This slideshow features the plots of various recommended movies for sports fans.

2.  This 1986 drama is loosely based on the real life story of a small
rural Indiana high school basketball team that does the nearly
impossible: winning the state championship against a much larger
school.
 Set in 1952, Hickory is a tiny underdog compared to its rival of
South bend central. This story proves everybody loves an
underdog.
 Gene Hackman stars as Norman Dale, the team’s new coach with
a temper and a habit of getting ejected from games. The town
does not take kindly his unorthadox coaching style and structured
personality, and tries to fire him
 The film co-stars Barbara Hershey as his love interest, and Dennis
Hopper as the town drunk and his assistant coach, which won him
an Oscar nomination.

3.  Notes:
 The last scenes of the movie were filmed on location at Hinkle
Fieldhouse on the campus of Butler University in Indianapolis.
 The film could not find enough extras for the final scenes, so a
local high school game was moved to the Fieldhouse where the
audience was used as the extras.
 Many of the final scenes were filmed during half time during an
actual high school game at Hinkle Fieldhouse.
 Most of the film’s location shots for the town of ‘Hickory’ were
filmed in New Richmond, Indiana, and he schoolhouse scenes
were filmed at an old schoolhouse in Nineveh, Indiana.

4.  Sylvester Stallone stars as the ‘Italian Stallion’. This 1976 drama
tells the rags-to-riches story of an inner-city Philadelphia club
fighter who gets his chance at the world heavyweight
championship.
 Rocky was a debt collector by trade who enjoys the local boxing
club, buts gets kicked out after the owner doesn’t think he can cut
it. Proving him to be wrong, the world heavyweight champion
challenges Rocky to a world-class match on Christmas Day.
 The film also stars Talia shire as Rocky’s girlfriend Adrian, Burt
Young as Rocky’s Manager and Adrian’s brother, Burgess
Meredith as his trainer Mickey, and Carl Weathers as the world
heavyweight champion Apollo Creed.

5.  Notes:
 The film was shot in only 28 days on a budget of less than
$1,000,000.
 It was the top grossing film of 1976.
 It won three Oscars, including Best Picture
 Rocky made Sylvester Stallone a star and spawned five sequels
 Boxer Joe Frazier has a cameo
 The famous steps Rocky walked up are the steps of the
Philadelphia Museum of Art
 Both Sylvester Stallone and Carl Weathers were injured while
filming the final fight.

6.  This movie follows the near real-life drama of Baltimore Ravens
offensive lineman Michael Oher. He grows up in the projects of
Memphis, Tennessee and was adopted by the affluent Touhy
family. Michael joins the high school football team and gets a
shaky start, due to his gentle personality. After a pep-talk with the
coach and Mrs. Touhy (Sandra Bullock), Michael soon dominates
the field and is noticed by college recruiters.
 The Touhys later become the subject of an NCAA investigation
involving a conflict of interest. The closing credits show the 2009
NFL Draft with the real Michael Oher being drafted by the Ravens
in the first round.
 Photographs of Oherand the real Touhys follow, with Oher’s
success in the NFL detailed.

7.  Notes:
 This movie was the highest gross opening weekend of Sandra
Bullock’s career
 Little did Bullock know that she was being blindsided (the movie
title is ironic) while filming the movie as her husband was having
an illicit affair.
 Distributor: Warner Brothers
 Stars: Sandra Bullock, Tim McGraw, Quinton Aaron
 Running time: 129 minutes

8.  Talladega Nights is a 2006 sports comedy picture staring Will
Ferrell as Ricky Bobby. Ricky grew up with a dysfunctional
childhood and always wanted to be a NASCAR driver. He gets his
chance to drive and finishes 3rd place. Ricky soars to the top of the
NASCAR circuit when he is challenged by an obnoxious driver for
a race and the affection of his woman. When Ricky’s life doesn’t
seem to get any worse, his wife re-enters his life and he regains
his confidence. Ricky later meets another woman, but is re-united
with his wife.
 Distributor: Columbia Pictures
 Running time: 120 minutes

9.  Rudy is a 1993 sports drama that tells the real life story of Daniel ‘Rudy’
Ruettiger, whos life dream was to play football at Notre Dame. Rudy was
disadvantaged as he was too short to play and didn’t have grades good
enough to be admitted.
 After temporarily working in a steel mill, Rudy leaves for Notre Dame and
is befriended by a graduate student. Rudy overcomes his dyslexia, and
his improving grades finally get him admitted into ND. In the movie’s final
moments, Rudy helps his team win a major game.
 Notes:
 This movie was filmed in Illinois and Indiana.
 Distributor: TriStar Pictures
 Running time: 116 minutes

10.  This is a fantasy drama about an Iowa farmer who wants to build a
baseball field on the property of his farm. But building the diamond
puts him in financial ruin. Shoeless Joe Jackson appears and asks
to bring in others for a game.
 Notes: filming was done in Dubuque County, Iowa and Jo
Daviess County, Illinois
 Running time: 107 minutes

11.  Fever Pitch is a romantic comedy loosely based on the book by
Nick Hornsby. The main character, Ben, grew up a diehard Red
Sox fan and later meets Lindsey. They attend games together for
dates, but Ben’s obsession with the Sox frquently gets in the way
of their relationship. Ben turns down an offer to go to Paris with
Lindsey when it gets in the way of a Sox game in the World
Series. The two temporarily separate and reunite to get married.
They name their baby after a Sox player.
 Distributed by: Twentieth Century Fox
 Running time: 103 minutes

12.  Rudy is a 1993 sports drama that tells the real-life story of Daniel
‘Rudy’ Ruettiger who’s life dream is to play football at Notre Dame.
But Rudy was disadvantaged as he was too short and his grades
not good enough. After working in a steel mill, Rudy leaves for
Notre Dame and is befriended by a local graduate student who
helps him overcome his disadvantages. His improving grades
finally get him into ND. In the movie’s final moments, Rudy helps
his team win a big game.
 Distributor: TriStar Pictures
 Running time: 116 minutes

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