Ali Adair

While sitting at dinner Friday night, I began to discuss with my softball teammates just exactly what I wanted to write for my column this week. Not too much has gone on in the sports world, so I had the idea to write about great sports movies.

Okay, so not all of them are great, but some of them are pretty darn funny. We came up with over 50 different movies with many different sports represented. I have to admit I haven’t seen a lot of them, but I have seen some.

Our list of movies went on and on. There really are tons of sports movies covering almost all sports. We couldn’t, however, think of a movie for wrestling. If any of you know one, I would like to know about it.

When you think about sports movies, certain ones come to mind right away like Rocky movies I – V. Boys love these movies. They worship these movies, and as a girl it’s almost like a sin to most boys if you haven’t seen them all. I’ve seen the first one, I think, or maybe part of it. The second one is about Apollo or something. The third one is the Russian one and the fourth one is about Mr. T, right? Or is it the other way around? Does it really matter? None of us even knew what the fifth one was about. Two great things did come from “Rocky”. What would this world be like without Survivor’s “Eye of the Tiger” and where would Foofy-Foofy be without Brigitte Nielsen? Reality television has never been better.

As long as we are talking in terms of a series of movies, we have to mention other greats like “Major League” one, two and three. “Just a bit outside.”

Then there is the timeless “Mighty Ducks” trilogy, which will go down in history with other trilogy greats like “Star Wars” and “Lord of the Rings”. “Flying V!” Emilio Estevez has never been better.

Some sports movies can move you to tears. If you didn’t cry during “Brian’s Song,” you have no heart. If you didn’t cry during “Rudy,” you have no faith, and if you didn’t cry during “Air Bud,” well, you just have no taste. “Jerry McGuire” made romantics cry, but guess what? I have never seen it and I am the biggest romantic of them all. I have never been shown the money.

Sports movies don’t have to make you cry, they can also make you laugh. Movies like “The Waterboy,” “Happy Gilmore,” “Caddyshack,” “Little Giants,” “Dodgeball” and “The Replacements” give us all a little giggle. “Cool Runnings” made us laugh and cheer for Jamaicans in a bobsled. After that movie, who couldn’t stop chanting, “Feel the rhythm, feel the rhyme, come on now it’s bobsled time!” I also laughed at “Any Given Sucks”, I mean “Any Given Sunday” because that movie was terrible and quite possibly the worst ever. If you saw it and actually liked it, I’m sorry. If you have never seen it, don’t.

Some movies give us great soundtracks to go along with the triumph and strife sports movies provide. “SpaceJam” would never have been the same if you didn’t believe you could fly. Michael Jordan and Bugs Bunny delivered Oscar worthy performances. “Remember the Titans” has a great oldies soundtrack. Not only is it arguably the best sports movie ever made, so is the soundtrack.

I am saving my favorite sports movie for last. I know almost every line from it and have seen it more than any other movie. “You’re killing me Smalls.” “The Sultan of Swat, the King of Crash, the Colossus of Clout, (the Colossus of Clout), the Great Bambino.” “You mean to tell me you went and swiped your old man’s ball with Babe Ruth’s signature on it and actually played with it? (And actually played with it?) You’re dead as a doornail Smalls. (You’re dead as a doornail Smalls.).” Ok so you get my point. I know and love this movie. If you don’t know what it is by now I guess you’ll never know. I’ll leave you with one last thing. “There are heroes and there are legends. Heroes get remembered kid, but legends never die.”

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