Chris Dell’Amore

Maroon-News Staff

I can’t believe that this is even a question. Texas high school football is the epitome of the American spirit and, since America is the best country in the world, Friday Nights Lights is therefore the greatest sports movie ever. The amazing story of the 1988 Odessa Permian High School football team has everyone who has ever watched the movie willing to strap on the pads and play alongside running back Boobie Miles or party with fullback Don Billingsley. For anyone that has ever played under the Friday night lights and knows the irreplaceable feeling, this is a no-brainer.

Radoslav Ivanov

Maroon-News Staff

The best sports movie of all time has to be Rocky; there hardly is any competition.  A combination of excellent acting by Sylvester Stallone, a fascinating soundtrack that is still one of the most popular melodies in our culture and an intriguing story that keeps viewers mesmerized at all times, Rocky is not only the best sports movie but one of the best films in the history of Hollywood.

Unlike other sports movies that focus more on people’s psychological preparation and development, such as Jerry McGuire, or on the funny and entertaining side of sports, such as Space Jam, Rocky is rather a well-chosen mixture of the protagonist’s hard work in preparation for games, the actual fights that he takes part in and some entertaining scenes to relieve the pressure on viewers at certain points. Finally, the sport itself contributes to the overall quality of the movie; after all, boxing makes Rocky seem very similar to a typical action movie, Stallone’s greatest specialty.

Charlie Balk

Maroon-News Staff

Best movie of all-time? The answer to that question is a layup. Actually, a jam. A Space Jam. Before you laugh, think about it. It has everything a movie needs. Big name stars: Bugs Bunny, Michael Jordan, Larry Bird, and “Sir” Charles “Wide Mound of Rebound” Barkley. Romance: the love between Lola and Bugs and Bill Murray’s love of MJ. Danger: Mr. Swackhammer (voiced by Danny DeVito) and his team of Monstar goons. Comic relief: Daffy Duck, Muggsy Bogues, Shawn Bradly, Bill Murray, “Newman” from Seinfeld, and Jordan trying to play baseball. Not to mention, it has an outstanding soundtrack with inspirational songs from vocalists like Seal and R. Kelly.

Space Jam taught a generation of kids so many lessons. It taught me that my world and the world of Sunday morning cartoons is never safe from the evil forces of sinister amusement-park-owning extraterrestrials. More importantly, it taught me the value of hard work. Did you see the Toon Squad clean up their gym in seconds with a little bit of “spit shine”? I know you did. Everyone I know has seen it because, when it comes down to it, anyone would rather watch Jordan dunk on martian mutants from half court, than watch hacky, cookie-cutter Hollywood sports stories like Rudy, Remember The Titans, or the Rocky series. So “slip on your Hanes, lace up your Nikes, take your Wheaties and your Gatorade, and we’ll grab a Big Mac” and watch some Space Jam.

Jordan Plaut

Assistant Sports Editor

“If you build it, he will come.” These are the famous words uttered by Shoeless Joe Jackson and just about everyone else in Field of Dreams. I could probably choose from any of Kevin Costner’s sports films and have a good argument for best sports movie but this one is, above all else, a classic. The story has it all, from Costner’s emotional struggle to forgive his deceased father, to the story of Moonlight Graham, to the booming epicness of James Earl Jones. Yes, the film is focused on baseball and chances at redemption, but that is not what makes it special. More than anything, Field of Dreams uses America’s pastime to tell us that nothing is impossible, even on a secluded baseball diamond in the cornfields of Iowa.