50 Best Sports Movies Ever

10. Rudy

Year: 1993
Sport: American Football
Starring: Sean Astin, Jon Favreau, Ned Beatty, Charles S. Dutton, Jason Miller
Director: David Anspaugh

David Anspaugh has two of the greatest sports films of all-time on his directorial resume. Having already appeared for his legendary work on Hoosiers, Anspaugh solidified his place in movie history by shifting from basketball to football with the ultimate underdog story.

If Hoosiers didn’t reach every one of your emotions and underlying desires for greatness, Rudy should.

Rudy is the story of former Notre Dame Fighting Irish defensive lineman Rudy Ruettiger and his improbable path to eternal stardom. Listed at 5’6″ and 165 pounds, he travels the long road to playing football for one of the nation’s most powerful programs.

Before receiving the opportunity to play for Notre Dame, he must fight to simply attend the school—a.

The film takes viewers all the way down Ruettiger’s long road to proving his critics wrong and living out his dream of attending and playing football for Notre Dame.

Sean Astin’s performance as the title character in Rudy didn’t net him any nominations, but it’s one of the more memorable in sports movie history. The story itself touches upon a number of social injustices, including the mistreatment of those from poor and non-white communities at major sports and educational programs.

If you’re ever in need of inspiration, carving out time to watch Rudy will have you believing that anything is possible.

Next: 9. Bull Durham