4 inspirational sports movies for your post-Olympics fix
The Rio Olympics might be over, but that doesn’t mean your dose of sports inspiration has to stop.
Whether you’re training yourself to be the next Joseph Schooling or you just want to feel as good as the Tongan flag bearer, here are some sports movies guaranteed to make you feel like you can handle any problem.
Friday Night Lights (2004)
This 2004 film focuses on a high school football team called the Permian Panthers, which hails from Odessa, Texas, during a time when racism and other social issues are still very evident in the society.
Coach Gary Gaines (Billy Bob Thornton) struggles to get his team winning games during their season, while at the same time being a sort of father-figure to some of his players who have their own troubles at home.
The Mighty Ducks (1992)
If you’re looking for some laughs and a Cinderella story, “The Mighty Ducks” might just be your cup of tea. The film is centred around Gordon Bombay (Emilio Estevez), a powerful lawyer who gets arrested and later sentenced to community service, which involves him coaching the local kid’s hockey team, the Ducks.
Bombay himself was a former star player in his youth (for the Ducks’ local rivals), but the team he’s sentenced to coach doesn’t even have its own facilities or equipment. It’s an uphill battle as he works to form the Ducks into a force to be reckoned with.
Rocky (1976)
It would be sacrilege to talk about inspirational sports movies without mentioning “Rocky”, the film that made Sylvester Stallone into the star that he is today. The movie tells the story of a small-time boxer and debt collector as he makes a name for himself, eventually getting a match with the reigning heavyweight champion.
The film would go on to spawn a franchise, including 2015’s “Creed”. In addition to the movies, let’s not forget “Eye of the Tiger” by Survivor, which was the main theme of “Rocky III” and also a mainstay in workout playlists everywhere.
Cool Runnings (1993)
Years before lightning took human form in the body of a certain Usain Bolt, Jamaica was already making Olympic history… at the Winter Olympics.
“Cool Runnings” is loosely-based upon the Jamaican national bobsleigh team’s first Winter Olympics, which is notable because Jamaica isn’t exactly a place you would normally associate with winter.
While the film does take creative liberties with some aspects of the story, it’s still a heartwarming affair that will appeal to all ages.
