Hoosiers

Hoosiers is the the classic "David vs Goliath" story, in which an old college basketball coach takes on the role of leading a small, losing high school basketball team. In this small Indiana town, high school basketball means a lot to the school as well as the entire town. With the teams best player Jimmy Chitwood not planning on playing this season, the new mysterious coach, has a tough job ahead of him. A lot of pressure is put on the new coach Norman Dale from the small, basketball loving town.

The season starts slower than the town wants and this in turns puts Norman Dale in hot water. He is ejected from multiple games, loses his temper, and kicks two of the better players off the team. Despite all the pressure and critiques given by the the townspeople, Dale refuses to change his coaching style. Eventually the town is fed up enough and calls a town meeting to get rid of the basketball coach. Just before the decision is made final, all-star Jimmy Chitwood comes forward and says he will return to play, only if Dale will remain the coach.

The town agrees to let the coach stay and the team gets to work. After this this happens, Hickory High School becomes an unstoppable force. Eventually Hickory makes it the the State Finals and is pitted against a team from South Bend. Their foe is bigger, stronger, and more athletic and Hickory is given a long shot chance. However in front of massive sized crowd, bigger than they've ever seen, they pull off the shocking upset. Hoosiers is a great, inspirational sports movie that proves that there is such thing as a "David vs Goliath" story and that no matter the odds, anything is possible.

The Sandlot

"The Sandlot" follows the small town story of a group of nine young boys and their summer on the sandlot. Scotty Smalls is the new kid in town and having a difficult time making friends, until one day he stumbles onto the local baseball field. "Smalls" has never played baseball before and is made fun of at first by the group of kids that occupy the sandlot. However the kids stick with him and teach him the basics of the game. "The Sandlot" shows the friendships, adventures, and challenges faced by a group of local boys on and off the diamond.

Friendships are a huge part of growing up and a huge part of life. "The Sandlot" perfectly displays the friendships faced by kids all around the world. The bonds of these nine boys grows stronger throughout the film and they become almost inseparable. The main story line involves the boys trying to retrieve an autographed ball that has gone over the fence, which is the home of a enormous and intimidating dog. The boys try all different plans and even have a sleepover to plan and share ghost stories about the "evil" dog.

The comments made and mischievous things the boys do mirror the typical life of any boy growing up and will provide humor for any ages. The boys' love for the game is abundant and shows the boys playing baseball and hanging out everyday of the summer. Overall, "The Sandlot" is a great representation of the typical life of a young boy and will bring back memories from your own childhood.

The Fighter

"The Fighter" is an inspirational boxing movie that is based on real life boxing hero Micky Ward from Lowell, Massachusetts. The movie follows not only Ward's boxing struggles and accomplishments, but the challenges he has to go through outside the ring. Micky Ward is constantly being told what to do from his dysfunctional family; including his crack headed half brother and power seeking mother. Despite all of these challenges, Ward is forced to put in many hours of work if he wants to succeed in the sport he loves.

Micky Ward's family plays a huge role in his boxing career at the beginning of the film. Dicky Eklund, Ward's half-brother, is Micky's trainer and his mother is his manager. Despite Micky's mother feeling that the brothers make a great duo, Dicky is usually doing drugs and nowhere to be found instead of training Micky. Because of the absence of Dicky, Micky is forced to do most of the training by himself and spend endless hours at the gym. Boxing requires a lot of hard work and determination and Micky proves that is not an easy sport to partake in.

When his mother schedules him a bad fight and his brother is locked up, things change quickly for Micky Ward. His training staff is no longer composed of family and his manager is now the owner of a taxi company. Micky can't look back despite the fact that he is basically ordered to ignore his family if he wants to keep his career going.

Despite the numerous obstacles Micky Ward faces throughout the movie, he is eventually awarded the national title through his hard work and determination. This inspirational movie proves that even if you are dealt a tough hand, hard work and determination can get you through. "The Fighter" is a must see movie and a great story of a local man making it big.

30 for 30: Catching Hell

"Catching Hell" is an outstanding 30 for 30 documentary done by ESPN about the fan interference incident that may have caused the Chicago Cubs a world series opportunity in 2003. The "incident" involved a lifetime long cubs fan reaching over the left field wall and preventing Moises Alou from making a catch in foul grounds. This man also known as Steve Bartman would later become the scapegoat for the Cubs collapse.

Interesting perspectives are given from individuals that sat only a few seats from Steve Bartman. Footage from the actual game, as well as fan footage from the stands are used to show the interference as well as the aftermath. No matter what angle is looked at, no one can deny the loneliness shown by Steve Bartman immediately following the foul ball.

The whole event and surrounding details is closely compared to the Bill Buckner ground ball in Boston. Bill Buckner himself gives insight on how he felt and tries to explain the similarity Bartman must have felt. Interviews with sports writers as well as fans discuss the moments leading up to the foul ball as well as the aftermath. Emotional and shocking accounts are recalled by ballpark security guards of the immediate events following the foul ball.

This documentary gives the background of a scapegoat and the reasons people need to place the blame on one person. It also goes into detail to defend Bartman and explain the other multiple reasons for the Cubs playoff collapse. "Catching Hell" shows how in an instant second Steve Bartman went from a nobody, to hated by all of Cubs nation. This documentary is a must see and will provide entertainment not only for sports fans but for anyone who is passionate about something.

Sports More Than a Game?

February 22, 1980. Mike Eruzione scores the game winning goal in a game which the USA beat the USSR 4-3. Although the victory advanced the USA to the gold medal game, it meant a lot more to the fans back home. Due to the recent withdrawal from the Vietnam War and the Cold War, the nation was in shambles and needed something to bring hope and nationalism back to our country. This game proved to US citizens that with the right attitude and determination anything is possible. This game was more than a game and brought US citizens together as a nation.

The "Miracle On Ice" is only a small representation of how sports unite people together. The Super Bowl is another piece of evidence that proves sports are more than a game. A couple weeks ago people around the world joined together to watch the end of the NFL season. 114 million people tuned in globally and 70,000 were in attendance. Even though many of these fans weren't rooting for a specific team, they all came together to watch on of the biggest sporting events. This and many other reasons are why sports should be considered more than a game and instead something that unites and brings people together.