With football season in full swing, hockey just beginning and basketball season just around the corner, here are some sports movies to watch alongside live sports this fall and winter.
There have been many impactful and historical moments in sports over the years and a few of them have been immortalized in movies.
The movies tell various sports stories, from miraculous Olympic victories to the rebuilding of teams after major tragedies.
These based-on-true-stories movies tell stories involving a variety of sports from hockey to football to tennis and even horse racing.
22 of the best sports movies streaming right now
‘Miracle’
“Miracle” tells the story of the U.S. Olympic hockey team and their unexpected victory over the Soviets at the 1980 Olympics in Lake Placid, New York.
Herb Brooks (Kurt Russell) is hired to coach the U.S. Olympic team and selects a very specific group of young players to teach a unique style of play that he believes can be used to beat the Soviets.
The team, led by captain Mike Eruzione (Patrick O’Brien Demsey) comes together to resolve their issues with each other in order to prepare for the Olympics. In the midst of the Cold War, with the entire country counting on them, the team fights for the gold medal.
Rating: PG
Where to watch: Disney+
‘Remember The Titans’
When coach Herman Boone (Denzel Washington) takes over the football team at T.C. Williams High School, a recently integrated school, racial tensions rise within the team and the community.
Boone works with assistant coach Bill Yoast (Will Patton) to unite their team full of players of varying races. In the face of tragedy and other trials, the team comes together to be victorious.
Rating: PG
Where to watch: Disney+
‘Coach Carter’
“A successful businessman returns to his high school basketball team as coach, only to take controversial action to make sure that his players succeed in the classroom as well as on the court,” per Prime Video.
Coach Ken Carter (Samuel L. Jackson) sets strict rules and expects academic excellence from his team despite backlash from parents and the community.
Rating: PG-13
Where to watch: Prime Video, Paramount+
‘The Greatest Game Ever Played’
“The Greatest Game Ever Played” tells the story of Francis Ouimet (Shia Lebeouf), who was the first amateur golfer to win the U.S. Open.
The sports movie follows Ouimet as he fights against class prejudice to master the game of golf, which is dominated by the upper class. After working as a caddy and practicing whenever he can, Ouimet gets into the 1913 U.S. Open.
At the tournament, he competes as the underdog, going head to head against England’s star golfer, Harry Vardon (Stephen Dillane).
Rating: PG
Where to watch: Disney+
‘Hoosiers’
“Hoosiers” tells the story of a washed up college basketball coach, Norman Dale (Gene Hackman), as he coaches an Indiana high school team.
“A man gets a last-chance job coaching a small-town Indiana high-school basketball team and faces the dual challenge of bringing this underdog team to the 1951 state championship and redeeming himself from a mysterious past,” per Prime Video.
Rating: PG
Where to watch: Prime Video for $2.99
‘We Are Marshall’
When a plane crash kills 75 of Marshall University football team’s players and staff members, the community is coming to terms with the great tragedy while the football program is on the brink of nonexistence.
“Life hit the West Virginia town of Huntington and its Marshall University hard. When it did, Jack Lengyel (Matthew McConaughey) came by to help pull them onto their feet by taking the job no one wanted,” per Prime Video.
Rating: PG
Where to watch: Prime Video
‘The Boys In The Boat’
“This inspirational true story follows a group of underdogs at the height of the Great Depression as they are thrust into the spotlight, taking on elite rivals from around the world as part of the 1936 Berlin summer games,” per Prime Video.
This sports movie follows the University of Washington’s rowing team as they work to dominate East Coast teams and become the best in the country ahead of the 1936 Olympics.
Rating: PG-13
Where to watch: Prime Video
‘McFarland, USA’
After starting his job at a predominantly Latino high school in California, Jim White (Kevin Costner) put together a cross-country team for the school. He and the team set the goal to compete at California’s cross-country state championships.
The boys have incredible running ability, but there are trials off the track that they have to work through. With support of the town and the runners’ families, White works to turn to boys into champions.
Rating: PG
Where to watch: Disney+
‘42′
Branch Rickey (Harrison Ford), manager of the Brooklyn Dodgers, goes against Major League Baseball’s color barrier and signs African American player Jackie Robinson (Chadwick Boseman). The move puts both Rickey and Robinson in the public’s line of fire.
Robinson faces open racism from fans, the press, his teammates and opponents. He demonstrates courage and strength as he proves himself in the league, and works to open the door for other players of color.
Rating: PG-13
Where to watch: Prime Video for $3.99
‘Rudy’
This classic sports movie tells the story of Rudy Ruettiger (Sean Astin), “a working-class boy intent on realizing his dreams of playing football at Notre Dame,” per Prime Video.
Without money for tuition or the grades to qualify for a scholarship, Ruettiger dreams of being on the University of Notre Dame football team. After losing his best friend (Christopher Reed), Ruettiger decides he has to get out of working at the steel mill with his father.
His friend D-Bob (Jon Favreau) tutors him to help him overcome his dyslexia and once he is admitted to the university, he fights to earn a spot on the football team.
Rating: PG
Where to watch: Apple TV for $3.99, Prime Video for $3.59
‘Invincible’
In an unprecedented move for an NFL team, the struggling Philadelphia Eagles hold open tryouts. One Eagles fan, 30-year-old bartender Vince Papale (Mark Wahlberg), attends the tryouts and gets the unbelievable chance to play on the team.
Rating: PG
Where to watch: Disney+
‘Next Goal Wins’
When professional soccer coach Thomas Ronger (Michael Fassbender), who is known for his temper, loses his job, he is sent to coach the American Samoa national team.
The team has never scored a goal, and is preparing for 2014 World Cup Qualifiers. Ronger clearly doesn’t want to be coaching in American Somoa, but he is won over by the efforts of the team and becomes a part of the community.
The team’s goal is to score just one goal, hence the title “Next Goal Wins”
Rating: PG-13
Where to watch: Hulu and Disney+
‘Invictus’
“Invictus” is about “Nelson Mandela’s plan to unify South Africa through the nation’s rugby team,” according to Max.
After being elected president of South Africa, Nelson Mandela (Morgan Freeman) notices there are still major race divides within the country.
He works with the Springboks rugby team captain Francois Pienaar (Matt Damon) to use rugby to unite the nation ahead of the World Cup.
Rating: PG-13
Where to watch: Max
‘Million Dollar Arm’
When sports agent J.B. Bernstein’s (Jon Hamm) business starts to fall apart, he comes up with an unconventional idea to try and save his career. His plan is to bring cricket players from India to the U.S. to be pitchers in Major League Baseball.
With the help of a scout, Berstein finds teenagers Dinesh (Madhur Mittal) and Rinku (Suraj Sharma), who know nothing about baseball. He works with the boys to help them adjust to America and learn about the sport.
Rating: PG
Where to watch: Apple TV for $3.99 and Prime Video for $3.59
‘When The Game Stands Tall’
After having a win streak of 151 games and winning 12 consecutive state championships, the 2003 De La Salle High School football team loses their streak.
The players who had been receiving offers around the country, now work to navigate an unpredictable season full of challenges.
The team’s coach Bob Ladouceur (Jim Caviezel) works to guide the team through adversity and tragedy.
Rating: PG
Where to watch: Apple TV for $3.99
‘The Long Game’
“The Long Game” tells the story of a group of Mexican American teenagers in Texas, the San Felipe Mustangs.
School superintendent JB Peña (Jay Hernandez) puts together a high school golf team of five young caddies.
The team is determined to learn the game, and after being rejected from playing at country clubs, they create their own golf course. The boys also train to compete for the state championship.
Rating: PG
Where to watch: Netflix
‘Forever Strong’
“Forever Strong” is the story of Arizona high school rugby player Rick Penning (Sean Farris). Penning was the captain of his school’s rugby team, until he got in an accident driving drunk and was sent to a juvenile detention center in Utah.
The manager (Sean Astin) of the center arranges for him to play with the Highland High School rugby team, who Penning knows as his biggest rivals in the sport.
As the team, coached by Larry Gelwix (Gary Cole), helps him learn what kind of person he wants to be, he works to prove himself on and off the field.
Rating: PG-13
Where to watch: Peacock, Prime Video and Tubi
‘Glory Road’
The story of the first all-African American college basketball team is highlighted in the film “Glory Road”.
When the 1966 Texas Miners basketball team gets a new head coach, Don Haskins (Josh Lucas), he decides to build his team based on talent instead of race.
Even though his team of African American players is winning all of their games, those in the community around the school don’t approve of the team. Tensions rise off the court rise as the team dominates on the court.
Rating: PG
Where to watch: Disney+
‘Secretariat’
After her father falls ill, Penny Chenery (Diane Lane) takes over management of her family’s thoroughbred farm.
Chenery works to successfully navigate the male-dominated world of horse racing with trainer Lucien Laurin (John Malkovich). The two foster a colt, Secretariat, which they raise to become a Triple Crown winner in 1973.
Rating: PG
Where to watch: Disney+
‘The Blind Side’
Leigh Anne Tuohy (Sandra Bullock) and her husband, Sean (Tim McGraw), take in a homeless Black teen, Michael Oher (Quinton Aaron).
The family helps Michael realize his potential as a football player, due to his protective instincts and size. With help from the family and others, he makes progress on the field and in his schoolwork.
Rating: PG-13
Where to watch: Prime Video for $3.79 and Apple TV for $3.99
‘Battle of The Sexes’
“Battle of the Sexes” tells the story of the tennis match between Billie Jean King (Emma Stone) and Bobby Riggs (Steve Carrell) in 1973, which was the most-watched televised sports event ever.
“Trapped in the media glare, King and Riggs were on opposites sides of a binary argument, but off-court each was fighting more personal and complex battles,” per Prime Video.
Rating: PG-13
Where to watch: Apple TV for $3.99, Prime Video for $3.99
‘Young Woman and the Sea’
The story of Trudy Ederle (Daisy Ridley), the first woman to complete a swim across the English Channel.
Growing up in the early 20th century, Trudy Ederle takes to swimming at a young age. As she builds her swimming career, she fights against adversity and oppression from a patriarchal society.
As an adult, she decides she is going to swim the 21-mile stretch across the English Channel from France to England.
Rating: PG
Where to watch: Disney+