“Remember the Titans” is the best sports movie of all time // Zach Scabilloni, Staff Writer
Every sports fan has that movie — you know, the one they’ll defend no matter what. For some, it’s “Moneyball,” “The Sandlot” or maybe “Rocky.” While those are all great movies, I believe that one stands alone as being named the best sports movie of all time — “Remember the Titans.”
While this movie may appear as “just a football movie,” it is anything but. Based in 1971, the movie goes far beyond the field to explore unity, leadership and racial tension during a transitional moment in American history. This tension gives the movie its weight. The law said change was mandatory, while society said change wasn’t welcome, and the Titans were caught in the middle.
The Titans are led by Coach Boone, played by Denzel Washington, a new hire at the high school. This was a huge turning point for the team. Boone’s hiring signified that integration wasn’t optional, and the team had to get used to it sooner rather than later. The film largely centers on two core players, their relationship and how it transforms throughout the film — Julius Campbell and Gerry Bertier.
Both players had a different defining trait that held the team together. For Campbell, he held each one of his teammates accountable — this demand for equal effort and respect from everyone caused genuine unity throughout the team. Bertier’s defining trait, growth, was shown from the very beginning of the film. As the team captain, at first, he was completely against the thought of playing on the same team as people who don’t “look like” him — but then he evolved into a true leader who showed real character development.
I can’t spoil the movie for anyone who hasn’t had the privilege of watching it. I can tell you that it is anything but “just a football movie.” “Remember the Titans” has been one of my favorite movies for as long as I can remember, and it should go on anyone’s watch list.
“Rookie Of The Year” is woefully underrated // Ari Meyer, Senior Staff Writer
In my opinion, the most underrated sports movie in the over a century-long history of sports cinema is 1993’s “Rookie of the Year.” The movie stars Thomas Ian Nicholas as Henry, a Little League baseball player whose freak injury gives him the arm power of a major league pitcher. After throwing the ball back on the field at Wrigley Field all the way from the outfield seats to home plate, he is signed to a contract by the Chicago Cubs.
The movie is a formulaic tale. Henry becomes a top Major League Baseball player before facing an eventual conflict, where he rises above all concern to still perform. It follows the classic arc of many sports movies, as the protagonist begins with a success story, before faltering and then coming out on top.
Yet, it combines absurdist comedy in the form of physical gags, some accurate representation of the game of baseball and a feel-good story to tie it all together. While not the most technically precise or the strongest written, it is woefully underrated when viewed holistically.
“Marty Supreme” reigns supreme // Julien Holbrook, Staff Writer
Although some may not agree with the description of “sports movie” fitting for a film like Josh Safdie’s 2025 feature film, “Marty Supreme,” I would heavily disagree.
The film offers a thrilling experience following the path of a psychopathic narcissist in Marty Mouser, played by the beloved Timothée Chalamet. Like many athletes, Marty stops at nothing to quench his thirst to be seen as the best, not only in the eyes of others but in himself. His journey is one of constant conflict as he is forced to overcome obstacles — some random and some completely of his own creation.
I would argue it offers a compelling story of self-driven motivation when it is not present elsewhere, and a dedication to proving oneself right. In the end, Marty manages to defeat his Japanese opponent, satisfying his persistence to the audience. But it is the true ending where he sees his child in his hands, which ties the ribbon together as we see his perspective on life change in an instant. The audience has a new reverence for Mouser as he is humanized, not only to them but to himself, showing that one can strive for greatness, but it is what comes out of that journey that is most important.
Ricky Bobby is “a big, hairy American winning machine” // Ava Nicholas, Senior Staff Writer
Movie critics and film bros alike will probably tell you that the greatest sports movie of all time is either “The Karate Kid” or “Rocky” — but they’re wrong. The greatest sports movie of all time features Will Ferrell as a dim-witted NASCAR driver, and the sooner we accept that, the better.
“Talladega Nights” follows driver Ricky Bobby, who loses everything when a gay French Formula One driver one-ups him. But to understand why this movie is so incredible, you need to understand the cinematic time period it comes from.
The early-to-mid 2000s were the era of the studio comedy, with Will Ferrell films like “Step Brothers,” “Anchorman,” “The Other Guys” and more. Although these movies are undeniably goofy, their rewatchability and humor still hold up nearly 20 years later. “Talladega Nights” sits at the top of this genre of comedies and of all sports movies.
It has all the elements of the classic sports movies — the fall from grace, the rebuilding, the redemption. When Ricky’s father finally admits that the quote Ricky lived his whole life by — “if you ain’t first, you’re last” — was something he said drunk, it hits harder than any training montage from “Rocky.”
Ultimately, Ricky races because he loves it, not because of his father — “I’m Ricky Bobby,” he declares. “And I want to go fast.” While other sports movies give you the thrill of victory, “Talladega Nights” delivers that with some of the funniest lines you’ve ever heard in a movie. But more than that, this film asks whether victory was ever the point. Shake and bake.
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