Sitting at home during isolation, we all have a lot of time to sit down and watch a good sports movie. Saying that, a few movies come to mind: Field of Dreams (1989), The Sandlot (1993), The Blind Side (2009) and a dozen others. However, there are quite a few untold sports stories in the cinematic world. Here is my list of the top 10 sports stories that should be made into movies – and for good reason.

The U.S. Women’s National Soccer Team

This one is first on the list for a reason. The U.S. Women’s Team is known to be dominant on the international level. Now, this movie could go several different ways. It could be about its fight for equal pay, a story about one of its four World Cup wins or four Olympic gold medals or maybe even a story highlighting one of its legendary players – Hope Solo and Megan Rapinoe come to mind.

The Season That Never Was (2020)

We are all living it. The story we are going to tell our grandchildren. The most unprecedented sports season (or lack thereof) in history. Of course, I am referencing the COVID-19 shutdown currently taking place. While it is truly tragic that we might be see the NBA Finals or MLB spring training, this is going to make one heck of a movie.

Kobe Bryant

Do I need to say more? Bryant’s story is one for the books. He was drafted out of high school, was an 18-time all-star, won enough rings to fill up one hand and died a saddening but quite attention-grabbing death. The Mamba needs his own movie. ASAP.

Deflategate

The 2014 scandal involving New England Patriots all-star quarterback Tom Brady was a 500-day fiasco. Within those 500 days, there were accusations, suspensions, appeals, suspension retractions, reinstatements and everything in between. Not to mention, the Patriots won the Super Bowl that year. Should they have been able to keep the trophy? We need a movie to find out.

Houston Astros cheating scandal

I can picture it: “BANG BANG,” the audience hears as the first scene of the movie opens. It is an Astros player in the dugout, holding a trashcan and a bat. The Astros cheating scandal in the 2017 season has been a source of YouTube videos, podcasts and dozens of articles. This resulted in the suspensions and firings of general manager Jeff Luhnow and field manager A.J. Hinch. We need the full story. From beginning to end, we need a movie to show all of it going down.

Simone Biles

Now, I could ask for a movie just on Simone Biles and no one would question it. With 30 combined Olympic and world championship medals, she is the most decorated American gymnast ever. However, a certain story recently struck me and I knew a movie had to be made about it. Going into the world championships in late 2019, Biles was banned from doing a signature move entitled “The Biles” for safety concerns of other gymnasts who cannot do the stunt. So you are telling me Biles is not allowed to do a skill other gymnasts cannot? This needs a movie.

Floyd Mayweather’s lifestyle

Former professional boxer Floyd Mayweather is known for a few things: his perfect 50-0 record, the money he makes and how he spends that money. Over the course of his career, he has made up to $300 million in a single year. This allows him to have quite a bit of disposable income, which he notoriously turns around and spends on expensive, extravagant things, such as a $35 million private jet. Mayweather needs a movie dedicated not to his boxing career, but his spending habits alone.

Tiger Woods comeback

On April 14 last year, professional golfer Tiger Woods made one of the best comebacks in sports history. After more than a decade of not playing due to back injuries and other health issues, Woods won the Masters Tournament. Keep in mind this was more than two decades after he started his career. A movie needs to be made about his back surgeries, his recovery and, of course, his final win. 

Loyola-Chicago and Sister Jean

Everyone likes a feel-good story and this is one of the best there is. No college basketball fan can forget the Loyola-Chicago Ramblers’ run to the Final Four in the 2018 NCAA March Madness tournament. For the first time since 1963, the Ramblers would make it to the semifinal round – and Jean Dolores Schmidt, known more commonly as Sister Jean, was there to see it. The 98-year-old chaplain of the team was there for the ‘63 season and she was right there for this one too, praying for the team the whole way.

Phelps’s close finish

What better way to end this list than the most decorated Olympian of all time? However, out of his 28 gold medals, this one was the most memorable. The Beijing 2008 Olympic 100-meter butterfly, in which Phelps defeated Serbian Milorad Čavić by one 100th of a second, can give any American fan goosebumps. A quick rewind on that moment, combined with the rest of Phelps’ reign as the best swimmer in history, can make for a great movie.

Follow Nick (@Nick_Pranske8) and @SidekickSports on Twitter.