Sports editor Tracy McDannald, assistant sports editor Daniel Ramirez, diversions editor Ann Austria and design director Allison Baldwin weigh in on their picks for favorite sports-themed movies. In the words of Terrell Owens, get your popcorn ready!
The Contenders:
Tracy’s list:
1. Field of Dreams
2. *61
3. Remember the Titans
4. Major League
5. The Sandlot
6. Rookie of the Year
7. Rudy
8. Rocky
9. Ali
10. Miracle
Daniel’s list:
1. Remember the Titans
2. The Sandlot
3. The Babe
4. Miracle
5. Coach Carter
6. White Men Can’t Jump
7. The Mighty Ducks Trilogy
8. Rookie of the Year
9. The Garbage Picking Field Goal Kicking Philadelphia Phenomenon
10. Lords of Dogtown
Allison’s list:
1. The Karate Kid
2. A League of Their Own
3. Rocky
4. The Mighty Ducks
5. The Sandlot
6. Love & Basketball
7. Happy Gilmore
8. Coach Carter
9. Bend it Like Beckham
10. The Big Green
Ann’s list:
1. Miracle
2. Remember the Titans
3. Coach Carter
4. Angels in the Outfield
5. We Are Marshall
6. The Mighty Ducks
7. Annapolis
8. The Longest Yard
9. Field of Dreams
10. Stick It
Tracy McDannald: Narrowing it down to just 10 was the hard part. I wasn’t even able to convince myself to add a basketball movie, yet I loved a hockey movie about an event I wasn’t even alive to see … and I’m not even a hockey fan!
Daniel Ramirez: Tracy, first of all it was not hard at all. The picks are obvious. Just take a look at my list! One thing I must say, though. Why don’t you throw your baseball bias out the window and be objective when picking your top 10? Five of 10 are baseball movies! Really now?
TM: I couldn’t take out any of the baseball movies. Even something as silly as Rookie of the Year was amazing when you think back to Daniel Stern playing the Cubs’ hitting coach. It’s so bad, it’s good.
Allison Baldwin: Daniel Stern is good in that movie, but my favorite part is the scary guy, Heddo, from the other team. Who wasn’t intimidated by him as a kid?
Ann Austria: Daniel, what exactly is your No. 9? I’ve never heard of it.
DR: That is what we call movie genius, Ann. Check it out. Tony Danza is awesome in that movie.
TM: I don’t know what’s worse, Daniel … Never seeing the movie Field of Dreams or your selection at No. 9.
AA: And The Mighty Ducks trilogy? I just think they are bad sequels.
DR: First of all, the Mighty Ducks trilogy is cinematic brilliance! Who doesn’t know about the “knuckle puck?!” Any hockey player will tell you that those movies are definitely in their top 10 sports movies of all time. You’re all haters.
And yeah that’s pretty bad that I haven’t seen Field of Dreams and I’m on it.
AB: I agree that the Mighty Ducks rules. There are so many good lines. And who doesn’t love the brilliant use of Queen’s music to pump up the viewer?
DR: Allison’s list is not even a sports movie list to me. I mean, Karate Kid was great and I love it just as much as the next person, but no way is it in the top 10 on a sports movie list.
AB: My list is too a sports movie list. Just because *someone* doesn’t understand my picks doesn’t mean the movies lack merit. And, come on. I’m getting ragged on by the guy who chose a Tony Danza flick?
TM: Stick It? Really, Ann? Anything centering around teenage girls and gymnastics as a movie idea sounds like a disaster.
AA: Hey, it’s better than cheerleading and teenage girls. At least Stick It doesn’t have a hundred stupid sequels.
DR: Stick it sucks.
AB: I’m not sure if Stick It really merits a top sports flick nod. The main girl does the “I’m so against authority that I have to demonstrate it before every flip or jump” bull sign way too many times. I do like that they have a bars routine by Nastia Liukin, though.
DR: I can’t really disagree with Ann’s list [otherwise] except Remember the Titans should be at No. 1 — no doubt in my mind. Miracle was great, but Titans was outstanding. Strong side … Left side!
AB: So, why does everyone love Remember the Titans so much?
TM: It gives you comedy, football and a history lesson with a moral tale about being a team. It’s one of the few movies that can honestly make me cry.
Allison, I can’t say I ever saw Bend it Like Beckham but anything with reference to David Beckham has to be brutal.
AA: And Keira Knightley in Bend it Like Beckham … hahahahaha!
Does the bowling in “The Big Lebowski” qualify it as a sports movie?
The Garbage Picking Field Goal Kicking Philadelphia Phenomenon is the best film ever made!
I can’t believe nobody mentioned “Radio” with Cuba Downing, Jr. or “Damn Yankees” The last one of course is more understandable in Dodgers and Angels land.