A Celebration of Sport

A sports movie is a sub-genre which uses sport as the central theme of the movie. It’s usually a movie with a considerable amount of sports influence, where sport is used to either fully depict or partially depict a fictional universe that exists around it. It’s often a commercial, blockbuster entertainment, where a sport is used to tell a story or illustrate a point. It’s a hybrid, what we might call a cross between fiction and non-fiction books/movies. Often it’s a sequel to another book or a movie. Most often, though, it’s an entirely new genre altogether.

A sport movie can be a film directed by a professional sportswriter, it can be a indie movie made by a fan of a given sport, it can be made by an independent producer, or it can be made by a studio and released theatrically. However, it can also be an independent film made by an individual. It’s most common to see this kind of film at the movie theater; where it’s produced by a company that holds the rights to produce a film based on a given franchise, or on a popular book. However, it can also be made at home by someone who wants to make a commercial for a given sports league, professional or otherwise.

The term “sports film” itself is somewhat vague, but generally refers to any kind of film which attempts to depict, analyze, or comment on a given sport. While the term is broad, the foundation of the modern definition is actually quite simple. It’s the opinion of the commentator, manager, or any other person watching a sports event that the events are being live and being watched by an audience. It’s the objective view of the observer as to what’s happening and why. It’s usually intended as commentary on a sports show, but can be taken in many other forms as well. There’s even talk these days about an entire genre of movies, of which is called the sports-oriented entertainment film.

This article covers three distinct sub-genres of sports movies for people looking to view them either in the theater, or on their own DVD player. I’ll briefly go over each of these first, discussing their background and methods of observation. Finally, I’ll offer an overview of the main article topic, which is basically the main reason that anyone would watch a sports event in the first place. So let’s begin.

One of the most popular sports films of recent years is The Drop. This is an excellent film, in that it follows the exploits of a young skateboarder as he becomes a national star in the world cup skating competition. Though the main article of interest involves the skating competition, the subject matter is anything but limited to it. The film shows us the young man’s dedication to both his sport and to his country, and how he uses the skills and determination he learns to support his family.

The other two subjects I’d like to mention in their own section are “A League Of Their Own” and “The Cutting Room,” both of which take their information from the world cup and give it a somewhat customized twist (so to speak). As with the main article, I’d encourage you to check out both if you’re going to spend any time at all watching sports TV online. They are both fantastic sports stories, and while they may not directly relate to any one sport, they do offer a look into the human spirit and the commitment it takes to participate in sports, especially when those involved are people who are considered “unfair” participants by some.