Great Sports Movies That Are Based on a True Story

Sports are, by their very nature, exciting spectacles as unscripted events play out between opponents, battling for victory. These adrenaline-packed moments make for great watching, so it’s no wonder that billions of people watch games, races and competitions each year. 
 
Every now and then, the sporting events produce unique stories that stand out. These often involve underdogs, interesting characters, and clashing personalities that lead to a tale that the most talented Hollywood scriptwriters couldn’t conjure up. 
 
It shouldn’t come as much of a surprise that filmmakers often want to turn these stories into feature-length films and TV shows. These often allow us to follow the events from a different perspective, helping us to get closer to the players, understand their thoughts and feelings, and gain an insight into why they made the decisions they did in the heat of battle. 
 
Here are some of those stories that have been retold in film.
 
Shergar (2008)

Shergar was an Irish Thoroughbred racehorse that saw stunning success in 1981, winning five major races that year, including the Irish Derby, Epsom Derby, Chester Vase, Guardian Classic Trial, and King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes. These wins helped Shergar to be valued at around £10 million. 
 
Horse racing is popular in both the United Kingdom and Ireland, with millions of fans attending major events like the Grand National, Cheltenham Festival and the Galway Summer Festival. Many others from around the world, including in the United States bet on these races through sites like RacingPicks in addition to the many that wager at the track. 
 
Attending races is not just popular among horse racing fans, several major events across the British Isles attract the attention of the general public, just like the Kentucky Derby in America and the Melbourne Cup in Australia. 
 
It’s no surprise then that a successful horse like Shergar would attract a lot of attention and win over the hearts of many people in Ireland and Great Britain. It came as a shock to everyone when in 1983, he was stolen from his stable at Aga Khan’s stud farm.
 
The kidnappers demanded a £2 million ransom for the return of the legendary stallion, but the money was never paid and Shergar was never seen again. Stories ran in the press for weeks and months after, but he was never found.
 
This story has been retold in two films, one released in 1999 and the other in 2008. The latter is not completely accurate in its storytelling but provides lots of beautiful shots of Irish scenery and majestic galloping. 
 
Rush

Released in 2013, Rush was the second film about Formula 1 that achieved a broad appeal among the general public after Senna in 2010. It retells the story of the 1976 Formula 1 season, with a strong rivalry between the Brit James Hunt and the Austrian Niki Lauda. 
 
The two had been fierce rivals long before this, starting when they raced against each other in Formula 3 six years earlier. 
 
The two were polar opposites in terms of their personality. Lauda was a reserved and calculating driver who looks to gain even the smallest advantage by analysing risks and technical details, and practising as often as possible. Meanwhile, Hunt was a free-spirited and brazen character who got by on raw talent alone. He would often spend his time off the track partying and having fun while Lauda toiled in the garage. 
 
The film depicts the chasm between their personalities well, without taking sides. 
 
The 1976 season was eventful. Lauda crashed his Ferrari at the Nürburgring Nordschleife during torrential rain. His car burst into flames and he received horrendous burns while waiting to be extracted from the car. The film shows the harrowing journey the Austrian had to endure to be fit for another race, leaving the viewer squirming uncomfortably. 
 
Although there are few that don’t know the outcome of the championship, Rush does a great job at keeping you on the edge of your seat until the very end of the film. Whether you enjoy motor racing or not, it is a must-watch. 
 
Rush received rave reviews from critics, including 88% on Rotten Tomatoes and 8.1/10 on IMDb, demonstrating the power and broad appeal of the film. 
 
 
Fifteen Minutes That Shook the World

In 2005, Liverpool Football Club won the UEFA Champions League for the fifth time. It was the club’s first European silverware since the 1983-84 season and was an important moment in the club’s recent history. 
 
Liverpool were the underdogs heading into the Final and ended up 3-0 down against AC Mila at half time. As soon as the whistle had blown to start the second half, Liverpool were on fire. Steven Gerrard, Xabi Alonso and, Vladimír Šmicer netted three goals in the space of just six minutes to level the score. This took the game into a penalty shoot-out, which the Reds eventually won. 
 
Fifteen Minutes That Shook the World is a comedy mockumentary crammed with Scouse humour that purportedly shows what happened during the fifteen-minute half-time break. Supposed CCTV footage from the team’s dressing room features real players from the 2005 squad, including Steven Gerrard, Jamie Carragher, and Dietmar Hamann. 
 
The humorous depiction shows Rafael Benítez trying to create playing tactics while in the bathroom. He then emerges to give a motivational speech to the players. As they’re preparing to return to the pitch, they hear the fans singing “You’ll Never Walk Alone” which revs them up.
 
Viewers will be laughing at Fifteen Minutes That Shook the World from start to finish which humorously plays on many stereotypes of the city and the strong rivalries between Liverpool and Everton. 
 
It received rave reviews from critics, one describing it as “surreal but brilliant” and has achieved a 7.6/10 rating on IMDb. 
 
While some sports movies can be dry and get buried in the technical details of particular plays or strategies, all three of these films focus on the human element of the stories, helping the audience to understand the story better and put themselves in the shoes of the characters.