My Favorite Sports Movies Showcase the Magic of Storytelling

Sports movies were among the most inspirational sources of my childhood: From Little Giants, a childhood favorite that inspired adventure and togetherness, to White Men Can’t Jump, which inspired street smarts and perseverance. These movies were total opposites but were equal in their splendor and storytelling of sports. Space Jam and Above the Rim were total opposites as well. Space Jam was a complete fantasy and Above the Rim mimicked reality, but both movies involved great story lines about a person finding themselves through basketball. He Got Game was a captivating portrayal of inner-city ambitions while Sandlot was an enchanting portrayal of suburban mischief. Sports movies are never the same, but all of them point to the same types of inspiration — on and off the court, real or fictional — that creates a magical story worth telling.

The world of sports and the world of cinema are a great combination, which give way to storytelling that provides glimpses into a collective world beyond our everyday lives. Sports movies display the great things you can achieve through perseverance. You can take on aliens to save your friends (Space Jam) or a giant mythical dog to get back a priceless object back (Sandlot) as sports can be the convergence of timeless stories. The inspiration and possibilities are endless when sport movies are the topic. I’m forever thankful for these movies and how they inspired me to chase the possibilities, giving me my own story to tell through sports.

— Ronald Applin