The 15 Best Sports Biopics of All Time, Ranked

Inspired by the outlandishly true tennis event of the century, Battle of the Sexes recounts how the 1973 tennis match between the Wimbledon champion Billie Jean King (Emma Stone) and retired player Bobby Riggs (Steve Carell) came to be. On opposing sides of the matter regarding women getting paid the same amount as their male counterparts at tennis championships, King agrees to play the taunting Riggs, who has a gambling addiction and is stuck in his glory days. What follows is one of the most-watched sporting events in history. The film is fast and funny and offers great moments of tennis and teamwork as King assembles almost every female tennis player to form their own tennis tour. However, considering how much of a powerhouse King is in real life, the film could have maybe hit just a little harder.

Starring the late, beloved Chadwick Boseman, 42 follows the career of Jackie Robinson, the first baseball player to break the professional league’s color barrier. Somber in tone, the film has all the makings of a great sports biopic, but what really drives it home is the subject matter. The weight of Robinson’s role as the only Black player in the league amounts to rousing moments of frustration and victory, but the film could have benefited from exploring Robinson’s character with more nuance. Regardless, with comedic moments from Harrison Ford who plays the Dodgers executive determined to break the color barrier and historically respectful storytelling, 42 makes the hall of fame in our book.

Set in the 1940s, A League of Their Own tells the true story of the All-American Girls’ Professional Baseball League that was formed during World War II in light of the shortage of athletic young men. As a scout scours the country for women who can play ball, he finds two sisters, Dottie (Geena Davis) and Kit (Lori Petty) who catch and hit, and he brings them back to Chicago for tryouts. From team bonding to finding a willing coach, the film hits all the marks of a classic sports film. However, what really makes this film shine is the nuanced storyline surrounding Dottie and her teammates redefining not only what it means to be a woman in society but what it means to be a woman for themselves.

Funny and feel-good, this sharp family drama hits in all the right places. Fighting with My Family shows how the WWE superstar Saraya Knight (Florence Pugh) climbed the ranks, coming from her very lovable wrestling family in a working-class English town. Despite the more brutal nature of the sport, the family is depicted in such a loving and positive light and boasts some very notable comedic performances from Dwayne Johnson, Stephen Merchant, and Vince Vaughn, just to name a few. Despite being about the wrestling industry, the film seems to avoid completely embracing the undoubted scripted nature of the sport. However, Fighting with My Family’s strength lies in its title: a surprisingly comforting watch about a lovable family’s dream to win.

Cornering two demographics that are often overlooked in the world of professional athletes, Nyad follows 64-year-old woman Diana Nyad (Annette Bening), a legendary long-distance swimmer who’s determined to be the first person ever to swim from Cuba to Florida. The film was directed by Free Solo directors Jimmy Chin and Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi who have championed niche feats of athleticism and brought them to the critically acclaimed mainstream. The outspoken swimmer is trained by her best friend Bonnie Stoll (Jodie Foster), who gathers a team together to help make Nyad’s dream a reality. Not without their own difficulties along the way, from an unpredictable storm to a rogue swarm of jellyfish, Nyad offers an inspiring tale of seizing life and living to one’s fullest potential, albeit in a more predictable package than some other films on this list.

A love letter to the art of wrestling and a testament to the work the actors put into their roles and physiques, The Iron Claw tells the tragically true tale of the Von Erich family, a family of professional wrestlers whose lives continue to descend into tragedy. Following in their father’s footsteps, the brothers (played by Zac Efron, Jeremy Allen White, Harris Dickinson, and Holt McCallany) embark on their own journey and relationship with the sport while navigating their own troubles, whether it be substance abuse or wanting to please their father to a fault. The real kicker of the story is the tragedy that ensues as the family “curse” rears its ugly head, slowly taking the lives of each family member one by one. The film is heartfelt and impressive, and if you decide to look into their family’s story further, you might be surprised to find that the film really only scratches the surface.

Against all odds, somehow this film does not fall into its own cliches as Daniel “Rudy” Ruettiger Jr. (Sean Astin) dreams of playing for the Fighting Irish at Notre Dame despite being smaller in size and not particularly bright. Coming from a working class family, Rudy dreams of attending Notre Dame, but when he doesn’t have the grades to get in, he settles for the school right across the street until he’s finally accepted. There the real challenge begins for the dreamer who is determined to make it onto the team despite his size and his grades. A testament to the human spirit, the film closes on an epic stadium-wide chanting of Rudy’s name. After watching this one, you’ll likely be chanting along with them.

Half sports movie and half biopic, King Richard chronicles the life of the father of tennis legends Venus and Serena Williams, Richard Williams, played by Will Smith. While there’s no shortage of some great rallies between the young prodigies, the film reflects the title in that much of the story revolves around Richard himself and his, at times, questionable tactics he employs to bring his daughters to greatness. Most specifically, the film tracks Richard’s yearslong “plan” for his daughters to become stars even before they were born. Despite the character’s flaws, Smith portrays him as flawed and ultimately likable, set against the backdrop of predominantly white and elitist industry that the Compton-based family is determined to break into.

Driven by the spectacular performances of Christian Bale as the hotheaded racer Ken Miles and Matt Damon as retired champion racer and manager Carroll Shelby, Ford v. Ferrari offers a fast-paced (pun-intended) look at the near-impossible task of creating a car and racing team that can defeat the reigning Ferraris. The film is as fun as it is interesting, tapping into the car-racing fanatics that have been taking the culture by storm. From mechanical engineering to sheer determination, Ford v. Ferrari taps into what it really takes to make a great team.

Based on the life of former boxing champion Jake LaMotta, Raging Bull tells the story of a man struggling with anger, grief, and an inability to respect women, all expressed through his limited expressions of terse words and brute force. Directed by Martin Scorsese, the film is simple in nature but complex in character study as it follows LaMotta’s (Robert De Niro) rise to boxing fame and his troubled relationships with his wife (Cathy Moriarty), among other women. His inability to meet his own needs manifests in the form of rage. Resulting in a shockingly complex and brutal sports film. Poor bull.

Not a perfect movie by any means, Remember the Titans tackles victories over racism just as much as the team’s victories on the field. This film was inspired by the real events of one white coach and one Black coach being forced to coach a football team together in 1971 in Alexandria, Virginia. This film stars Denzel Washington and Will Patton, whose characters are fleshed out beyond their race and instead depicted as determined professionals, with their own strategies and outlooks on what makes a team great. From entertaining training sequences to tear-jerking moments, this film amounts to a classic sports feel-good ending.

Kevin Costner reaches an all-time career high in this touching story inspired by real events. Directed by Niki Caro, McFarland chronicles an all-Latino cross-country running team from an underfunded California high school who aims to win the national championship. Formed by their white coach named, funnily enough, Jim White, the cross-country team is composed of White’s students who he sees running to and from school to help their parents with produce-picking. Despite coming out at a time where the white savior narrative was all-too familiar, this film surprisingly rises above the good-white-guy troupes and instead focuses on the virtues of family, community, and empathy. Watch as this rag-tag team rises to the top, and I guarantee you’ll walk away from this film feeling good – maybe even good enough to run.

Air encapsulates the type of sports biopic where you don’t need to know anything about the sport in question to enjoy the film, which in this case is basketball. Telling the story of how Nike managed to convince Jordan to sign their shoe deal and change the course of Nike and sneaker culture forever, where Air really succeeds is its ability to tell a story the audience already knows the outcome for. Directed by Ben Affleck, who also plays Nike CEO Phil Knight, Matt Damon stars as Sonny Vaccaro, the Nike recruiting expert who recognized Jordan’s potential and aimed to bet everything on one player to beat out their cooler competitors Converse and Adidas. Set in the 1980s, this film is nostalgic, well-written, and packs a punch with its quick script and stacked cast, including Jason Bateman, Chris Tucker, Chris Messina, and Viola Davis. Whether you wear Jordans or prefer to go barefoot (like Knight), Affleck delivers a film for everyone.

I, Tonya follows the figure skater Tonya Harding (Margot Robbie) as she trains to become the first American woman to complete a triple axel, but when her ex-husband attempts to take out her rival Nancy Kerrigan (Caitlin Carver), her world is turned upside down. Based on the shocking true story, this film captures the chaos of one of the most upsetting foul plays in athletic history. Laced with Harding’s own troubled family life and relationship with her mother brilliantly played by Allison Janney, I, Tonya humanizes Harding while showcasing her determination and roughness as an athlete despite the traditional figure skating norms.

Based on the book by Michael Lewis, Moneyball centers on the Oakland Athletics’ general manager Billy Beane (Brad Pitt), who must reinvent his team with a tight budget. Fueled by his hatred of losing, Beane partners with a nerdy, Ivy League graduate named Peter Brand (Jonah Hill) who persuades Beane that he should hire this season’s players based on performance statistics. Less so about baseball and more so about intuition and drive, Moneyball is as intelligent as it is entertaining, boasting easy-to-watch performances from Pitt and Hill as well as Philip Seymour Hoffman who plays Beane’s jaded team manager. Though Brand is a fictionalized character, the film captures the true story of a man who beat the odds and won an unfair game. Written by Aaron Sorkin, this film knocks it out of the park.