It's the week of the Super Bowl and everyone is talking about everything football, but to be honest, many football movies are average at best.
Once you get past classics like Remember the Titans, Rudy and Brian's Song you'd be hard pressed to find other football films that match the emotion of those three films.
That's why we've decided to give you a list of great sports movies that aren't about football.
A League of Their Own
Directed by the wonderfully talented Penny Marshall, A League of Their Own stars Tom Hanks, Geena Davis, Lori Petty, Madonna and Rosie O'Donnell in one of the most heartfelt sports films of all time.
Taking place during World War II, a rag-tag group of women from across America join up to bring the nation's favorite pastime back to the public when it's needed most. The cast is what makes this film, bringing a great sense of comedy as well as an emotional look at women thriving where they once weren't allowed. A League of Their Own broke barriers telling the story of women breaking the glass ceiling in baseball and it's just lovely to watch.
Although the famous line is, "There's no crying in baseball," there's no doubt you will shed a tear while watching this movie. - Michael Buckner
Hoop Dreams
Hoop Dreams, perhaps the best documentary of all time, follows two black students in Chicago chasing their dream of making it to the NBA.
This documentary, along with American Movie, distill what it truly feels like to live in America and chase your dreams. William and Arthur have to travel 90 minutes just to make it to high school in this movie and then they still have to play basketball and do their homework.
Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert named Hoop Dreams the best movie of 1994 and yet, somehow, it didn't get nominated for an Academy Award. - Michael Buckner
Moneyball
Starring Brad Pitt and the first step Jonah Hill took into dramatic acting, Moneyball takes a possibly dull topic and turns it into a movie you'll cheer at. In 2002, Billy Beane was the General Manager of the Oakland A's. Coming off of losing the last game before making it to the World Series, their top three players all leave for teams that can pay them the money they think they are worth.
Instead of spending millions on a few players, Billy and his new assistant decide to use math and Sabermetrics to pick who gets in the lineup, much to the rest of the MLB's chagrin. If you're in the sports movie mood, want something a little different, and need to see Brad Pitt eat in almost every scene, Moneyball should be your new go-to movie. - Zach Keast
The Mighty Ducks trilogy
The 90s were a time of many things. Bad fashion, boy bands, and for some reason, kid-centric sports movies. Kids were bombarded with films like Space Jam, The Sandlot, Angels in the Outfield and Little Giants. But none of them compared to The Mighty Ducks trilogy.
The hockey series told the story of Gordon Bombay, played by Emilio Estevez, as he’s forced to coach a team of rag-tag group of kids. Bombay is a man who’s lost his way, and “District 5” is a group of kids who never had one. It’s only when they learn that they need each other do they truly become “The Ducks.” This is a journey that continues in D2: The Mighty Ducks (the best in the series) and D3: The Mighty Ducks.
On the surface they seem like generic kid movies, but when you really look at it, it’s a series that everyone can learn from and enjoy. It’s about being cool with who you are, realizing that’s a lesson you’re never too old to learn, and no matter who you are, where you’re from, what you did, ducks fly together. - JD Roberts