Top 7 Inspirational Christian Sports Movies

If you are an athlete chances are you have found a release and “high” that sports bring. Many people find inspiration to overcome hardship and failures through watching sports movies. Some of my favorites include Remember the Titans, Miracle and The Blind Side, but there are also great inspirational Christian movies that bring an uplifting message and quite a few are also based on true stories. Life happens regardless of the successes and victories on the field, ice and track.

My top seven Christian sports movies portray this well and shows how faith and sports work together.

"The Truth": Hebrews 12:1 Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us.

7. Legendary

2010

Rated PG-13

Cal Chetley has been dealt a hard life full of heartbreak. He was separated from his older brother for 10 years after his father died. Cal knows his father and brother excelled in wrestling, so he joins the team to try and put the pieces of life back together again. His decision upsets his mother and he has to proceed in secret as he longs to find his brother. Cal finds his brother Mike, but becomes discouraged after he’s pushed away. He’s alone, fearful and wants a better life, but the only two blood relatives in his life seem to be stuck in place.

6. Home Run

PG-13

Cory Brand (played by Scott Elrod) is a pro baseball player whose life is starting to spiral out of control. He lands up in the hospital after crashing while intoxicated and is suspended from playing. He heads back to his hometown and reconnects with his old girlfriend Emma (played by Dorian Brown), but he can’t escape what life has become until he faces reality and turns to God.

5. Winning Favor

2012

A group of boys who love basketball continuously lose games when they are kids. Two of the boys face each other in high school as they compete for the state championship. Grandma Sadie Vander Berg (grandma of Christopher) sticks with her grandson throughout his early days on the court and is always available to teach a few lessons along the way.

4. Dreamer

2005

Rated PG

Just like any young girl, Cale (played by Dakota Fanning) longs for a relationship with her dad who is a horseman. Ben Crane (played by Kurt Russell) sacrifices a lot for Soñador (which means dreamer), an injured racehorse and begins training her. Soñador breaks her leg on the racetrack and Cale is heartbroken. Ben loses his job, but accepts Soñador as his severance pay in order to save her from euthanasia. Life looks grim, but Ben’s faith and the hardship he and Cale endure bring them closer together and they both experience victory in many ways.

3. A Mile in His Shoes

2011

Rated PG

Coach Arthur Murphy (played by Luje Schroder) is fighting to gain the respect he knows his baseball team deserves. He meets Mickey Tussler who has Asperger’s Syndrome and an amazing pitching arm. Mickey doesn’t believe in himself but agrees to give baseball a try and ends up becoming the star and helping the team rise above everyone’s expectations. Mickey’s dad believes he knows best and pressures Mickey into quitting the team and ends up seeing his son in a new light.

2. Walking on Water

2007

Bryan Jennings was so impacted by a professional surfer who took him on a surfing trip to Hawaii when he was 14 that he wanted to bring a dream to life for two other teenaged surfers. This documentary shares their journey surfing around the world and the inspirational changes that will stay with Luke Davis and Tyler Hallen forever. Bethany Hamilton makes an appearance and shares why she bravely began surfing after a shark attacked her.

1. Believe in Me

2006

Rated PG

Clay Discroll (played by Jeffrey Donovan) dreamed about being a high school basketball coach and when he moves to Middleton, Oklahoma, his dream lands him as the girls basketball coach. At first he struggles and believes that the opportunity is just a big joke, but as he finds his rhythm and the girls get into shape, big things start happening. They begin winning games and the heart of the entire town. This movie is inspirational because it shows that girls can do anything boys can do and is based on a true story.

"The Truth": Psalm 31:24 “Be strong, and let your heart take courage, all you who wait for the Lord!”

I hope you enjoy these movies as much as I did! Each one is worth the time renting or purchasing the film. My sport of choice is running, but all athletes experience similar ups and downs in any sport, so I would love to hear how these and other Christian sports movies impacted you!