I’ve written my share of athletes—snowboarders, outfielders, and point
guards—mainly because of a love of sports. My dad is a rabid Texas Rangers fan,
and there was always a game on at home. Some of that rubbed off, to the point
that I enjoy sports movies, too. Here are a few of my favorite sports
movies:
Major
League
All right, Gen Xers, how many of your remember Charlie Sheen playing the wild
pitcher, and the ragtag bunch that made up the Cleveland Indians? The premise is
pretty simple: once the owner’s wife inherits the team, she wants to move it to
Florida, but they have to have a losing season for the move to be considered.
Instead, they make it all the way to the play-offs. Now, this movie is NSFW, but
it’s also pretty hilarious.
The Sandlot
I didn’t see this movie until I was an adult, watching it with my kids, but the
trueness of it struck me immediately. The way the boys were written…the banter,
the shenanigans….it was so well done. And hey, how many times have you said,
“You’re killing me, Smalls!” over the last decade or so. I also loved it because
of the loving care and the homage is paid to baseball. This is a game of vacant
lots and parks, played by kids with a summer to kill. Plus, James Earl Jones’s
late cameo was amazing.
Talladega
Nights: The Legend of Ricky Bobby
I’m not much of a NASCAR fan (I’m an IndyCar girl), but this movie had me
rolling. The spoofs were on the nose and the Battle Royale between Ricky Bobby
and his arch nemesis cracked me up. I won’t drive around with a cougar in my
car, though.
A League of
Their Own
Okay, this might be my favorite of the bunch. A quietly feminist message wrapped
up in a baseball movie, bringing up themes of washed up coaches, sibling
rivalry, and losses due to WWII? This movie is poignant, gorgeous, and full of
comic relief. Tom Hanks as the hapless manager is almost enough to make you
watch it on its own.
Tin
Cup
Being a (bad) golfer and a definite romantic, Tin Cup immediately
appealed to me. Rene Russo and Kevin Costner had a cute chemistry, and the story
of a washed up golf pro from a tiny driving range in west Texas going on to the
US Open was really fun. Add in the fact that Roy was a hot mess and his track to
the Open was a train wreck in progress only made it more entertaining.
Kendra C. Highley lives in north Texas with her husband and two children. She
also serves as staff to two self-important and high-powered cats. This,
according to the cats, is her most critical job. She believes in everyday magic,
extraordinary love stories and the restorative powers of dark chocolate.
Baseball player Kyle Sawyer has many labels: bad boy, delinquent, ladies'
man, fearless outfielder... Only one of them is actually true. But then sweet
ballet dancer Faith Gladwell asks him to help wreck her reputation, and
everything goes sideways.
Faith knows a thing or two about love, and what she had with her cheating
jerk of an ex wasn't it. When he starts spreading rumors about her being an Ice
Queen, Faith decides it's time to let a little bad into her life.
Lucky for her, Kyle Sawyer--dark, dangerous, totally swoonworthy Kyle
Sawyer--is landscaping her backyard over Spring Break. Shirtless. And if she can
convince him to play along, " dating" Kyle will silence the rumors.
But Faith's plan threatens to expose Sawyer's biggest secret of all...and
that's a risk he's not willing to take.
Young Adult
[Entangled Teen, On Sale: November 14, 2016, e-Book, ISBN:
9781682813355 / eISBN: 9781682813355]
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