their success and fame, and how they reunite after they split because of creative differences. |
| Air Bud: Spikes Back | 2003 | Family comedy | Direct-to-video film in the Air Bud series. |
| All You've Got | 2006 | Drama | MTV story of rival girls volleyball players. |
| Cloud 9 | 2006 | Comedy | Burt Reynolds coaches volleyball-playing Malibu strippers at the beach. |
| Impact Point | 2008 | Thriller | Beach volleyball player might have a murderer after her. |
| Green Flash | 2008 | Drama | Frustrated basketball player tries his hand at volleyball. |
| Beach Spike | 2010 | Drama | Hong Kong film combining martial arts and beach volleyball. |
| The Miracle Season | 2018 | Drama | Based on the 2011 girls' season of Iowa City West High School, attempting to defend a state title after the death of its star setter in a moped accident. |
Water polo
edit| Title | Year | Genre | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Red Wood Pigeon | 1989 | Comedy, drama | |
| Freedom's Fury | 2006 | Documentary | A look back at the 1956 Blood in the Water match between Hungary and the USSR. |
| Children of Glory | 2006 | Drama | A dramatization of the Hungarian team's experience at the 1956 Summer Olympics. |
Triathlon
edit| Title | Year | Genre | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 100 metros | 2016 | Spanish film that chronicles a man with multiple sclerosis attempting the Ironman Triathlon despite doctors advice that he cannot manage 100 meters. | |
| Luca | 2021 | Fantasy | Set on the Italian Riviera, the film centers on Luca Paguro, a sea monster boy with the ability to assume human form while on land, who explores the town of Portorosso with his new best friend Alberto Scorfano, experiencing a life-changing summer.[2] |
Racing sports
editAuto racing
editAviation sport
edit| Title | Year | Genre | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Going Wild | 1930 | Comedy | Pretending to be a pilot, Rollo Smith (Joe E. Brown) enters a $25,000 air race. |
| Flying Devils | 1933 | Romance | "Speed" Hardy (Ralph Bellamy) and a crew of air daredevils perform dangerous stunts. |
| The King's Cup | 1933 | Drama | A girl helps a pilot regain his nerve before entering Cup endurance race. |
| Women in the Wind | 1939 | Drama | Aviatrix Janet Steele (Kay Francis) enters a derby from California to Cleveland. |
| The Sound Barrier | 1952 | Drama | Story of brave test pilots, directed by David Lean. |
| Those Magnificent Men in their Flying Machines | 1965 | Comedy | A lighthearted tale of a London-to-Paris air race in 1910. |
| The Great Waldo Pepper | 1975 | Drama | Depicts 1920s barnstorming and its consequences. Robert Redford stars as the title character. |
| Thunder Over Reno | 2008 | Drama | |
| Planes | 2013 | Comedy | A crop duster competes in a national championship race. |
Cycling
editMotorboat racing
edit| Title | Year | Genre | Type | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Top Speed | 1930 | Comedy | Speedboat | Farce about a faker who enters a race, then is bribed to lose it on purpose. |
| Speed Demon | 1933 | Drama | Motorboat | The disgraced Speed Morrow attempts to win a race and rescue a kidnapped child. |
| Motor Madness | 1937 | Drama | Speedboat | Gamblers try to coax a guy to deliberately lose a big motorboat race in Santa Monica, California. |
| Madison | 2001 | Drama | Hydroplane | Loosely based on Miss Madison, a boat raced by a community-owned team from Madison, Indiana, and especially on the boat's 1971 victory in the town's Madison Regatta. |
Motorcycle racing
edit| Title | Year | Genre | Type | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Money for Speed | 1933 | Drama | Motorcycle | Motorcycle racers vie at speedway and over love of Ida Lupino. |
| No Limit | 1935 | Comedy | Road racing | A George Formby farce set at an Isle of Man race. |
| Once a Jolly Swagman | 1949 | Drama | Motorcycle speedway | British film starring Dirk Bogarde. |
| The Pace That Thrills | 1952 | Drama | Motorcycle | Two bike racers complete for a reporter's affection. |
| The Sidehackers | 1969 | Drama | Sidecar cycles | A racer seeks revenge after being assaulted by outlaw bikers. |
| Little Fauss and Big Halsy | 1970 | Drama | Motorcycle | Robert Redford stars as a ladies' man who betrays his best friend. |
| On Any Sunday | 1971 | Documentary | Motorcycle | Steve McQueen and others discuss racing in Bruce Brown film. |
| Silver Dream Racer | 1980 | Drama | Road racing | David Essex stars as an aspiring motorcycle racer. |
| Spetters | 1980 | Drama | Motorcycle | Erotic film by Paul Verhoeven on Dutch motorcycle racers. |
| Take It to the Limit | 1980 | Documentary | Motorcycle | Covers speedway, desert racing, hill climb and more from 1970s. |
| The Last Hero | 1982 | Drama | Road racing | |
| Motocrossed | 2001 | Comedy | Motocross | A young girl poses as twin brother to win motocross race after he breaks a leg. |
| Biker Boyz | 2003 | Drama | Motorcycle | Laurence Fishburne stars in a tale of underground drag races. |
| Faster | 2003 | Documentary | Motorcycle | Behind the scenes at the MotoGP world championship. |
| The World's Fastest Indian | 2005 | Biographical | Land speed record | Burt Munro (Anthony Hopkins) pursues a land speed record on his Indian Scout motorcycle. |
Rowing
edit| Title | Year | Genre | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Freshman Love | 1936 | Musical | A coach's daughter recruits crew members for the school's rowing team. |
| A Yank at Oxford | 1938 | Drama | An arrogant American (Robert Taylor) tries to earn respect by rowing for Oxford. |
| Let's Go Collegiate | 1941 | Comedy | When a rowing teammate gets drafted, Frankie Monahan (Frankie Darro) recruits a new crew member to impersonate him. |
| Oxford Blues | 1984 | Comedy, drama | Nick Di Angelo (Rob Lowe) leaves Las Vegas to pursue an Englishwoman and ends up rowing for Oxford. |
| The Boy in Blue | 1986 | Drama | Nicolas Cage stars as a Canadian sculler. |
| True Blue | 1996 | Drama | A fact-based story involving a 1987 Oxford vs. Cambridge race. |
| Give It All | 1998 | Drama | Japanese film about an all-girls rowing team. |
| Queen of the Night | 2001 | Drama | Croatian film. |
| Summer Storm | 2004 | Drama | German film about young boys rowing in a regatta. |
| Backwards | 2012 | Drama | A high-level female rower becomes a high-school coach. |
| Bert and Dickie | 2012 | Biographical | Two men up in sculls for the 1948 Summer Olympics. |
| The Boys in the Boat | 2023 | Biographical | About the US rowing team at the 1936 Summer Olympics. |
Sailing
edit| Title | Year | Genre | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Lipton Cup | 1913 | Drama | A drama of a sailboat race and the ship-builder who builds the yacht that wins the Lipton Cup. |
| Kon-Tiki | 1950 | Documentary | Oscar-winning film on Thor Heyerdahl's 1947 adventure. |
| Windjammer | 1958 | Documentary | Following a Norwegian vessel's 17,500-nautical-mile voyage. |
| The Dove | 1974 | Drama | Based on the true story of a 16-year-old's five-year sail around the world. |
| The Sea Gypsies | 1978 | Family | Two girls and their father embark on an around-the-world sail. |
| The Riddle of the Sands | 1979 | Drama | A pair of 1901 yachtsmen discover a sinister plot. |
| Summer Rental | 1985 | Comedy | Jack Chester (John Candy) challenges an obnoxious sailing champ to a race while on a family vacation. |
| One Crazy Summer | 1986 | Comedy | A romance on Nantucket develops between Hoops McCann (John Cusack) and Cassandra Eldridge (Demi Moore). |
| Wind | 1992 | Drama | Matthew Modine stars as the skipper of an America's Cup yacht. |
| White Squall | 1996 | Drama | A young crew is taught to sail by Captain Christopher "Skipper" Sheldon (Jeff Bridges) during a harrowing voyage. |
| Morning Light | 2008 | Drama | Disney film about a Transpacific Yacht Race. |
| Charlie St. Cloud | 2010 | Romantic Drama | A teenager (Zac Efron) who sails must cope with a family tragedy. |
| Kon-Tiki | 2012 | Historical drama | New dramatization of Thor Heyerdahl's 1947 adventure. |
| All Is Lost | 2013 | Adventure | Robert Redford stars as an unnamed man, lost at sea. |
| Maidentrip | 2014 | Documentary | Following Laura Dekker's controversial around the world solo voyage. |
Individual sport
editAthletics
editBowling
edit| Title | Year | Genre | Type | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Strikes and Spares | 1934 | Short film | Ten-pin | An Oscar-nominated short subject. |
| Dreamer | 1979 | Drama | Ten-pin | Tim Matheson stars as a young man whose dream is to become a pro bowler. |
| Greedy | 1994 | Comedy | Ten-pin | A struggling PBA Tour bowler (Michael J. Fox) wants his wealthy uncle's money. |
| Kingpin | 1996 | Comedy | Ten-pin | Woody Harrelson stars as a bowler with a prosthetic hand who takes an Amish man on the road. |
| The Big Lebowski | 1998 | Comedy | Ten-pin | "The Dude" Lebowski, mistaken for a millionaire Lebowski, seeks restitution for his ruined rug and enlists his bowling buddies to help get it. |
| Alley Cats Strike | 2000 | Family | Ten-pin | Disney Channel Original Movie about junior high school students. |
| Crackerjack | 2002 | Comedy | Bowls | When reluctant bowler Jack Simpson is forced to play to save the club he is a member of it turns out Jack is a natural. |
| Blackball | 2003 | Comedy | Bowls | Comedy about a rebellious bowler inspired by Griff Sanders. |
| A League of Ordinary Gentlemen | 2006 | Documentary | Ten-pin | Behind-the-scenes look at bowlers at a PBA Tour. |
| Split | 2016 | Comedy | Ten-pin | An over-achieving woman with a thing for bowlers decides to marry the man of her dreams in just under a month. |
Boxing
editCaving
edit| Title | Year | Genre | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Descent | 2005 | Horror | A caving expedition goes horribly wrong as the explorers become trapped and pursued by predators. |
| The Cave | 2005 | Horror | Bloodthirsty creatures await a pack of divers who become trapped in an underwater cave network. |
| The Descent Part 2 | 2009 | Horror | Sequel to the 2005 film. |
| Sanctum | 2011 | Adventure | An underwater team experiences a crisis during an expedition to unexplored cave system. |
Darts
edit| Title | Year | Genre | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Darts | 2024 | Documentary | Upcoming; focuses on the Professional Darts Corporation and its players. |
Fencing
edit| Title | Year | Genre | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| By the Sword | 1991 | Drama | A man running a fencing school (Eric Roberts) crosses swords with an ex-convict (F. Murray Abraham). |
| The Fencing Master | 1992 | Drama | Spanish film starring Joaquim de Almeida. |
| The Fencer | 2015 | Drama | A young Estonian fencer named Endel is forced to return to his homeland, where he begins to train a group of young children in the art of fencing. |
Figure skating
edit| Title | Year | Genre | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| One in a Million | 1936 | Drama | Innkeeper's daughter (Sonja Henie) skates at the 1936 Winter Olympics. |
| Thin Ice | 1937 | Romance | Sonja Henie is a ski instructor and skater who falls for a prince. |
| Happy Landing | 1938 | Romance | A Norwegian girl meets anNew York bandleader and becomes a skating star. |
| My Lucky Star | 1938 | Comedy | A skating star is implicated in a divorce and kicked out of college. |
| The Ice Follies of 1939 | 1939 | Romance | Careers clash for Ice Follies producer Larry Hall (James Stewart) and actress wife Mary McKay (Joan Crawford). |
| Everything's on Ice | 1939 | Drama | A skater's uncle manages her career, then steals her money. |
| Ice-Capades | 1941 | Comedy | A promoter (Phil Silvers) passes off the wrong skater as his new star. |
| Ice-Capades Revue | 1942 | Comedy | After a woman (Ellen Drew) inherits a skating troupe, a gangster tries to ruin her. |
| Iceland | 1942 | Musical | A skater from Iceland falls for a U.S. Marine (John Payne). |
| Wintertime | 1943 | Comedy | A Norwegian girl (Henie) must wed an American to skate in New York. |
| Lady, Let's Dance | 1944 | Musical | Figure skater Belita joins a California dancing act. |
| Lake Placid Serenade | 1944 | Drama | After the invasion of her homeland, a Czech skater (Vera Ralston) comes to the U.S. |
| It's a Pleasure! | 1945 | Comedy | A suspended hockey player becomes a comedy act for an ice revue. |
| Suspense | 1946 | Film noir | An ice-skating revue's star (Belita) is torn between two men. |
| Spring on Ice | 1951 | Musical | Austrian film featuring 1948 Winter Olympics runner-up Eva Pawlik. |
| Ice Castles | 1978 | Romance | Lynn-Holly Johnson stars as a figure skater who is left blind after a serious injury. |
| Champions: A Love Story | 1979 | Romance | TV movie about two teens who become romantically involved as they train for a skating championship. |
| Ice Pawn | 1989 | Drama | Dan Haggerty's favorite champion of ice skating. |
| On Thin Ice: The Tai Babilonia Story | 1990 | Biographical | Fact-based TV film on champion skater's career focusing on her drug abuse and depression. |
| Carmen on Ice | 1990 | Performance | Skaters including Katarina Witt are featured performing to Carmen. |
| The Cutting Edge | 1992 | Romantic comedy | A hockey player (D.B. Sweeney) becomes an Olympic pairs skater. |
| Tonya and Nancy: The Inside Story | 1994 | Biographical | TV film about the Tonya Harding/Nancy Kerrigan saga that happened earlier in the year. |
| A Promise Kept: The Oksana Baiul Story | 1994 | Biographical | TV film about Oksana Baiul's rise from orphan to Olympic champion. |
| Ice Angel | 2000 | Fantasy | TV film about hockey-playing boy who dies and is reincarnated as a girl figure skater. |
| On Edge | 2004 | Mockumentary, comedy | Fake documentary following a local skating competition. |
| Ice Princess | 2005 | Family comedy | Michelle Trachtenberg stars as a 17-year-old who spurns Harvard to try figure skating. |
| Go Figure | 2005 | Family comedy | TV film of a would-be figure skater who finds she prefers hockey. |
| The Cutting Edge: Going for the Gold | 2006 | Romantic drama | Made-for-TV sequel about the offspring of skaters from the 1992 film. |
| Blades of Glory | 2007 | Comedy | Rival figure skaters (Will Ferrell and Jon Heder) compete together as the first-ever same-sex skating pair. |
| The Cutting Edge: Chasing the Dream | 2008 | Romantic drama | Second sequel to the 1992 film. |
| Ice Castles | 2010 | Romantic drama | A remake of the 1978 film. |
| The Cutting Edge: Fire and Ice | 2010 | Romantic drama | Third sequel to the 1992 film. |
| The Diplomat | 2013 | Documentary | Made for TV as part of ESPN's Nine for IX series. The story of figure skater Katarina Witt, two-time Olympic gold medalist and reluctant pawn of the Cold War. |
| The Price of Gold | 2014 | Documentary | Made for TV as part of ESPN's 30 for 30 series. A 20-year retrospective of the 1994 attack on Nancy Kerrigan by associates of Tonya Harding. |
| I, Tonya | 2017 | Biographical | Margot Robbie portrays controversial figure skater Tonya Harding. |
Golf
edit| Title | Year | Genre | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Golf Mad | 1915 | Comedy | Silent film about a man who gets the golfing craze and wreaks havoc with clubs. |
| Golf | 1922 | Comedy | A golfer digs holes in his floor and plays indoors, smashing mirrors and vases. |
| West of Broadway | 1926 | Comedy | Silent film about Wyoming rancher who sets out to attract tourists to his golf club/resort. |
| Spring Fever | 1927 | Comedy | Silent film about a golfer who hopes to marry a rich girl (Joan Crawford). |
| Love in the Rough | 1930 | Musical | A sound remake of Spring Fever, with Robert Montgomery and songs. |
| The Golf Specialist | 1930 | Comedy | W. C. Fields short subject in which he gives lessons on the game. |
| Part Time Wife | 1930 | Romance | A man who loses his golf-loving spouse learns the game so he can play her. |
| Follow Thru | 1930 | Musical | A club champion competes with her rival over their handsome instructor. |
| Follow the Sun | 1951 | Biographical | Story of success and adversity of Ben Hogan (Glenn Ford). |
| Pat and Mike | 1952 | Comedy | Spencer Tracy stars as the new trainer of a great female athlete (Katharine Hepburn). |
| The Caddy | 1953 | Comedy | Martin and Lewis golf comedy. |
| Banning | 1967 | Drama | A PGA pro (Robert Wagner) banned for cheating gets into debt and a dangerous match. |
| Once You Kiss a Stranger | 1970 | Thriller | A pro golfer is menaced by a deranged woman who murders his rival. |
| Babe | 1975 | Biographical | TV film on life of Babe Didrikson Zaharias, starring Susan Clark and Alex Karras. |
| Caddyshack | 1980 | Comedy | Manic antics at Bushwood Country Club, starring Bill Murray, Chevy Chase and Rodney Dangerfield. |
| Dorf on Golf | 1987 | Comedy | Direct-to-video short film. First entry in Dorf series with Tim Conway. |
| Caddyshack II | 1988 | Comedy | Sequel to 1980 hit, with Jackie Mason as an insulted guest who decides to buy Bushwood. |
| Dead Solid Perfect | 1988 | Drama | Made for TV, based on Dan Jenkins novel. |
| Dorf's Golf Bible | 1988 | Comedy | Direct-to-video short film; second in the Dorf series. |
| Den ofrivillige golfaren | 1991 | Comedy | Swedish film |
| The Man with the Perfect Swing | 1995 | Comedy, drama | A man tries to get investors to back his concept for a can't-miss golf swing. |
| Happy Gilmore | 1996 | Comedy | Adam Sandler as a hockey player who takes up golf. |
| Tin Cup | 1996 | Romantic comedy | A driving-range owner (Kevin Costner) qualifies for the U.S. Open. |
| The Tiger Woods Story | 1998 | Biography | Tiger Woods' meteoric rise to the pinnacle of the golfing world |
| National Lampoon's Golf Punks | 1998 | Comedy | A washed-up former PGA Tour golfer is given the task of teaching golf to a group of teenaged underachievers. |
| Miracle on the 17th Green | 1999 | Drama | A fired middle-aged advertising executive (Robert Urich) tries professional golf. |
| The Legend of Bagger Vance | 2000 | Drama | Period piece about a golfer (Matt Damon) in a match against Bobby Jones and Walter Hagen. |
| A Gentleman's Game | 2002 | Drama | A young man (Mason Gamble) gets golf and life lessons at a country club. |
| Par 6 | 2002 | Comedy, drama | Family members construct a golf course, fulfilling their deceased father's dream. |
| Birdie & Bogey | 2004 | Drama | Janine Turner portrays a doomed girl who caddies for her dad. |
| Bobby Jones: Stroke of Genius | 2004 | Biographical | Life and career of Bobby Jones, starring James Caviezel. |
| The Greatest Game Ever Played | 2005 | Biographical | Story of young Francis Ouimet, played by Shia LaBeouf, and his victory in 1913 U.S. Open, which led to major golf boom in U.S. |
| Who's Your Caddy? | 2007 | Comedy | Big Boi, Lil Wayne and friends at the golf course. |
| Fairway to Heaven | 2007 | Comedy | A former hot-shot junior golfer still dreams of becoming famous. |
| The Back Nine | 2009 | Documentary | True story of a man's dream to become a professional golfer. |
| Hole in One | 2010 | Comedy | Farce about a young man who joins women's golf tour. |
| Golf in the Kingdom | 2011 | Drama | A mystical figure from India teaches a golfer spirituality. |
| Seven Days in Utopia | 2011 | Drama | Christian-themed story of young golfer (Lucas Black) and the many lessons he learns. |
| From the Rough | 2011 | Biographical | Taraji P. Henson stars as Catana Starks, the first woman to coach a men's college team—at a historically black school with no tradition in the sport. |
| Arthur Newman | 2012 | Drama | A failed pro golfer (Colin Firth) fakes his own death, starts a new life. |
| Becoming Redwood | 2012 | Drama | A man fantasizes of beating Jack Nicklaus in the 1975 Masters. |
| The Short Game | 2013 | Documentary | Profiles eight entrants in a 2012 U.S. golf competition for 7- and 8-year-olds. |
| Seve | 2014 | Biographical | Spanish film charting the life of Seve Ballesteros. |
| Hit It Hard | 2016 | Documentary | Made for TV as a part of ESPN's 30 for 30 series. Examines the rise of John Daly from obscurity to win two major championships and his fall back to mediocrity. |
| Tommy's Honour | 2016 | Biographical | Examines the lives and careers of father-and-son golf pioneers Old Tom and Young Tom Morris. |
| Freaky Ali | 2016 | Comedy, drama | Based on the 1996 American comedy film, Happy Gilmore. In this movie main actor is Nawazuddin Siddiqui |
| The Phantom of the Open | 2021 | Biographical, comedy, drama | Amateur golfer Maurice Flifcroft poses as a professional to compete in the 1976 Open Championship qualification round. |
Gymnastics
edit| Title | Year | Genre | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nadia | 1984 | Drama | Biographical film on Nadia Comăneci. |
| American Anthem | 1986 | Drama | Starring former Olympian Mitch Gaylord. |
| Flying | 1986 | Drama | After a car crash, a gymnast attempts a comeback. Featuring Keanu Reeves. |
| Perfect Body | 1997 | Drama | A young female gymnast develops an eating disorder. |
| Stick It | 2006 | Comedy, drama | Jeff Bridges as a girls' gym coach. |
| Peaceful Warrior | 2006 | Drama | A mysterious spiritual guide (Nick Nolte) advises a college gymnast. |
| An American Girl: McKenna Shoots for the Stars | 2012 | Family drama | Young schoolgirl McKenna Brooks aims for the 2016 Summer Olympics. |
| Full Out | 2015 | Biographical | TV family film about the gymnast Ariana Berlin. |
| The Bronze | 2015 | Comedy | A has-been Olympian turns to drugs, theft and desperation. |
| Chalk It Up | 2016 | Comedy | Lovestruck college girl becomes a gymnast to impress a rugby player. |
Hiking
edit| Title | Year | Genre | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gerry | 2002 | Drama | Fictional story of hikers (Matt Damon, Casey Affleck) who become hopelessly lost. |
| 127 Hours | 2010 | Biographical drama | Aron Ralston (portrayed by James Franco) gets trapped by a boulder while canyoneering. |
| Wild | 2014 | Biographical drama | Depicting a lone woman's (Reese Witherspoon) 1,000-mile trek through Pacific Crest Trail. |
Martial arts
editNote: Films should not be listed here unless the sporting aspects of martial arts play a major part in the plot.
| Title | Year | Genre | Style | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sanshiro Sugata | 1943 | Action | Jujutsu Judo |
|
| Sanshiro Sugata Part II | 1943 | Action | Judo | |
| Enter the Dragon | 1973 | Action | Jeet Kune Do Kung Fu |
Bruce Lee's final screen appearance before his death. |
| Cordão de Ouro | 1977 | Action | Capoeira | |
| Knightriders | 1981 | Drama | ||
| The Karate Kid | 1984 | Family | Karate | Retired karate master Mr. Miyagi (Pat Morita) instructs a newcomer (Ralph Macchio). |
| The Karate Kid Part II | 1986 | Family | Karate | Sequel to the 1984 hit. |
| No Retreat, No Surrender | 1986 | Action, drama | MMA | A Seattle boy ends up fighting a Russian martial-arts star (Jean-Claude Van Damme). |
| Bloodsport | 1988 | Action | MMA | Frank Dux (played by Van Damme), a Canadian, enters a competition in Hong Kong. |
| The Karate Kid Part III | 1989 | Family | Karate | Second sequel to the 1984 film. |
| Best of the Best | 1989 | Action | Tae Kwon Do | Americans take on Koreans in a tae kwon do tournament. Eric Roberts stars. |
| Kickboxer | 1989 | Action | Kickboxing Muay Thai | An American and his brother end up in a life-or-death competition in Asia. |
| Hard to Kill | 1990 | Action | Aikido | |
| Out For Justice | 1991 | Action | Aikido | |
| Sidekicks | 1992 | Action | Karate | A boy with asthma fantasizes about being taught by Chuck Norris, and gets to compete alongside him in a tournament. |
| 3 Ninjas | 1992 | Family | Ninjutsu | Three boys learn ninjutsu from their Japanese grandfather. |
| Only the Strong | 1993 | Action | Capoeira | An ex-Green Beret uses martial arts against Miami drug dealers. |
| The Next Karate Kid | 1994 | Family | Karate | Another sequel, this time with a girl (Hilary Swank) as Mr. Miyagi's apt pupil. |
| Street Fighter II: The Animated Movie | 1994 | Action | Various | |
| Street Fighter | 1994 | Action | Various | |
| Mortal Kombat | 1995 | Action | Various | Based on the video game. |
| The Quest | 1996 | Action | MMA | In 1925, a pickpocket flees America and ends up fighting for his life near Siam. |
| A Fighter's Blues | 2000 | Drama | Muay Thai | Andy Lau's 100th film role. |
| Undisputed | 2002 | Action | Boxing | Television film about a boxing match inside a prison. |
| Ong-Bak: Muay Thai Warrior | 2003 | Action | Muay Thai | |
| Johnny | 2003 | Drama | Muay Thai | |
| Amma Nanna O Tamila Ammayi | 2003 | Drama | Muay Thai | |
| Undisputed II: Last Man Standing | 2006 | Action | MMA | Sequel to 2002 prison fight film, with a different cast. |
| DOA: Dead or Alive | 2006 | Action | Various | Four females enter a tournament. |
| Fearless | 2006 | Biography | Various | Biography of Chinese Martial Arts Master Huo Yuanjia, who is the founder and spiritual guru of the Jin Wu Sports Federation. |
| Redbelt | 2007 | Drama | MMA | An instructor reluctantly enters a tournament. Written and directed by David Mamet. |
| Never Back Down | 2008 | Action, drama | MMA | An Orlando, Florida high school boy discovers martial arts. |
| Champions | 2008 | Action | Wushu | |
| Ip Man | 2008 | Action, drama | Wing Chun | |
| Besouro | 2009 | Action | Capoeira | |
| Blood and Bone | 2009 | Action | MMA | |
| Fighting | 2009 | Action, drama | MMA | A New York street hustler (Channing Tatum) reneges on a guarantee to lose a big fight. |
| Tekken | 2009 | Action | MMA | |
| Ip Man 2 | 2010 | Action, drama | Wing Chun | |
| The Karate Kid | 2010 | Family | Kung Fu | Remake of the 1984 film with Jackie Chan and Jaden Smith. Unlike original film, and despite title, this version involves kung fu instead of karate. |
| The King of Fighters | 2010 | Action | Various | Science-fiction story involving a thief. |
| Knucklehead | 2010 | Comedy | MMA | An amateur wrestler (Big Show) enters a $100,000 tournament in New Orleans. |
| Ong Bak 3 | 2010 | Action | Muay Thai | |
| Undisputed III: Redemption | 2010 | Action | MMA | A convict is taken to Russia for a fight behind bars. |
| Warrior | 2011 | Action, drama | MMA | Brothers fight for an MMA championship, one trained by their dad (Nick Nolte). |
| Never Back Down 2 | 2011 | Action | MMA | Sequel to the 2008 film. |
| Here Comes the Boom | 2012 | Comedy | MMA | Kevin James stars as a teacher who moonlights as a UFC competitor. |
| Unbeatable | 2013 | Drama | MMA | Hong Kong film |
| A Grande Vitória | 2014 | Drama | Judo | Brazilian film |
| Brothers | 2015 | Drama | MMA | Bollywood film and official remake of Warrior. |
| Ip Man 3 | 2015 | Action drama | Wing Chun | |
| Chuck & Tito | 2019 | Documentary | MMA | Made for TV as a part of ESPN's 30 for 30 series. Chronicles the up-and-down relationship between two of the major figures in MMA history, Chuck Liddell and Tito Ortiz. |
| Be Water | 2020 | Documentary | Various | Made for TV as a part of ESPN's 30 for 30 series. Examination of the life and legacy of Bruce Lee as an icon of both film and martial arts as the 80th anniversary of his birth approaches. |
| Cagefighter: Worlds Collide | 2020 | Drama | MMA | Made for TV. A successful MMA champion agrees to defend his title against a pro wrestler (Jonathan Good, aka Jon Moxley), only to find himself in the toughest fight of his life. |
Mountaineering and climbing
edit| Title | Year | Genre | Discipline | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gateway of the Caucasus | 1931 | Documentary | Mountain climbing | An intrepid band of climbers make it their goal in life to scale the lofty Kazbak and return from it safely. |
| The White Tower | 1950 | Drama | Mountain climbing | In the Swiss Alps, a woman is determined to make a climb where her father was killed. |
| Third Man on the Mountain | 1959 | Drama | Mountain climbing | A Walt Disney tale of a Swiss man's perilous experience on the Citadel. |
| The Eiger Sanction | 1975 | Drama | Mountain climbing | A fictional thriller about a paid assassin (Clint Eastwood) on a treacherous Eiger climb. |
| K2 | 1991 | Biographical, drama | Mountain climbing | Loosely based on real events, a pair of weekend-climber Americans join a team scaling the second-highest peak on Earth. |
| Vertical Limit | 2000 | Drama | Mountain climbing | A retired climber's sister makes an attempt to reach the top of K2. |
| Touching the Void | 2003 | Documentary | Mountain climbing | True story about a harrowing 1985 expedition in the Andes. |
| To the Limit | 2007 | Documentary | Rock climbing | A German-made documentary chronicling an adventure in Yosemite National Park. |
| The Climb | 2007 | Documentary | Mountain climbing | A Canadian returns to Mount Everest 25 years after a life-altering experience there. |
| North Face | 2008 | Drama | Mountain climbing | Based on a 1936 climb up the Eiger's north face that ended disastrously. |
| The Wildest Dream | 2010 | Documentary | Mountain climbing | The famed George Mallory's 1924 disappearance from Mount Everest is recounted. |
| The Summit | 2012 | Documentary | Mountain climbing | An account of the lives impacted by the 2008 K2 disaster. |
| Everest | 2015 | Drama | Mountain climbing | Story of the 1996 Mount Everest disaster. |
| Meru | 2015 | Documentary | Mountain climbing | Chronicles the first ascent of "The Shark's Fin", a famously difficult route to the summit of Meru Peak in the Indian Himalayas. |
| Poorna: Courage Has No Limit | 2017 | Biographical | Mountain climbing | Hindi-language film about Malavath Purna, a girl from a tribal background in South India who became the youngest girl to reach the summit of Mount Everest. |
| Free Solo | 2018 | Documentary | Rock climbing | A chronicle of Alex Honnold's 2017 ascent of El Capitan, the first ever accomplished as a free solo. Oscar for Best Documentary Feature. |
Rollerblading
edit| Title | Year | Genre | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Airborne | 1993 | Comedy | A Cincinnati kid becomes a star in inline skating. |
| Brink! | 1998 | Family | Disney Channel Original Movie story about rival California skaters. |
Roller skating
edit| Title | Year | Genre | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Rink | 1916 | Comedy | A 24-minute silent film starring Charlie Chaplin as a waiter who becomes a skater. |
| The Fireball | 1950 | Drama | Mickey Rooney becomes a sensational skater, only to be stricken with polio. |
| Derby | 1971 | Documentary | An inside look at professionals like Charlie O'Connell and Ann Calvello. |
| Kansas City Bomber | 1972 | Drama | Roller derby story starring Raquel Welch that ends in a one-on-one race versus her nemesis. |
| Unholy Rollers | 1972 | Drama | A girl quits her job in a cannery to become a roller derby skater. |
| Skatetown, U.S.A. | 1979 | Drama | L.A. skaters including Ace Johnson (Patrick Swayze) compete in a contest for prize money. |
| Roller Boogie | 1979 | Romance | Terry Barkley (Linda Blair) skates in a California disco while her boyfriend aims for the Olympics. |
| Roll Bounce | 2005 | Family | A group of disadvantaged youths in 1970s Chicago enter a roller disco competition at the ritzy uptown rink. |
| Hell on Wheels | 2007 | Documentary | Austin, Texas women try to revive roller derby for the 21st century. |
| Whip It | 2009 | Comedy, drama | A young woman (Elliot Page) tries her luck at Roller Derby. |
| Hawaa Hawaai | 2014 | Drama | Starring Partho Gupte and Saqib Saleem. |
Shooting
edit| Title | Year | Genre | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Double Tap | 2000 | Action | |
| Triple Tap | 2010 | Action |
Skateboarding
edit| Title | Year | Genre | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Skaterdater | 1965 | Drama | Palme d'Or for Best Short Film, 1966 Cannes Film Festival. |
| Skateboard: The Movie | 1978 | Drama | Features world champion skateboarder Tony Alva. |
| Skateboard Madness | 1980 | Comedy | A reporter too laid-back for his own good is told his last chance is a story on skateboarding |
| Thrashin' | 1986 | Drama | Josh Brolin clashes with a punk skateboard gang. |
| The Search for Animal Chin | 1987 | Documentary, drama | |
| Gleaming the Cube | 1989 | Action, drama | Features Tony Hawk in a small role. |
| Dogtown and Z-Boys | 2001 | Documentary | Directed by Stacy Peralta, one of the original Z-Boys featured in the film. |
| Grind | 2003 | Comedy | Four school friends try to impress a skateboard pro. |
| Stoked | 2003 | Documentary | Mark "Gator" Rogowski goes from skateboard legend to rapist and murderer. |
| Lords of Dogtown | 2005 | Drama | A fictionalized version of many of the events that occurred in Dogtown and Z-Boys. |
| Under the Influence | 2005 | Documentary | 21st-century pool skateboarding in Southern California. |
| A Badlands Adventure | 2009 | Documentary | More about pool skateboarding. |
| Welcome to Ridiculous | 2009 | Documentary | More about pool skateboarding. |
| Street Dreams | 2009 | Drama | Chicago street kid (Paul Rodriguez) becomes a skateboard star. |
| Skate Kitchen | 2018 | Drama | A teenage girl befriends a group of female skateboarders in New York City. |
| Mid90s | 2018 | Drama | A coming-of-age story set in 1990s Los Angeles. |
Skiing
edit| Title | Year | Genre | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| The White Ecstasy | 1931 | Drama | Leni Riefenstahl portrays a young woman learning how to ski. |
| Ski Patrol | 1940 | Drama | Rivals from the 1936 Winter Olympics end up at odds in time of war. |
| Sun Valley Serenade | 1941 | Romance | Sonja Henie falls in love on the ski slopes of Idaho. |
| Two-Faced Woman | 1941 | Romance | Ski instructor (Greta Garbo) and twin sister pursue a fashion magazine editor. |
| Water Trix | 1948 | Short film | Oscar-nominated short by Pete Smith on water ski champ Preston Peterson. |
| Ski Party | 1965 | Comedy | Todd Armstrong (Frankie Avalon) and Craig Gamble (Dwayne Hickman) go to Idaho lodge disguised as women. |
| Ski Fever | 1966 | Romance | Brian Davis (Martin Milner) competes on skis and for a girl (Claudia Martin). |
| Downhill Racer | 1969 | Drama | A self-involved skier (Robert Redford) qualifies for the U.S. Olympic team. |
| Snow Job | 1972 | Action | Jean-Claude Killy stars as a thief who robs a ski resort. |
| The Other Side of the Mountain | 1975 | Biographical | An accident leaves Olympic-bound slalom skier Jill Kinmont paralyzed. |
| Copper Mountain | 1983 | Comedy | Bobby Todd (Jim Carrey) and Jackson Reach (Alan Thicke) go after fun and women in Colorado. |
| Hot Dog…The Movie | 1984 | Comedy | Romance and hijinks at a freestyle competition in Squaw Valley. |
| Going for the Gold: The Bill Johnson Story | 1985 | Biographical | TV film with Anthony Edwards as 1984 Olympic downhill gold medalist Bill Johnson. |
| Better Off Dead | 1985 | Comedy | A teen skier has to deal with his girlfriend dumping him and family issues. |
| Fire and Ice | 1986 | Action | German film, narrated in English by John Denver. |
| Ski School | 1990 | Comedy | Pals play pranks on one another at a ski school. |
| Aspen Extreme | 1993 | Action, drama | Two friends from Michigan move to Colorado to become ski instructors. |
| Ski School 2 | 1994 | Comedy | When a ski instructor learns his ex-girlfriend is getting married, he returns to ski school to stop it. |
| Steep | 2007 | Documentary | A behind-the-scenes look at extreme skiing. |
| Frozen | 2010 | Thriller | Horror story set at a New England ski resort. |
| Truth in Motion | 2010 | Documentary | Contenders prepare for the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver. |
| Molly's Game | 2018 | Drama | Former skier becomes an illegal gambling mogul. |
Ski jumping
edit| Title | Year | Genre | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Great Ecstasy of Woodcarver Steiner | 1974 | Documentary | German film made by acclaimed director Werner Herzog. |
| Matti | 2006 | Drama | Biographical film based on the life and career of Matti Nykänen. |
| Eddie the Eagle | 2016 | Biographical | Story of a hapless British ski jumper from 1988 Calgary Olympics. |
Snowboarding
edit| Title | Year | Genre | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Snowboard Academy | 1996 | Comedy | A slapstick farce starring Jim Varney and Corey Haim. |
| Johnny Tsunami | 1999 | Comedy | TV film |
| Out Cold | 2001 | Comedy | Mountain misadventures of mischievous boys in Alaska. |
| MXP: Most Xtreme Primate | 2003 | Comedy | A direct-to-video sequel to MVP: Most Valuable Primate, with the title chimpanzee now snowboarding in Colorado. |
| The White Album | 2004 | Documentary | Behind-the-scenes look at Olympic gold medalist Shaun White. |
| First Descent | 2005 | Documentary | A look at the sport's origins, filmed mainly in Alaska. |
| White Air | 2007 | Drama | |
| Switch | 2007 | Drama | Norwegian film |
| Shred | 2008 | Comedy | Two washed up snowboarders go up against a sleazy corporate snowboard rep. |
| Snow Summit Showdown | 2009 | Comedy | |
| Chalet Girl | 2011 | Romantic Comedy | A British girl (Felicity Jones) goes to the Alps and discovers snowboarding. |
| The Art of Flight | 2011 | Documentary | Footage of top snowboarders including Travis Rice. |
| The Crash Reel | 2013 | Documentary | Documents the epic rivalry between half-pipe legends Shaun White and Kevin Pearce. |
Sumo wrestling
edit| Title | Year | Genre | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wakanohana monogatari dohyou no oni | 1956 | ||
| Wakanohana monogatari dohyou no oni | 1992 | ||
| Sumo Do, Sumo Don't | 1992 | Comedy | |
| Sumo Bruno | 2000 | Comedy, drama | |
| Sumolah | 2007 | Comedy | |
| A Matter of Size | 2009 | Comedy |
Surfing
edit| Title | Year | Genre | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gidget | 1959 | Romantic comedy | A 17-year-old California girl (Sandra Dee) is introduced to surfing and the guys who do it. |
| Beach Party | 1963 | Comedy | Surfer Frankie (Frankie Avalon) tries to succeed on his board and with Annette Funicello, too. |
| The Endless Summer | 1966 | Documentary | Follows Mike Hynson and Robert August on a trip around the world, plus other prominent surfers. |
| Big Wednesday | 1978 | Drama | Leroy (Gary Busey) and Matt (Jan-Michael Vincent) as California surfers during the Vietnam War years. |
| North Shore | 1987 | Action | Arizona boy moves to Hawaii in attempt to become a pro surfer. |
| Back to the Beach | 1987 | Comedy | Annette (Annette Funicello) and Frankie (Frankie Avalon) reunited for one more beach movie. |
| Surf Nazis Must Die | 1987 | Comedy | Nonsense about rival surf gangs feuding in earthquake-struck California. |
| A Scene at the Sea | 1991 | Drama | Japanese film about a trash collector learning how to surf. |
| Point Break | 1991 | Action | Crime caper about FBI agent (Keanu Reeves) and bank-robbing surfer (Patrick Swayze). |
| Surf Ninjas | 1993 | Comedy | Teen surfers from L.A. discover they are actually Asian princes at war with Colonel Chi (Leslie Nielsen). |
| The Endless Summer II | 1994 | Documentary | Pat O'Connell and Robert "Wingnut" Weaver retrace steps of Hynson and August from Endless Summer. |
| Blue Juice | 1995 | Drama | Romance with Sean Pertwee, Ewan McGregor, Catherine Zeta-Jones. |
| In God's Hands | 1998 | Action drama | Teen boys travel thousands of miles seeking the ultimate wave. |
| 7 Girls | 2001 | Documentary | Focuses on the surfing lives of seven prominent female surfers. |
| Blue Crush | 2002 | Drama | A young woman surfs Oahu's North Shore, meets a Pro Bowl football player. |
| Step into Liquid | 2003 | Documentary | Director Dana Brown explores sport's evolution since his dad's Endless Summer II, including tow-in surfing. |
| Riding Giants | 2004 | Documentary | A historical overview of the sport, focusing primarily on big wave surfing. |
| Surf's Up | 2007 | Comedy | Animated mockumentary |
| Shelter | 2007 | Drama | Gay men meet, surf and hope to live together as a family. |
| Surfwise | 2008 | Documentary | Life of the Paskowitz family. |
| Surfer, Dude | 2009 | Comedy | Steve Addington (Matthew McConaughey) impatiently waits for a big wave to come along. |
| Blue Crush 2 | 2010 | Drama | Sequel to 2002 film with all-new cast surfing in South Africa. |
| Soul Surfer | 2011 | Drama | Biographical film on the life of Bethany Hamilton. |
| Chasing Mavericks | 2012 | Drama | Biographical film on the life of Jay Moriarity. |
| Hawaiian: Legend of Eddie Aikau | 2013 | Documentary | Made for TV as part of ESPN's 30 for 30 series. Biographical film on big-wave surfer Eddie Aikau, whose death inspired a spiritual movement. |
| Drift | 2013 | Drama | Australian film about 1970s surfing innovators, starring Sam Worthington. |
| Surf's Up 2: WaveMania | 2017 | Comedy | Sequel to Surf's Up, where Codey and friends team up with the stars of WWE to surf on Palisade. |
| Unstoppable | 2018 | Documentary | A more recent examination of Bethany Hamilton's life, from childhood to shark attack victim, professional surfer, wife, and mother. |
Swimming and diving
edit| Title | Year | Genre | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Swim Girl, Swim | 1927 | Comedy | A timid miss (Bebe Daniels) swims English Channel and meets Gertrude Ederle. |
| You Said a Mouthful | 1932 | Comedy | An "unsinkable" swimsuit inventor enters a race to impress a girl (Ginger Rogers). |
| Bathing Beauty | 1944 | Comedy | A college swim coach (Esther Williams) finds out her husband-to-be is already married. |
| This Time for Keeps | 1947 | Romance | Aquacade performer falls for a young soldier returning from the war. |
| Million Dollar Mermaid | 1952 | Musical | Based on the true story of Australia swimmer Annette Kellerman. |
| Dangerous When Wet | 1953 | Musical | A dairy farmer's daughter (Esther Williams) tries to swim the English Channel. |
| Star Spangled Girl | 1971 | Romance | A swimmer training for the Olympics (Sandy Duncan) reluctantly falls in love. |
| Vsyo reshayet mgnoveniye | 1978 | Drama | |
| Dawn! | 1979 | Biographical | Biopic of Australian swimmer Dawn Fraser, a 3-time Olympic gold medalist. |
| Popcorn und Paprika | 1984 | Drama | |
| Koni | 1984 | Drama | Bengali film based on Moti Nandi's novel. |
| Back to School | 1986 | Comedy | A diver's rich dad (Rodney Dangerfield) returns to college and ends up competing himself. |
| Campus Man | 1987 | Comedy | A college business major convinces a diver to pose for a beefcake calendar. |
| Diving In | 1990 | Drama | Olympic coach (Kristy Swanson) trains teen diver who's afraid of heights. |
| Sarahsarà | 1994 | Drama | |
| Breaking the Surface: The Greg Louganis Story | 1997 | Biographical | Story of Olympic gold-medal diver Greg Louganis, played by Mario Lopez. |
| The Princess & the Barrio Boy | 2000 | Drama | |
| Waterboys | 2001 | Comedy | A Japanese film about synchronised swimming. |
| Heart: The Marilyn Bell Story | 2001 | Biographical | Story of 16-year-old Marilyn Bell's world-record swim across Lake Ontario (50.5 km) from New York, USA to Ontario, Canada |
| Swimfan | 2002 | Thriller | A swimmer's lover (Erika Christensen) feels rejected, begins to stalk him. |
| Swimming Upstream | 2003 | Drama | Fact-based story of Tony Fingleton, an Australian who skipped the 1964 Summer Olympics to attend Harvard. Screenplay by Fingleton. |
| On a Clear Day | 2005 | Drama | A shipyard worker attempts to swim the English Channel. |
| The Big Bad Swim | 2006 | Comedy | Connecticut grown-ups go to a beginner's swim class. |
| Einfache Leute | 2007 | Drama | |
| Pride | 2007 | Drama | A swim coach (Terence Howard) confronts racism in 1970s Philadelphia. |
| Undead Pool | 2007 | Horror | A Japanese zombie story. |
| Floating Skyscrapers | 2013 | Drama | An aspiring professional swimmer falls in love with another man. |
| Touch the Wall | 2014 | Documentary | How teenager Missy Franklin took four gold medals at the 2012 Summer Olympics. |
| Vindication Swim | 2024 | Drama | Biopic of Mercedes Gleitze, who became the first British woman to swim the English Channel in 1927. |
| Young Woman and the Sea | 2024 | Biographical | Biopic of Gertrude "Trudy" Ederle, who became the first woman to swim the English Channel in 1914. |
Table tennis
edit| Title | Year | Genre | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ping Pong | 2002 | Comedy, drama | Japanese film about a pair of high school competitors. |
| Balls of Fury | 2007 | Comedy | A 12-year-old Olympic hopeful faces criminal mastermind Feng (Christopher Walken). |
| Ping Pong Playa | 2007 | Comedy | |
| As One | 2012 | Comedy, drama | South Korean film about 1991 championship tournament in Japan. |
| Top Spin | 2014 | Documentary | Follows road to 2012 Olympics of American teens Ariel Hsing, Michael Landers and Lily Zhang. |
| Ping Pong Summer | 2014 | Comedy | A 13-year-old boy in Maryland finds a mentor to teach him the game. |
Tennis
edit| Title | Year | Genre | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Love, Honor and Behave | 1938 | Drama | A college tennis player prefers sportsmanship to winning at all costs. |
| Strangers on a Train | 1950 | Suspense | A pro tries to play in the U.S. Open while being framed for murder. Directed by Alfred Hitchcock. |
| Hard, Fast and Beautiful | 1951 | Drama | A young tennis prodigy can't live up to her mother's expectations. |
| The Christian Licorice Store | 1971 | Drama | Beau Bridges stars as a tennis pro who can't handle success. |
| Players | 1979 | Drama | A love story involving Ali MacGraw and Wimbledon contender Dean Paul Martin. |
| Racquet | 1979 | Comedy | A former tennis champ (Bert Convy) sets his sites on owning a tennis court. |
| Spring Fever | 1982 | Drama | Las Vegas showgirl's daughter (Carling Bassett) enters a tournament. |
| Second Serve | 1986 | Biographical | A television film with Vanessa Redgrave as transgender tennis pro Renée Richards. |
| Nobody's Perfect | 1990 | Comedy | A college freshman (Chad Lowe) hot for a female player masquerades as a woman. |
| The Break | 1995 | Drama | Vincent Van Patten as a former player turned coach. |
| When Billie Beat Bobby | 2001 | Biographical | Docudrama of 1973 Billie Jean King vs. Bobby Riggs match, with Holly Hunter and Ron Silver. |
| Wimbledon | 2004 | Romantic comedy | Two players (Kirsten Dunst and Paul Bettany) pursue romance during the Wimbledon Championships. |
| Tennis no Ōjisama – Futari no Samurai | 2005 | Action | Japanese film |
| The Prince of Tennis | 2006 | Action | Japanese film about a tennis prodigy. |
| Jelenin Svet | 2008 | Documentary | A look at career of Serbian pro star Jelena Janković. |
| Somay Ku: A Uganda Tennis Story | 2008 | Documentary | |
| Balls Out: Gary the Tennis Coach | 2009 | Comedy | Direct-to-video spoof starring Seann William Scott. |
| Unmatched | 2010 | Documentary | Made for TV as part of ESPN's 30 for 30 series. Focuses on the Chris Evert–Martina Navratilova rivalry, and on the long-term friendship between the two women. |
| Renée | 2011 | Documentary | Made for TV as a follow-up to ESPN's 30 for 30 series. Explores the life of transsexual tennis player Renée Richards and the impact of her entry in the 1977 US Open. |
| Venus and Serena | 2013 | Documentary | A behind-the-scenes look at the Williams sisters. |
| Venus Vs. | 2013 | Documentary | Made for TV as part of ESPN's Nine for IX series. Examines the fight Venus Williams led to gain prize money equality for women. |
| Andy Murray: The Man Behind The Racquet | 2013 | Documentary | A behind-the-scenes BBC look at Andy Murray.[citation needed] |
| This Is What They Want | 2013 | Documentary | Made for TV as part of ESPN's 30 for 30 series. A look back at the run of then 39-year-old Jimmy Connors to the semifinals of the 1991 US Open. |
| Break Point | 2015 | Comedy | Estranged brothers begin entering pro tournaments in doubles. |
| 7 Days in Hell | 2016 | Comedy | A mockumentary featuring Andy Samberg in a match that won't end. |
| Borg vs McEnroe | 2017 | Biographical | Tennis champion Björn Borg (Sverrir Gudnason) faces off against brash newcomer John McEnroe (Shia LaBeouf) at the 1980 Wimbledon Championships. |
| Battle of the Sexes | 2017 | Comedy | Steve Carell and Emma Stone recreate the 1973 Riggs-King match. |
| King Richard | 2021 | Biographical | Richard Williams (Will Smith) is father and coach of famed tennis players Venus and Serena Williams. |
Underwater diving
edit| Title | Year | Genre | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Frogmen | 1951 | War | Scuba diving experts including Richard Widmark operate as military commandos. |
| Beneath the 12-Mile Reef | 1953 | Adventure | Story of sponge divers off the Florida Keys, starring Robert Wagner. |
| The Silent World | 1956 | Documentary | Directed by Jacques-Yves Cousteau and Louis Malle. |
| World Without Sun | 1964 | Documentary | Directed by Jacques-Yves Cousteau, chronicles Conshelf Two, the first attempt to create an underwater habitat for humans to live on the sea floor. |
| Voyage to the Edge of the World | 1976 | Documentary | Directed by Jacques-Yves Cousteau, Philippe Cousteau and Marshall Flaum, chronicles a four months expedition by Cousteau to Antarctica. |
| The Deep | 1977 | Adventure | Dangerous men go after scuba divers Nick Nolte and Jacqueline Bisset near Bermuda. |
| The Big Blue | 1988 | Drama | French director Luc Besson's story of free divers, starring Jean Reno and Rosanna Arquette. |
| Ghosts of the Abyss | 2003 | Documentary | Director James Cameron and crew submerge to explore remains of Titanic. |
| Open Water | 2003 | Drama | Director Chris Kentis. The story of the disappearance of scuba divers Tom and Eileen Lonergan in 1998. |
| The Cave | 2005 | Horror | Off coast of Romania, spelunkers and divers discover terrifying parasites. |
| Into the Blue | 2005 | Adventure | Divers Jessica Alba and Paul Walker find crashed plane transporting cocaine. |
| Fool's Gold | 2008 | Adventure | Treasure hunter Matthew McConaughey dives searching for Spanish galleon. |
| Sanctum | 2011 | Adventure | An underwater cave diving team experiences a life-threatening crisis during an expedition to the unexplored and least accessible cave system in the world. |
| No Limits | 2013 | Documentary | Made for TV as part of ESPN's Nine for IX series. Explores the life of Audrey Mestre, a world-class freediver, and the events leading up to the dive that ultimately took her life. |
Wrestling
editNote: Lucha films are not included in this list. Although they feature luchadores (Mexican professional wrestlers) as the lead characters, the luchadores typically portray heroes (often superheroes) within non-wrestling stories (such as action, horror, or sci-fi).
| Title | Year | Genre | Discipline | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Take Down | 1979 | Comedy, drama | Scholastic wrestling | Lorenzo Lamas stars as a high school wrestler. |
| Lurich | 1984 | Drama | Greco-Roman | Biographical film on the career of Georg Lurich. |
| Vision Quest | 1985 | Drama | Scholastic | Matthew Modine stars as a high school wrestler. |
| Over the Top | 1987 | Drama | Arm wrestling | Truck driver Lincoln "Linc" Hawk (Sylvester Stallone) enters an arm-wrestling competition. |
| Spooner | 1989 | Drama | Scholastic | Made for TV, premiered on the Disney Channel, stars Robert Urich.[3][4][5] |
| Reversal | 2001 | Romantic drama | Scholastic | Story of a Pennsylvania high school athlete. |
| The Backyard | 2002 | Documentary | Backyard wrestling | Documentary film examining backyard wrestling. |
| Going to the Mat | 2004 | Family comedy | Scholastic | Made for TV, premiered on the Disney Channel, stars Andrew Lawrence.[6] |
| Personal Effects | 2008 | Drama | Wrestling | Stars Ashton Kutcher and Michelle Pfeiffer. |
| The Streak | 2008 | Documentary | Scholastic | Made-for-TV movie that was included in ESPN's 30 for 30 series. The story of the wrestling program at Brandon High School in Florida and their 439-match winning streak that spanned 3 decades |
| Legendary | 2010 | Drama | Scholastic | Oklahoma teen is coached by his older brother (John Cena). |
| The Hammer | 2010 | Drama | Collegiate wrestling | Biographical film about a deaf college wrestler. |
| Win Win | 2011 | Comedy, drama | Scholastic | Broke lawyer Mike Flaherty (Paul Giamatti) becomes a boy's coach and guardian. |
| Foxcatcher | 2014 | Drama | Freestyle wrestling | Channing Tatum in a true story about Olympic wrestler Mark Schultz, his brother Dave, and the events leading up to Dave's murder by their benefactor, John du Pont. |
| Lost in Wrestling | 2015 | Drama | [7][8] | |
| The Prince of Pennsylvania | 2015 | Documentary | Freestyle | Made for TV as part of ESPN's 30 for 30 series. Another look at the Schultz–du Pont case. |
| Dangal | 2016 | Drama | Freestyle | Starring Aamir Khan as Mahavir Singh Phogat, who taught wrestling to his daughters Geeta Phogat and Babita Kumari. |
| American Wrestler: The Wizard | 2016 | Drama | Scholastic | In 1980, a teenage Iranian immigrant moves to a California town and joins a high school wrestling team. |
| Godha | 2017 | Drama | Freestyle | Starring Renji Panicker as Captain and Wamiqa Gabbi as Aditi Singh. |
Animals in sports
editFishing
edit| Title | Year | Genre | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Silver Horde | 1930 | Drama | Boyd Emerson (Joel McCrea), a salmon fisherman, tries to open a cannery. |
| Tiger Shark | 1932 | Drama | Fisherman Mike Mascarenhas (Edward G. Robinson) loses a hand saving a man's life. |
| Riffraff | 1936 | Romance | Tuna cannery worker Hattie Tuttle (Jean Harlow) falls for fisherman Dutch Muller (Spencer Tracy). |
| Captains Courageous | 1937 | Adventure | A spoiled brat ends up with the crew of a fishing schooner. |
| Spawn of the North | 1938 | Drama | A seal hunter (George Raft) betrays a pal (Henry Fonda), poaching fish. |
| Johnny Frenchman | 1945 | Drama | British film about rival Cornwall fishing families. |
| Tuna Clipper | 1949 | Drama | Alec MacLennan (Roddy McDowall) takes a job with a crew of tuna fishermen. |
| Alaska Seas | 1954 | Drama | A remake of Spawn of the North with Robert Ryan and Brian Keith. |
| The Old Man and the Sea | 1958 | Adventure | After 84 days without a catch, a Cuban fisherman (Spencer Tracy) lands a marlin. |
| Man's Favorite Sport? | 1964 | Comedy | A phony fishing expert (Rock Hudson) ends up entered in a big tournament. |
| Blue Fin | 1978 | Family | Australian film about a boy who learns tuna fishing. |
| A River Runs Through It | 1992 | Drama | Story of Montana brothers hooked on fly-fishing, directed by Robert Redford. |
| Gone Fishin' | 1997 | Comedy | Inept anglers Joe Waters (Joe Pesci) and Gus Green (Danny Glover) have an adventure in the Everglades. |
| Bait Shop | 2008 | Comedy | A bait shop owner enters a pro fishing tournament to save his store. |
| The Lost World of Mr. Hardy | 2008 | Documentary | British film about a family firm that manufactures fishing tackle. |
| Ondine | 2009 | Drama | An Irish fisherman (Colin Farrell) catches a woman in his net. |
| Salmon Fishing in the Yemen | 2011 | Comedy | A Brit (Ewan McGregor) helps a sheikh introduce salmon fishing to his country. |
Greyhound racing
edit| Title | Year | Genre | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wild Boy | 1934 | Comedy | Corrupt dog owner tries to keep Wild Boy out of the Greyhound Derby. |
| The Gay Dog | 1954 | Comedy | British film featuring a young Petula Clark. |
| Jumping for Joy | 1956 | Comedy | A man nurses a sick greyhound back to health, meets criminals who want to fix a race. |
| Man About Dog | 2004 | Comedy | A trio of Irish lads and their greyhound run from a pack of crooks. |
| The Mighty Celt | 2005 | Drama | Gillian Anderson stars in a story of Northern Ireland greyhound racing. |
Horse racing
editJousting
edit| Title | Year | Genre | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Knightriders | 1981 | Drama | King Billy (Ed Harris) leads a band of men who joust on motorcycles. |
| A Knight's Tale | 2001 | Adventure | William Thatcher (Heath Ledger) pretends to be a nobleman to compete in jousting tournaments. |
Polo
edit| Title | Year | Genre | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Smart Set | 1928 | Drama | An arrogant player is booted from U.S. team before match vs. Great Britain. |
| Polo Joe | 1936 | Comedy | Afraid of horses, Joe Bolton (Joe E. Brown) takes up polo to impress a girl. |
| Mickey's Polo Team | 1936 | Comedy short | A game between Disney characters, led by Mickey Mouse, and cartoon versions of real-life movie stars. |
| The Kid from Texas | 1939 | Comedy | A loudmouth cowpuncher tries his hand at polo. |
| The Polo Kid | 2009 | Documentary | True story of how 13-year-old Santiago Torres, from an ordinary background, became a polo star. |
Rodeo
edit| Title | Year | Genre | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Calgary Stampede | 1925 | Mystery | After winning a Canada rodeo with a spectacular stunt, Dan (Hoot Gibson) is accused of a murder. |
| Let 'er Buck | 1925 | Western | A cowboy hiding in Oregon risks exposure by entering the world rodeo championships. |
| Wild Horse Rodeo | 1937 | Western | One of The Three Mesquiteers searches for a horse called Cyclone. |
| The Cowboy and the Lady | 1938 | Romance | A socialite from Palm Beach falls for rodeo cowpoke Stretch Willoughby (Gary Cooper). |
| Ride 'Em Cowboy | 1942 | Comedy | Duke and Willoughby (Abbott and Costello) rescue kidnapped rodeo rider Bronco Bob. |
| A Lady Takes a Chance | 1943 | Comedy | A bronc rider (John Wayne) bucks an Eastern gal's plan to get hitched. |
| Rodeo King and the Senorita | 1951 | Western | Rex Allen (Rex Allen) joins a rodeo and tries to solve a murder. |
| The Lusty Men | 1952 | Drama | Injured by a bull, a rodeo veteran (Robert Mitchum) quits, then makes an ill-fated comeback. |
| Rodeo | 1952 | Drama | Unpaid for a feed bill, Nancy Cartwright takes over a bankrupt rodeo association. |
| Sky Full of Moon | 1952 | Comedy | A bronc rider goes to Las Vegas to try to win his rodeo entry fee. |
| Arena | 1953 | Drama | Now a rodeo clown, a washed up rider risks his life for one last try. |
| Born Reckless | 1958 | Drama | A trick rider (Mamie van Doren) tries to lasso a young cowboy. |
| The Rounders | 1965 | Comedy | Ben Jones (Glenn Ford) and Howdy Lewis (Henry Fonda) wager nobody in rodeo can ride their horse. |
| Tickle Me | 1965 | Musical | Lonnie Beale (Elvis Presley) works as a singer until rodeo season returns. |
| Stay Away, Joe | 1968 | Musical | Cowboys compete to stay aboard Elvis Presley's prize bull. |
| Junior Bonner | 1972 | Western | Steve McQueen stars as a rodeo pro with a few family issues. Directed by Sam Peckinpah. |
| J. W. Coop | 1972 | Western | A just-out-of-jail bronco buster (Cliff Robertson) resumes his career. |
| When the Legends Die | 1972 | Western | Alcoholic cowboy Red Dillon (Richard Widmark) mentors a Ute Indian to compete in rodeo. |
| Black Rodeo | 1972 | Documentary | A rodeo comes to Harlem, narrated by Woody Strode. |
| The Great American Cowboy | 1973 | Documentary | A documentary about the rivalry between veteran Larry Mahan and newcomer Phil Lyne, as the two vie for the National Finals Rodeo Championship title. |
| The Electric Horseman | 1979 | Romance | TV reporter pursues rodeo cowboy (Robert Redford) who steals a valuable horse. |
| Stir Crazy | 1980 | Comedy | A prison warden gets innocent inmates (Gene Wilder, Richard Pryor) involved in a rodeo. |
| Rodeo Girl | 1980 | Drama | A rider's wife (Katharine Ross) gives rodeo competition a try herself. |
| My Heroes Have Always Been Cowboys | 1991 | Drama | Rodeo rider (Scott Glenn) returns home after a long absence. |
| Colorado Cowboy: The Bruce Ford Story | 1993 | Documentary | Behind the scenes look at a successful bronco buster. |
| 8 Seconds | 1994 | Drama | Biographical film on Lane Frost, with Luke Perry starring as doomed bull rider. |
| The Cowboy Way | 1994 | Comedy | Cowpokes Sonny Gilstrap (Kiefer Sutherland) and Pepper Lewis (Woody Harrelson) take a trip to New York. |
| Ruby Jean and Joe | 1996 | Drama | A female hitchhiker befriends a former rodeo rider played by Tom Selleck. |
| Everything That Rises | 1998 | Drama | Dennis Quaid directs and stars in TV film about a Texas cowboy. |
| Cowboy Up | 2001 | Romance | Bull rider Hank Braxton (Kiefer Sutherland) falls for barrel racer Celia Jones (Daryl Hannah). |
| The Ride | 2010 | Documentary | Explores a season on the Professional Bull Riders' top circuit. |
| Cowgirls 'n Angels | 2012 | Family | A 12-year-old girl teams up with a rodeo owner (James Cromwell). |
| The Longest Ride | 2015 | Drama | Injured bull rider (Scott Eastwood) befriends an aging artist (Alan Alda). |
Other
edit| Title | Year | Genre | Sport | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Babe | 1995 | Comedy | Sheepdog trail | Based on the book The Sheep-Pig by Dick King Smith, nominated for Best Picture at the 68th Academy Awards. |
| Cool Runnings | 1993 | Comedy | Bobsleigh | Loosely based on the debut of the Jamaica bobsled team at the 1988 Winter Olympics. |
| Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story | 2004 | Comedy | Dodgeball | Farce about big-time dodgeball, starring Vince Vaughn and Ben Stiller as rival players. |
| Paper Planes | 2015 | Drama | Paper aeroplane racing | The film tells a story about Dylan, a young boy who lives in Australia, who finds out that he has a talent for making paper planes and dreams of competing in the World Paper Plane Championships in Japan.[9] |
| Populaire | 2013 | Comedy, drama | Speed typing | A provincial girl guided by her coach becomes the fastest typist. |
| Like a Virgin | 2006 | Comedy | Ssireum | A transgender Korean competes in ssireum (traditional Korean folk wrestling). |
| Tag | 2018 | Comedy | Tag | Three friends who spend one month a year playing tag. |
| The Good, the Bad, the Hungry | 2019 | Documentary | Competitive eating | Made for TV as a part of ESPN's 30 for 30 series. Explores the longstanding rivalry between competitive eaters Takeru Kobayashi and Joey Chestnut. |
| Never Stop | 2021 | Sprinting | Retired sprinter Hao Chaoyue competes with his protégé Wu Tianyi in the 100-meter dash. | |
| On Your Mark | 2021 | Drama | Marathon | A father and son participate in a marathon and thus come to understand and improve themselves. |
E-sports
edit| Title | Year | Genre | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Beyond the Game | 2008 | Documentary | About the world of professional video gaming, particularly of the game Warcraft III: The Frozen Throne. |
| Ecstasy of Order: The Tetris Masters | 2011 | Documentary | A story of the lives of several gamers from around the country as they prepare to compete in the 2010 Classic Tetris World Championship in Los Angeles. |
| Gamer | 2011 | The story of a young gamer who lives with his mother in Simferopol. | |
| Free to Play | 2014 | Documentary | The film follows Benedict "hyhy" Lim, Danil "Dendi" Ishutin, and Clinton "Fear" Loomis, three professional Dota 2 players who participated in the first International, the most lucrative esports tournament at the time. |
| The King of Arcades | 2014 | Documentary | The film follows punk rock musician and classic arcade collector Richie Knucklez on his journey to cultural prominence when he takes his passion for collecting to new heights by opening an arcade business in Flemington, New Jersey, only to watch it fall in the wake of economic hardship.[10] |
| The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters | 2007 | Documentary | Follows Steve Wiebe in his attempts to take the high score record for the 1981 arcade game Donkey Kong from Billy Mitchell. |
| The Lost Arcade | 2015 | Documentary | About the influence of the Chinatown Fair arcade on the fighting game community and New York City as a whole. |
| Man vs Snake | 2015 | Documentary | Film follows players as they try to accumulate a billion points on the 1982 arcade game Nibbler, a feat first achieved by Tim McVey in 1984. |
| Ready Player One | 2018 | Sci-fi | Based on the book of the same name. |
Fictional sports
edit| Title | Year | Genre | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rollerball | 1975 | Sci-fi | James Caan stars as the game's greatest star, playing for Houston in a futuristic story of a life-and-death sport. |
| BASEketball | 1998 | Comedy | A league is formed featuring a new game that combines baseball and basketball. |
| Rollerball | 2002 | Sci-fi | A remake of the 1975 sci-fi film starring LL Cool J and Chris Klein. |
Multiple sport movies
editNote: This category is for films about sports in general or films about athletes participating in multiple sports. This category is not for films featuring the Olympics, Paralympics, X Games and other similar "games" which fall under the "Multi-sport games/Olympics" category. Films featuring specific sports should be listed under that specific sport.
| Title | Year | Genre | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jim Thorpe – All-American | 1951 | Biographical | Story of famed Native American athlete who excelled at football, baseball and track & field, starring Burt Lancaster. |
| June 17th, 1994 | 2010 | Documentary | Made for TV as a part of ESPN's 30 for 30 series. Examines the sporting events of the day in question, among them the opening of the FIFA World Cup, the NBA Finals, the last U.S. Open round of Arnold Palmer, and the New York Rangers' Stanley Cup celebration—all overshadowed by O. J. Simpson's run from the police. |
| The Dotted Line | 2011 | Documentary | Part of ESPN Films Collection - The Dotted Line is an in-depth look at what it takes to be a big-time agent in the fiercely competitive world of major league sports. |
| Broke | 2012 | Documentary | Made for TV as a part of ESPN's 30 for 30 series examining pro athletes propensity to waste their millions |
| Head Games | 2012 | Documentary | Athletes from the professional to the youth levels share their personal struggles dealing with concussions |
| Branded | 2013 | Documentary | Made for TV as part of ESPN's Nine for IX series. A thought provoking look at the double standard placed on female athletes to be the best players on the field/courts and the sexiest off them |
| Let Them Wear Towels | 2013 | Documentary | Made for TV as part of ESPN's Nine for IX series. Examines the obstacles that women sports journalists faced as they fought to gain access to the "boys' club" of male locker rooms |
| Schooled: The Price of College Sports | 2013 | Documentary | Examines the billion-dollar enterprise of college sports built on the backs of unpaid student athletes. |
| Equestria Girls | 2015 | Musical | Made for TV, a My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic spin-off film about two schools and a "Friendship Games". |
| Point Break | 2015 | Action, drama | A young FBI agent infiltrates an extraordinary team of extreme sports athletes he suspects of masterminding a string of corporate heists. A remake of the 1991 film of the same name |
| Believeland | 2016 | Documentary | Made for TV as part of ESPN's 30 for 30 series. Follows the history of sports in Cleveland since the city's last major title in 1964, including heartbreaks such as The Drive, The Fumble, The Shot, The Move, and The Decision. Airings after the Cavaliers won the NBA title in 2016 include a new ending. |
| Student Athlete | 2018 | Documentary | HBO made-for-TV documentary, produced by LeBron James and Maverick Carter, criticizing the NCAA for alleged exploitation of college athletes. |
| Deion's Double Play | 2019 | Documentary | Entry in ESPN's 30 for 30 series focusing on Deion Sanders, specifically a 24-hour period in 1992 when he played in two Major League Baseball postseason games and an NFL game in cities separated by 1,000 miles. |
Multi-sport games/Olympics
editNote: Films featuring the Olympics, Paralympics, X Games, and other similar events are included. Films featuring specific sports featured in the games should be listed under that specific sport
| Title | Year | Genre | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spartakiada | 1929 | Documentary | Silent propaganda piece recapping athletic competitions held in Moscow in 1928. |
| Charlie Chan at the Olympics | 1937 | Mystery | Charlie Chan's oldest son is chosen to compete in the 1936 Summer Olympics. |
| Olympia Part 1: Festival of Nations | 1938 | Documentary | Leni Reifenstahl's Nazi propaganda film chronicling the 1936 Summer Olympics. |
| Olympia Part 2: Festival of Beauty | 1938 | Documentary | Leni Reifenstahl's Nazi propaganda film chronicling the 1936 Summer Olympics. |
| Kings of the Olympics | 1948 | Documentary | American film mostly culled from Olympia, Riefenstahl film on 1936 Summer Olympics. |
| Olympia 52 | 1952 | Documentary | French film about 1952 Summer Olympics in Helsinki, Finland. |
| Geordie | 1955 | Comedy | A not-so-wee Scot goes to Australia for the 1956 Summer Olympics. |
| The Grand Olympics | 1961 | Documentary | A look back at the 1960 Summer Olympics in Rome. |
| Tokyo Olympiad | 1965 | Documentary | A look back at the 1964 Summer Olympics in Japan. |
| 13 jours en France | 1968 | Documentary | A documentary about the 1968 Winter Olympics in Grenoble. |
| The Olympics in Mexico | 1969 | Documentary | A documentary highlighting the 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico City. |
| Visions of Eight | 1973 | Documentary | Eight directors' takes on 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich. |
| White Rock | 1977 | Documentary | A look at 1976 Winter Olympics held in Innsbruck, Austria. |
| A Step Away | 1980 | Documentary | Footage from 1979 Pan American Games in Puerto Rico, narrated by Orson Welles. |
| Animalympics | 1980 | Comedy | The animal kingdom stages its own Summer Olympics. |
| The Golden Moment | 1980 | Drama | TV movie on American and Russian athletes at Moscow Olympics who fall in love. |
| Stade 81 a.k.a. Starting Blocks | 1981 | Documentary | A short film documentary about the first Special Olympics. |
| The First Olympics: Athens 1896 | 1984 | Drama | TV mini-series about the origins of the Modern Olympics. |
| 16 Days of Glory | 1986 | Documentary | Official documentary of the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles. |
| Dorf and the First Games of Mount Olympus | 1988 | Comedy | Direct-to-video short with Tim Conway, parody of Ancient Olympic Games. |
| Fire, Ice and Dynamite | 1990 | Action | A tycoon fakes suicide and his children and creditors compete for his estate in Olympic-type events. |
| One Day in September | 1999 | Documentary | A documentary chronicling the Munich Massacre at the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich. |
| Asterix at the Olympic Games | 2008 | Comedy | French film in which characters from Astérix comic book series participate in Olympics. |
| Dream Weavers: Beijing 2008 | 2008 | Documentary | Official documentary about events building up to 2008 Summer Olympics. |
| Olympic Pride, American Prejudice | 2016 | Documentary | The story of the "forgotten" 17 African-American athletes that participated at the Berlin 1936 Summer Olympics, along with Jesse Owens. |
See also
editReferences
edit- Notes
- Citations
- ^ Didinger, Ray; Macnow, Glen; Hackman, Gene (2009). The Ultimate Book of Sports Movies: Featuring the 100 Greatest Sports Films of All Time. Running Press. pp. 10–11. ISBN 978-0-7624-3548-7.
- ^ Rubin, Rebecca (July 30, 2020). "Pixar Shares Details About Next Original Film 'Luca'". Variety. Archived from the original on August 18, 2020. Retrieved August 3, 2020.
- ^ "Spooner (TV 1989) - IMDb". imdb.com. Retrieved 2012-10-29.
- ^ Hal Erickson (2008). "Spooner – Movies". Movies & TV Dept. The New York Times. Archived from the original on 2008-09-22. Retrieved 2012-10-29.
- ^ The Disney Channel Magazine, November/December 1989
- ^ "Going to the Mat (TV 2004) - IMDb". imdb.com. Retrieved 2012-10-29.
- ^ Kerr, Elizabeth (March 31, 2014). "3D Lost in Wrestling: Filmart Review". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved June 2, 2015.
- ^ "搏击迷城 (2015)". movie.douban.com (in Chinese). douban.com. Retrieved June 2, 2015.
- ^ "Paper Planes - Penguin Books Australia". penguin.com.au. Retrieved 16 October 2016.
- ^ "Twin Galaxies". Written by Catherine DeSpira. Retrieved September 15, 2016.
- Bibliography
- Armstrong, Richard B. and Mary Willems (1990) .The Movie List Book: A Reference Guide to Film Themes, Settings, and Series. McFarland. ISBN 9780899502403
- Davidson, Judith A. and Adler, Daryl (1993). Sport on Film and Video. New-York: The Scarecrow Press. ISBN 9780810827394.
- Sicks, Kai Marcel and Stauff, Markus (eds.) (2010). Filmgenres: Sportfilm [sic]. Stuttgart: Philipp Reclam .ISBN 978-3-15-018786-9.
- Wallenfeldt, Jeffrey H. (1989). Sports Movies: A Guide to Nearly 500 Films Focusing on Sports. CineBooks. ISBN 9780933997240.
- (fr) Julien Camy and Gérard Camy, Sport&Cinéma, ed. Du Bailli de Suffren, 2016, (1200 films, 60 sports, 80 interviews)