The Top 10 Best Baseball Movies
Baseball Movies Are As American As Apple Pie Movies
Baseball movies capture all the magic of a day out at the ballpark without the sunburn and overpriced watered-down beer. Like every red-blooded American, I was forced to play in little league so that my parents had an excuse to drink and slur insults at a volunteer umpire. Ever since then, I’ve loved baseball or at least the concept of it. But these days, who has the time (much less the attention span) to spend a whole three hours watching an actual game? That’s why I’ve decided to pull together a list of the best baseball movies of all time. Now it would be un-American to say that baseball games aren’t the most exciting thing since the Charleston (and I’m not going before that committee again), but these films inject a bit of much-needed drama into this much-loved sport. So, gather up your peanuts and crackerjacks, because these baseball movies are going to knock it out of the park.
10. The Sandlot
Not all baseball movies feature professional players playing in front of dozens of fans (attendance is down, okay). In fact, there are tons of baseball movies featuring kids. However, there aren’t a lot of good ones (Rookie of the Year, Little Big League…). The Sandlot captures all the magic of childhood for those kids who had a local abandoned lot to play baseball games. It’s a great coming of age film about forging life long friendships thanks to a mutual love of the game. Now, every good movie needs a villain and this film features one of the most ferocious beasts ever to appear on the big screen. Don’t worry, none of the kids get mauled by The Beast. Instead, they learn a valuable lesson about judging a book by it’s cover. The Sandlot was one of my favorite childhood films which makes it perfect for this list.
9. Eight Men Out
If there’s one thing that’s become clear over the past, oh say, since 2016, it’s that corruption is rampant. However, you might be surprised to hear that it even got its hooks into America’s past time in 1919. Back in those days, before talking pictures and civil rights, the Chicago White Sox were considered one of the greatest teams in the history of the sport (the MLB had been around for 16 years at that point). A perfect storm consisting of a stingy owner and some convincing gamblers led to a few key players agreeing to throw the World Series for some cold hard cash. It was one of the most infamous moments in the sport’s history and the worst part was that some of the players actually gave their all trying to win the series. This drama looking into the notorious Black Sox scandal is definitely one of the more interesting baseball movies ever made.
8. 42
Baseball is a sport filled with larger than life legends. However, few athletes have had as profound an effect on society as Jackie Robbinson. He was the first black player in the modern incarnation of the sport. Because of that, I felt it was only right to include this biopic among these other great baseball movies. The film follows the star’s struggles as he deals with racism from the fellow players that include actual physical attacks against him (pitchers aiming for his head, runners sliding cleats up, etc). Still, Robbinson refused to be bullied out of the game he loved and proved himself a real American hero whose bravery changed the face of the sport forever. Thanks to Robbinson, America was able to take a big step forward in civil rights and any baseball fan worth their salt should check out this film.
7. The Bad News Bears (1976)
The 70s were a magical time when any drunk with free time could coach a little league team. As long as the kids came home with the same number of limbs they left with, he was considered an excellent caregiver and responsible grown-up. Of course, we know better now, but that doesn’t change the fact that The Bad News Bears is one of the greatest baseball movies ever made. It’s a film about a loveable bunch of losers that everyone wrote off until a functional alcoholic came and gave them a fighting chance to prove just what they’re made of. It’s a film that taught us that in order to win, sometimes you have to play by your own rules (as long as the ump isn’t watching). The Bad News Bears is one of the best underdog movies of all time and earns a well-deserved spot on this list.
6. Major League
As quirky as the Bad News Bears were, they’ve got nothing on this next team of misfits. The film follows a showgirl turned Cleveland Indians owner who wants to sabotage the team in order to move them to Miami. She pulls together a collection of the worst players in the sport’s history and sits back waiting for them to screw it up. No one told her that all these players had something to prove and thanks to a rough around the edges coach, they decide to stick it to their owner by actually becoming winners. Major League is easily one of the funniest baseball movies ever made thanks to a killer cast of actors making up the quirky team, including Tom Beringer, Wesley Snipes, and Charlie Sheen. It just goes to show that even a team of losers can come together thanks to a mutual hatred towards a manipulative, backstabbing owner.