Most Inspirational Sports Movie Scenes

Today's post is absolutely, 100 percent, the result of what happens when I get bored and off-topic at work.  We ended up looking for motivational speeches from sports movies, to which I thought, "I smell a blog coming." 

And I actually had trouble narrowing this list down to 10, although I think that's mainly because it's industry standard that when you write the screenplay for a sports movie, there'd better be some sort of inspirational speech or Hollywood ain't biting.  Regardless, some of those motivational scenes do achieve their intended purpose.  The best sports movies have more than one.  So, as it turns out, there were plenty of good choices available.  As a result, I made it a rule that I was only going to pick one per movie.

10. Mighty Ducks 2: Don't ask me why, maybe it's the music, but I always get amped up when I see this scene.  Again, I have no idea why.  The Mighty Ducks 2 isn't a classic sports movie by any means, but this is still one of my favorite sports movie locker room speeches.  Now go out and beat those Icelandic goons, Ducks!

9. Any Given Sunday: This one worked.  Al Pacino, master motivator.  The fact that Al Pacino is a scary dude certainly helps, because he's basically telling them to kick the crap out of the other team.  And when Michael Corleone tells you to beat the crap out of somebody, you'd better do it.  It helps that Lawrence Taylor was his middle linebacker.

 

8. We Are Marshall: I feel a little awkward putting this one on the list, mainly because I've never seen this whole movie.  But you only have to see this clip once for it to give you chills.  How can you not want to go out there and win in these guys' memory after this?

7. Rocky: There are six Rocky movies, and equally as many choices for inspirational speeches from those movies.  But I'm going with the classic one by Burgess Meredith in the original and still the best.  It got Meredith an Oscar nomination, and the movie, of course, won Best Picture.  (Although, it was tough to choose between this one and "That's What Winning Is" from Rocky Balboa.)

6. Knute Rockne All-American: The locker room scene is great, but it's nothing compared to the Gipper scene.  That's, of course, Ronald Reagan who plays George Gipp in this memorable scene.  Since this movie came out in 1940, I bet a lot of you have probably never seen the whole thing (if any part of it).  If you ever get the chance to, make a point of it someday.

5. Remember the Titans: Again, a lot of options from this great movie.  Really, any one would be a great call.  (You could probably make a whole Top 10 list of most inspirational scenes from "Remember the Titans.")  I think it's the Coach Yost, "Remember Forever," line that makes this one my favorite, although the players in the locker room at halftime of the championship game when they're talking about being the perfect team is pretty close.

4. Pride of the Yankees: This is probably the most famous speech in baseball history, and the movie version is just as powerful.  I know it's not technically a motivational speech, but how can you not be inspired by it?  A man who knew he was dying saying goodbye in such a poignant and moving way.  To this day, it gives people chills.  And, of course, it boasts one of the most memorable movie lines of all-time

3. Rudy: Another movie where you need both hands to count all the inspirational speeches/moments.  The whole movie is incredibly uplifting.  But THE scene that stands out above the others is the one where Fortune convinces Rudy to un-quit the team.  "In this lifetime, you don't have to prove nothing to nobody except yourself."  Words to live by, courtesy of Charles S. Dutton.

2. Hoosiers: This is one of my all-time favorite movies, but that's not why it's in the No. 2 spot.  It's because of the message.  This scene sums up the entire point of the movie.  You don't need to win the game to be a "winner."  It also shows that sometimes a little can say a lot.

1. Miracle: There's no inspirational sports movie scene quite like the locker room scene in Miracle.  The movie is, obviously, based on a true story, and Herb Brooks' actual speech was very similar to Kurt Russell's in the movie.  And if anybody needed to be inspired, it was the actual 1980 Olympic hockey team.  Nobody gave them a chance at beating the Soviets.  Well, we all know what happened--in the movie and in real life.

That's my list.  But it wouldn't be complete without drawing one from real life.  One that makes me cry every time I hear it still, 20 years later.  A man who knew he was dying telling everyone else to enjoy life, because that's what he was going to do with the time he had left.  I'm, of course, talking about Jim Valvano's speech at the 1993 ESPYs.  His message will always endure.  "Don't give up.  Don't ever give up." (The 11 minutes to watch the whole clip are well worth it.)