With almost all sporting events on a hiatus at the moment, sports junkies around the world are missing the adrenaline rush that comes with watching their favorite team or athlete. So in order to appease your sports fixes, Bear Facts has compiled a list of sports movies and other programming to help you get through this time.

Now, these are not replacements of live-action sports and are certainly not every sports movie and television show out there, but these are just a few ways to pass some time and cure your sports fix. 

You might notice that the majority of these movies are based on true stories and there is a good reason for that. These all tell remarkable stories that are unimaginable and unthinkable. But that’s the beauty of sports. In sports, the unthinkable happens every day.

Miracle

This movie tells the true story of the 1980 U.S. Men’s Olympic hockey team and their run at the 1980 Lake Placid Winter Olympics. 

This team of college kids was given absolutely no chance at even advancing to the medal round of the Olympics by anyone who had any form of a hockey brain at the time, except their head coach Herb Brooks. Brooks was given the herculean task of attempting to gather a team of non-professionals and competing at the highest level of hockey, a world dominated by the Soviet Union national team. 

The U.S. team eventually was faced with the task of playing the Soviets in the medal round, and in a world grappling with the tensions of the Cold War, this was more than a hockey game. This underdog story is definitely not one to miss if you are in the mood for a feel-good story. 

It produces some of the most iconic sports moments and quotes of all-time such as “play for the name on the front, not the one on the back.” I find myself turning it on often and it always gives me the chills during the medal round game against the Soviets.

Miracle is available for streaming on Netflix and Disney+.

Remember the Titans

Another underdog story that pertains well to high school students is Remember the Titans.

When redistricting forces T.C. Williams High School in Alexandria, Virginia to integrate black and white students, tensions arise in the community and on the school football team. This movie is based on the true story of African-American coach Herman Boone and his attempt to integrate the team, and in doing so, the community.

This movie focuses on what it takes to be a leader, to be selfless, to cooperate, and perform at the highest level. With Denzel Washington portraying Boone, it’s often regarded as one of the greatest football movies of all time and it really does live up to the hype.

Remember the Titans is available for streaming on Disney+.

The Sandlot

If this movie doesn’t bring back the nostalgia of being able to just be a kid with your neighborhood friends, I don’t know what will.

When Scottie Smalls moves into the neighborhood at the beginning of summer, he expects to sit at home doing nothing since he has no friends in his new neighborhood. His mom forces him out of the house where he finds a sandlot baseball field filled with kids who absolutely love baseball. Smalls knows absolutely nothing about baseball, but sandlot superstar Benny “The Jet” Rodriguez shows him friendship by bringing him in and teaching Smalls to play. But when a mishap by Smalls lands his step dad’s beloved Babe Ruth signed ball in the yard of “The Beast,” the entire sandlot must pull together to get the ball back. 

This one has more iconic sports moments and quotes with the most notable being “You’re killin’ me Smalls!” The antics of this group of boys are hilarious and make for an enjoyable watching experience. This film has something for everyone to enjoy and it makes for a hilarious and relaxing baseball film that is easily rewatchable. 

The Sandlot is available for streaming on Hulu.

Rudy

This movie makes me feel like I can run through a wall and I’m sure that it will have the same effect on you.

Rudy Ruettiger dreams of playing football at the University of Notre Dame, but he does not have either the grades, money, size, or talent to do so. The one thing that he does have is an unparalleled work ethic.

This underdog story based on real-life events follows Rudy as he defies the odds in order to accomplish this dream, both on the field and off. This is another feel-good movie that will definitely brighten your day and give you the motivation to accomplish whatever you can imagine.

I find the perseverance of Rudy extremely inspiring and a true testament as to what you can accomplish if you set your mind to it. If there’s one movie you watch on this list, this is it.

Rudy is available to rent on Amazon Prime Video and Vudu. 

Moneyball

The economics junkies and statistics maniacs of the world can find their new favorite movie with this 2011 movie based on a true story.

Billy Beane is the General Manager for the Oakland Athletics and is faced with the poorest franchise in all of Major League Baseball by a long shot. However, he and ownership still expect to be able to compete with teams whose payroll is triple their own. Beane and his new Assistant GM Peter Brand devise a strategy that takes a new approach to how baseball is played. Rather than buying the “best” players, the two were buying the stats the team believes will generate the most wins from the cheapest and most overlooked players imaginable.

This film, featuring Brad Pitt, Jonah Hill, Chris Pratt, and Philip Seymour Hoffman, is the great underdog story of a man who attempts to rewrite how the game of baseball is played. This film received six Academy Award nominations including Best Picture, Best Actor (Pitt), and Best Supporting Actor (Hill). 

Although this one can feel a bit slow at times with its pacing, it is a well-done cinematic work that incorporates the values of sports very well.

Moneyball is available for streaming on Hulu.

The Last Dance

This may not be a movie, but it is a current phenomenon of the sports world that Chicago sports fans will especially love.

The Last Dance is the 10-part docu-series that centers on Michael Jordan and the details of the Bulls dynasty of the ’90s that shows the good, the bad, and the ugly. Most people know the story that the Bulls won six championships in eight seasons with two separate three-peats, but this docuseries shows the all-access pass that cameras had of the Bulls 1998 team that is full of drama between Jordan, Head Coach Phil Jackson, General Manager Jerry Krause, and the rest of the 1998 squad. 

This docuseries really does live up to the hype and it is a must-watch for any basketball and Bulls fan.

The Last Dance premieres new episodes on Sundays at 8 pm CST on ESPN and ABC until May 17. It is also available to stream anytime on the ESPN app.