For over a century, filmmakers have combined two of America’s great pastimes — watching sports and watching movies. Athletic competitions provide a unique lens to view the development of a character or a team, showing how they overcome the odds to become champions.

The sports movie, which is often considered a genre of its own, can take on any tone — from heart-wrenching underdog tales like “Remember the Titans” to oddball comedies like “Slap Shot.” Among these films, a handful of sports movies stand out above the rest as can’t-miss classics.

To determine the best movies about sports, 24/7 Tempo developed an index based on several measures from the Internet Movie Database and Rotten Tomatoes.

While the most beloved sports movies are often big, crowd-pleasing favorites, sometimes they can get serious Oscar consideration. From Robert De Niro’s legendary performance in “Raging Bull” to “Rocky” winning best picture, sports movies are sometimes the best films of the year. These are the films that have earned the most award nominations.

Click here for the best movies about sports

Methodology

To determine the best movies about sports, 24/7 Tempo developed an index based on several measures from the Internet Movie Database and Rotten Tomatoes. The index is a composite of each movie’s IMDb rating, Rotten Tomatoes audience score, and Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score. The IMDb rating and Rotten Tomatoes audience score were each weighted at 45%, while the Tomatometer score was weighted at 10%. Data was collected in April 2021.