Have you ever seen Rocky before? How about Money Ball? Surely, you haven’t forgotten about Remember The Titans, have you? The producers even made sure to put the word “remember” on it so I hope it served its purpose well. Otherwise, Denzel Washington is sure to be disappointed. Anyway, I’m not really here to check just how good a memory you have. I’m here to talk about something that I know is close to many people’s hearts: Sports Movies.
That’s right. I don’t know when, where, or how (and I don’t even care) but I do know that you have watched at least a couple of athletic films in your life. If you live with your dad, aside from the pay-per-view football matches, you probably sit down for a good and exciting sports flick during the weekend. Maybe, you even watched this kind of film with the rest of the family. After all, most sports movies are family-friendly. It’s something that can be enjoyed by children and adults alike, people of all ages and places. Here’s a nice list for parents who want to spend movie night with the family: https://www.parents.com/fun/entertainment/movies/10-sports-movies-for-families/.
I guess it would even be no exaggeration to say that sports movies connect the world together. We may not understand each other all too well but we do know how to feel hype about competitions. Being competitive is just human nature, I think. And that’s why no matter who you are or where you’re from, we can all agree on one thing: Sports movies are the best.
But what is it exactly that makes them so good?
Why Are Sports Movies Well-loved By the Majority of Film Goers?
If you really try to dig deeper into the anatomy of films about athletes, you will realize that all of them are basically the same. So normally, you would think that spending a lot of time and money on something redundant and cliché is too much of a waste. Well, I would think so too if only I haven’t gotten into it in the first place.
A sports movie would often have four or five arcs. It will start out with the protagonist’s backstory, the retelling of his weak, emotionally-charged past and his dreams of becoming someone big. Then, it would be followed by a montage that shows hard work and growth. After which, the protagonist will then experience his first big failure – yes, even after trying so hard. And lastly, we will overcome his greatest failure and work his way to the top until he becomes triumphant.
Most writers would also try to throw in a handicap or two near the end of the movie just to keep the audience at the end of their seat (e.g. athlete breaks leg, gets locked out, gets called out for a foul that turns out to be setup arranged by the opposing team, etc.). The last part often shows how the MC overcomes the impossible and transcends his personal limits to achieve his or her goal.
Throwing in a love story or tringle in the mix also works half the time. Plus, it raises the audience’s hype, especially if you cast a gorgeous actress or a yummy hunk. All in all, I do agree that sports movies tend to be a little repetitive in general.
However, there are times when something so cliché turns into a total masterpiece. And the magic is usually found behind the lines delivered by the actors and actresses. Words are powerful, after all. It can either make or break a movie (check this out).
Also, one other thing that makes sports films so compelling are the underlying themes as well as the valuable lessons, viewers can get from watching the flick. In fact, we decided to list some of the best lessons people can learn from watching sports-themed movies. They are as follows:
Nothing Is Impossible If You Work Hard Enough
I think this is a pretty common theme among these types of films. Main characters don’t usually start out strong; they build themselves through training and hard work. If a movie is really well done, it even lets you peek into the growth of the character – what he or she had to go through to achieve his or her goals. Most of them would start out weak, with no real talent or genius. They have to work their way up brick by brick. To many people, this is very inspirational as they can also relate to the feeling of working hard for your goals. Indeed, nothing is impossible when you will it to happen.
Failures Are Opportunities for Growth
“Never give up” is a common theme among sports movies. Failures are depicted as merely minor setbacks and not a permanent state of distress. This type of film would often focus on silver linings and how failures help athletes grow not just as professionals but as individual people as well. This is why sports flicks are ideal for young children as it teaches them to work hard and never give up on their dreams no matter how life gets.
I think that even as adults, we should all remind ourselves of that. If you have been feeling rather unmotivated as of late, a good sports movie can perk your senses right up. Check out this list of the best sports movies of all time, upvoted by yours truly.
Be Humble Even In Success
Lastly, a good sports movie would have a subtheme focusing on humility. It’s okay to feel proud about achievements but never to a point that it consumes who you are as a person. Most films would feature a really down-to-earth, humble type of lead and they would show how a real successful person handles victory and triumph. They are grateful and faithful even after winning several times. Whenever films show the ugliness of the ego in the face of success, they make sure that they convey the right message by turning things around for the MC and making him change for the better. Humility is a quality children should develop while young and I think sports movies are very good teachers of it.
