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Feature
The Top 10 Movie Sports Scenes


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What Do You Think?
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Your Comments
Quack?
What on earth is going on? How could you leave out the Ducks? How? not only is it one of the best sports movies ever but they managed two dam good sequels! how many films can make that claim! And what about Remember The Titans? I mean come on!! when Sunshine drops his shoulder and takes out that asshole to avenge the Rev you feel the hit! i mean really feel it! and if you dont have a tear in your eye at the end then in my opinion you have no soul! ... Read More

Web Head About me

14:05, 22 October 2008 | Report This Post
Escape to Travesty!
Not bad - but leaving out Escape to Victory is unforgivable in my humble opinion - that was the one i would have put money on being included. Less concerned at the absence of American Flyers and A League of their Own, although may have warranted inclusion. ... Read More

Savmundo About me

13:44, 22 October 2008 | Report This Post
The picture you have for Rocky (1976) is actually from the supposedly excessive first sequel Rocky II (1979), where Rocky wears black and Yellow, in Rocky he wears red and white. Still a great choice ... Read More

Eamonn1984 About me

14:54, 20 October 2008 | Report This Post
RE: Ahem...
L: jibjob82 What about 1: Raging Bull. The opening fight, with the 5"]fireound the ring. Cinematic genius. 2: When We Were Kings. The greatest moment in sports history. 3: Escape To Victory and Sylvester Stallone pulling off a save to make Gordon Banks shout 'cor blimey'. Dodgeball? It was utter tosh. &:]? ... Read More

CURIOUS_GEORGE About me

11:36, 20 October 2008 | Report This Post
Ahem...
What about 1: Raging Bull. The opening fight, with the fire around the ring. Cinematic genius. 2: When We Were Kings. The greatest moment in sports history. 3: Escape To Victory and Sylvester Stallone pulling off a save to make Gordon Banks shout 'cor blimey'. Dodgeball? It was utter tosh. ... Read More

jibjob82 About me

21:35, 18 October 2008 | Report This Post
Snooker? Thats not even a sport as have snooker why not have a darts movie on there too!!!! Rocky should have won, even now it still stands up to repeat viewings and makes you believe in Rocky even though you know the outcome that is proof of a good sports movie or scene. Now drop and give me ten Singer! ... Read More

hellboy22 About me

12:31, 18 October 2008 | Report This Post
Snooker? Thats not even a sport as have snooker why not have a darts movie on there too!!!! Rocky should have won, even now it still stands up to repeat viewings and makes you believe in Rocky even though you know the outcome that is proof of a good sports movie or scene. ... Read More

hellboy22 About me

12:31, 18 October 2008 | Report This Post
Man U getting bitch slapped by a boy on screen!!!!!
Cannot beat the ending of There's Only One Jimmy Grimble, when the scout offers our haples hero the chance to join "The Worlds Greatest Club". To which the boy wonder replies "nah, I've had a better offer, I'm going to City". Never seen so many grown men in manchester cinema wipe away respective tears from there eyes. ... Read More

le Ginge About me

12:29, 18 October 2008 | Report This Post
Happy Gilmore
Greatest golfing film ever - Happy Gilmore, how the hell Tin Cup gets placed above this is disgracful. So many great scenes to pick from that film, more than anything the Crazy golf putt to finish and win the match (If you've got Dodgeball you can have a Crazy Golf putt for the final shot on the green). Being a huge American Football fan and American Football movie fan, I have to say it was a tough choice but in my mind Friday Night Lights did have it purely for the ending, that final scen... Read More

Banky About me

12:14, 18 October 2008 | Report This Post
Cool runnings, White men csn't jump ? No? Tut tut not cool! ... Read More

mozzy_gal About me

19:36, 17 October 2008 | Report This Post
RE: The Mighty Ducks!!!
L: s02bf16c How could you leave off the Mighty Ducks?? HOW?! film per sport and when it comes to hockey films, Slap Shot rules them all. ... Read More

fury21 About me

16:06, 17 October 2008 | Report This Post
Meh
Bit of a duff list to be fair. Where's BASEketball? That's the funniest sports movie ever, bar none! Even if it is a made up one. "I hear your mom's going out with SQUEAK!" And if it's not the funniest, it's the second funniest after Kingpin. Fuck Dodgeball. Raging Bull should not have been discounted just because Rocky is so good. They should both be there. Tut tut Mr Singer. Tut tut ... Read More

Jack'sSmirkinRevenge About me

06:08, 17 October 2008 | Report This Post
when woody makes that slam dunk dear god it's a good sports scene. once in a lifetime, but realistic. and any bond casino scene. plenty of sport involved there. ... Read More

visuallynoisy About me

04:08, 17 October 2008 | Report This Post
No White men can't jump? woody and wesley can play basketball. u imagine wesley in jail playing hoops? look what they do, shot for shot, move for move. any good sporting scene should show the sport being played properly, skilfully. portriat of zidane? ... Read More

visuallynoisy About me

04:06, 17 October 2008 | Report This Post
what a doody empire
Where the hell is the comedy classic football sequence from Kes? ... Read More

DeanAyres21 About me

00:47, 17 October 2008 | Report This Post
The Mighty Ducks!!!
How could you leave off the Mighty Ducks?? HOW?! Im pretty sure anyone between the ages of 21 and 28 who watched these movies learned the difference between right and wrong from Charlie and Coach Bombay, and Hans, sleep well Hans..... sniff. Im shocked Empire, shocked. ... Read More

s02bf16c About me

17:31, 16 October 2008 | Report This Post
RE: The Replacements
L: sowasred2012 No-one saw it, yet it's fuckin' hilarious. At least one of the games from that should be in here - scenes of note: when the replacement cheerleader squad (comprised mostly of strippers) starts doing a routine distracting enough that Keanu's team wins the play (or whatever it's called). Or the last game, when Keanu has come back to give the team the spirit they need to win and there's that whole 'Pain heals, chicks dig scars, glory lasts forever' huddle, followed immediately... Read More

munro7 About me

14:35, 16 October 2008 | Report This Post
Where is "Escape to Victory"? Stallone's penalty save, classic! Pele's overhead kick, Ossie Ardiles overhead flick! Come on! ... Read More

patsy30 About me

09:58, 16 October 2008 | Report This Post
DodgeBall
Dodge ball was cool as! ... Read More

moviesown About me

03:37, 16 October 2008 | Report This Post
RE: Erm?
The final Cool Runnings bobsled race is missing. NOT HAPPY, JAN. The ten-pin bowling match in The Big Lebowski where Walter gets a little bit too angry should also be mentioned. It doesn't get much more tense than a Vietnam vet shoving a gun in your face and yelling at his friend to "MARK IT ZERO!" because he thinks you stepped over the line. ... Read More

Pigeon Army About me

02:01, 16 October 2008 | Report This Post
Next Page

Leigh Singer explains his choices...

What, no epic basketball doc Hoop Dreams? No Scorsese boxing landmark Raging Bull? No home run rom-com Bull Durham? Before fans attempt an overhead smash with this writer's noggin, allow a volleyed return in my defence...

All three examples are among the greatest sports movies made, but what we're after here are the single best scenes of sporting competition. Those combining the prowess, passion and leftfield unpredictability that make sport at its best unmatchable drama. Great as Costner and Sarandon are, it's the scenes outside the baseball diamond that sparkle the most.

As with all the best sports, the rules were simple. One entry per sport, otherwise you could fill a Top 10 with boxing movies alone; no futuristic death matches (Rollerball) or ancient history (Gladiator); and humans had to be involved, ruling out cockfighting, greyhound racing or Pixar's Cars, the climactic rally of which might otherwise have crossed the finish line ahead of Dodgeball.

Bookies' favourites just missing out on the winners' enclosure include athletics (sports-wise, Chariots Of Fire is all downhill after that jog on the beach), horse-racing (Seabiscuit), and even tenpin bowling (Kingpin). Which still leaves a roster of sporting highlights that is tragic, triumphant or just plain barmy. In other words, the games of our lives.

What Do
You Think?

Did Leigh get it completely wrong, miss an obvious choice or were his choices spot on? Tell us what you think by clicking here.

This top ten first appeared in Empire Magazine Issue 232.


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