37 Best Sports Movies for Kids and Families
Sports movies can be a great way to find your children’s sports interests, as well as motivate your children to improve their skills. Here’s a list of some of the best sports movies for athletes.
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REMEMBER THE TITANS (2000) PG:
Star Denzel Washington in one of his best roles ever, an inspiring football coach of a challenging football team during the forced desegregation era of a Virginia high school in the early 1970s.
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THE MIGHTY DUCKS (1992) PG:
A funny, engaging story of a typical self-absorbed, dysfunctional lawyer who has to coach a youth hockey team as part of his community service.
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SECRETARIAT (2010) PG:
One of my daughter’s favorites, this will be a special movie for those who love animal, specifically horses. A true story about Secretariat, maybe the best racehorse ever, the 1973 triple crown winner, and the family who owned him.
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KARATE KID (1984) PG:
A sensational martial arts film about discipline, sacrifice, and service. A beautiful movie starring a young Ralph Macchio. This is a movie about overcoming the odds and standing stong during times of alienation and adversity. A classic movie tale of personal growth and overcoming odds, a young boy is taught Martial Arts by a Karate Master named Mr. Miyagi.
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COACH CARTER (2005) PG-13:
Given that I am from Northern California and lived about 15 miles away from where this story was birthed, it is special to me. All inner-city principals should watch this one as a reminder that discipline and sports are the fabric of inner-city development. Based on a true story, a healthy and principled black basketball coach (played by Samuel L. Jackson) takes no mess from school staff or administrators. He leads his high school team to a championship season under a variety of obstacles.
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UNCLE DREW
Starring Kyrie Irving, Chris Webber, Shaquille Oneal, Lisa Leslie, and Reggie Miller. A genuinely great movie about team chemistry and the impact of basketball in our lives.
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BRIAN’S SONG (1971)
Made for television football film based on the memoirs of Chicago Bears’ Gale Sayers. The movie highlights Sayers’ friendship with fellow player Brian Piccolo, who died after a long hard battle with cancer. -
HOOP DREAMS (1994)
Maybe one of the best movies ever made. Hoop Dreams follows the struggles of two boys from inner-city Chicago who are fighting to make it to pro basketball.
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PRIDE
True story about Jim Ellis, who coached a group of talented black inner-city youth swimmers to national level aquatic success.
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ROCKY (1976) PG:
Sylvester Stallone stars in this Philadelphia hometown hero classic. A story of grit, grind, perseverance, and triumph. One of the best boxing sports films ever made about a pure, hard-nosed Philly small-time boxer from the tough-nosed community. Rocky rises to fame and stardom through grit and sacrifice and is chosen to face the reigning world heavyweight boxing champion.
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GLORY Road
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INVINCIBLE (2006) PG:
Mark Walberg stars in this story about a talented bartender in Philadelphia who, try out for the Philidelphia Eagles football Team and eventually reaches the possibility of making the team.
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SOUL SURFER (2011) PG:
A true surfing story based on the ocean life of Bethany Hamilton. A talented young successful teenage surfer who loses an arm in a shark attack and refuses to quit the sport she loves.
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CREED II
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COOL RUNNINGS (1993) PG:
A favorite of mine a comedic, hilarious and joyful movie about a group of Jamaican sprinters who attempt to compete in the Winter Olympics. The craziness is the fact that they have never seen snow. John Candy stars as the over the hill, sarcastic and disgraced former champion given the challenge of coaching this team of sprinters.
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THE EXPRESS: THE ERNIE DAVIS STORY
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LIKE MIKE
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SEA BISCUIT (2003) PG-13:
During a difficult time in American history, a horse becomes the focus of the nation’s heart. The horse becomes a champion and an example of faith, hope, and triumph for Americans during The Great Depression.
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42
A movie about the great Jackie Robinson. This is a beautiful movie about the difficulty black men had in America. The challenge of limited opportunity and the scrutiny that came with any available upward mobility in life. This story highlights Jackie Robinson’s humanity while also taking a small look at the many men that did not get an opportunity. Jackie made it, but so many others did not.
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WOODLAWN
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CREED
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RUDY (1993) PG:
Notre Dame Legendary movie. Undersized, meek, unassuming, to slow, and not strong enough. Rudy beats the odds to play football for the high and prestigious Notre Dame Football Program. This movie is a classic, and most will find inspiration from this sports and family film. This movie takes you back in college football time and lets you see Notre Dame from a historical perspective.
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A LEAGUE OF THEIR OWN (1992) PG:
A classic feel-good story starring Geena Davis, Tom Hanks, and an in her prime Rosie O’Donnell. A funny, engaging story about an all women’s baseball league formed during World War II. A great film that is not political but rather about dreams and opportunity.
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THE BLIND SIDE (2009) PG-13:
Based on a true story. But it used quite a bit of discretion in this questionable biographical sports movie about NFL Player Michael Oher and his rise from obscurity to NFL stardom and wealth. Stars Sandra Bullock won the Academy Award for Best Actress for her role in this movie. A feel-good film that is enjoyable but may leave some feeling like there is more to the story. Micheal Oher says he appreciates the story, but many parts of it are not correct.
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INVICTUS (2009) PG-13:
A film about the power of sports and how it can unite people of diverse backgrounds. The documented real-life story of how servant leader Nelson Mandela joined with South Africa’s rugby team to help unify, inspire, and heal a country dealing with deep racial wounds from Apartied. Another story about how sports have helped to break hate and unite nations.
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THE SANDLOT (1993) PG:
This is considered by many as the best kids movie ever made. A classic, funny, and feel-good film that the whole family will like. Laughter, hilarious moments, and old school kids’ fun are what this movie is about. Given that we are in such challenging times, this is a great movie to watch with the family about a young boy and his challenge to find friends in his new neighborhood and the crazy adventures that follow. If parents only knew what a child went through during a normal day’s play, they would not let them out of the house! Eventually, kids find baseball, but the life lessons that are taught will leave you and the whole family feeling good.
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HOOSIERS (1986) PG:
Of course, many Indiana alum calls this the best sports movie ever made. But it is an excellent film about a hard-nosed, blue-collar coach and a team that overcomes the obstacles and goes to the State Championship—starring some of the best actors of this time in Gene Hackman, Barbara Hershey, and Dennis Hopper.
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SPACE JAM (1996) PG:
Hall of Famer Michael Jordan plays basketball with bugs bunny, Daffy Duck, and the rest of the looney toons during the prime of his career. An excellent movie for kids that will introduce them to Micheal Jordan and basketball.
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THE NATURAL (1984) PG:
One of the best sports movies ever produced. This classic Stars, Robert Redford. A beautifully shot film that tells the story of failure, hard work, faith, success, and collapse again through the lens of baseball. An excellent movie for baseball fans.
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MIRACLE (2004) PG:
Hockey was a sport that Americans had trouble adjusting to. This Olympic movie is a great history lesson on one the more critical moments in American Olympic history, “the miracle on ice.” A true story of the 1980 Winter Olympics when the United States defeated the Soviet Union in Hockey.
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WHITE MEN CAN’T JUMP
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MILLION DOLLAR ARM (2014) PG:
A opportunity-seeking sports agent wants to transform Indian cricket players into Major league baseball players. This is a beautiful story about learning to embrace our uniqueness and following your dreams.
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McFARLAND, USA (2015) PG:
A good film based on the true story of Jim White, a disregarded, downtrodden coach starring Kevin Costner, He gets a job in the urban Latino city of McFarland. This coach can nurture, develop, and transform this group of boys into a successful cross country team. A great story about the power coaches can have when they focus on personal development rather than wins.
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THE ROOKIE (2002) G
A highly marketed motivational, uplifting and inspirational story of Jimmy Morris. A baseball coach who overcomes adversity, failure mental exhaustion to make his difficult desire of playing a possibility. His journey is more important than the destination.
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ROOKIE OF THE YEAR (1993) PG:
A talented young boy’s desire to playing major league baseball becomes lost forever when you are injured and forced to undergo surgery. He does not let this destroy his faith, and miraculous things start to happen in his life. Once he recovers from surgery, he is given so many choices, and one of them is playing in the major leagues.
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LOVE & BASKETBALL
A favorite of all people that love sports and love the people that play games. A love story and story about realizing what is essential in life and never forgetting who you are.
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KICKING AND SCREAMING
– Will Ferrell, that’s all I need to say. He coaches a young soccer team against a successful elite soccer program.
Best Sports Movies of All Time
- Rocky
- When We Were Kings
- Senna
- Million Dollar Baby
- Free Solo
- Hoop Dreams
- 42
- Creed
- Hurricane
- Race (2016)
- Remember The Titans
- Rudy
Best Sports Movies for Kids
- Karate Kid
- Bad News Bears
- Sandlot
- Space Jam
- SECRETARIAT (2010)
- Like Mike
- The Mighty Ducks
- Little Giants (1994)
- Sea Biscuit
Best Black Sports Movies
- Ali
- Hurricane
- 42
- Glory Road
- Race
- Love and Basketball
- CREED II
- Coach Carter
- He Got Game
- The Bingo Long traveling AllStars & Motor Kings: This is one of the best black movies ever made. A story about the Bingo Long Traveling All-Stars, a Negro League Team full of talented black players that are tiring to make a living while traveling to play on the professional negro league circuit. This story highlights that talent that existed in the Negro Leagues that many said surpassed that in the white major league baseball leagues. (1976)
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