50 Best Sports Movies Ever

46. Eight Men Out

Year: 1988
Sport: Baseball
Starring: John Cusack, Clifton James, Michael Lerner, Christopher Lloyd, John Mahoney, Charlie Sheen, David Strathai
Director: John Sayles

Major League Baseball has dealt with its fair share of controversies; full eras and decades of them, to be precise. There are very few that are considered to be as significant a blemish on its resume as the infamous, “Black Sox,” scandal.

John Sayles’ Eight Men Out tells the story of how eight member of the Chicago White Sox conspired to throw the 1919 World Series.

On the surface, this sounds like a film that will force you to hate the men who disgraced their sport and intentionally lost a championship. Upon the completion of the movie, however, one can’t help but feel some measure of sympathy for the men who took tanking to an entirely new level.

Faced with the harsh reality of being underpaid and under-appreciated on a team they’ve made contenders, some of the biggest names in baseball took an unspeakable dive.

Eight Men Out doesn’t get mentioned enough in the daily conversations about the best baseball movies.

The  players who were suspended included “Shoeless” Joe Jackson and Eddie Cicotte. Cicotte, played by David Strathairn, led the American League in wins twice, including 1919, while Jackson, portrayed by D.B. Sweeney, finished with a career batting average of .356.

This controversy left a black mark on baseball, forced owners to reconsider how they compensate players, and produced an outstanding movie.

Next: 45. Blue Chips