How Many Sports Movies Have Won Best Picture At The Oscars?

It may not look like Super Bowl Sunday, but Oscar Sunday is a big one for the industries involved.

The 95th Academy Awards is the biggest night in Hollywood. The ceremony celebrates a year in cinema, sports are sometimes brought up for discussion and even bring the highest awards.

Several sports films have won the Academy Award for Best Picture, while others have been nominated for awards in various categories. The award covers a wide variety of sports from the track and beyond.

To be clear, we're talking about movies that show actual sports or show athletes in action. For example, The Champion and Waterfront follow former boxing champions, but neither enters the ring and places itself outside the sports movie category.

With that said, let's dive into the best sports movies at the Academy Awards.

What sports movies won the Academy Award for Best Picture?

Three major sports films, along with two other sports films, have won Best Picture at the Academy Awards.

Ben Hur (1959)

Ben-Hur had the largest budget of any film at the time, but it was also an offbeat sports thriller. The main character becomes a water car champion, and the movie offers amazing races depicting one of the oldest sports in the world.

This Charlton Heston classic is one of three films to win 11 Academy Awards, including Best Picture.

Rocky (1976)

Shortly after descending the famous steps in front of the Philadelphia Museum of Art, Sylvester Stallone climbed the steps to win Best Picture at the 1977 Academy Awards.

The original Rocky was the first traditional sports movie to win Best Picture, and Creed III recently kicked off its nine-film streak. In addition to the honors, "Rocky" won Academy Awards for Best Director and Best Editing.

Chariot of Fire (1981)

Set in 1924, Chariots of Fire tells the story of two British sprinters, Eric Liddell and Harold Abraham, who face various obstacles on their way to the Olympic Games in Paris.

In 1982, the film won Oscar nominations for Best Picture along with The Lost Ark and Red Head. In addition to Best Picture, the film won Best Screenplay, Best Costume Design, and Best Slow Motion Score.

Gladiator (2000)

Let's go back to the Colosseum for another Best Picture winner.

Like Ben-Hur, Gladiator brings the ancient sport to the big screen in a big, devastating way. Russell Crowe won Best Actor, with other awards for Best Costume Design, Best Visual Effects and Best Sound.

Million Dollar Baby (2004)

Sure, Million Dollar Baby doesn't look great, but it remains the ultimate sports movie to be a great picture.

Clint Eastwood, Hilary Swank, and Morgan Freeman won the Academy Award for Best Picture. Hilary Swank won Best Actress, Morgan Freeman won Best Supporting Actor, and Eastwood won Best Director.

What other sports movies have won Oscars?

Here are some other sports movies nominated for Oscars in different categories besides Best Picture:

Pride of the Yankees (1942)

The New York Yankees may have 27 World Series titles, but Pride has only one Oscar for Best Editing. The film, starring Gary Cooper as Lou Gehrig, received 11 nominations.

Hustlers (1961)

Paul Newman's film about the pool won two Oscars: Best Cinematography, Black & White, and Best Art Direction, Black & White. He received his second acting nomination, but had to wait a little longer before finally picking up the statue.

Heaven Can Wait (1978)

The 1978 comedy about a Los Angeles Rams quarterback who was taken to heaven before his death won the Oscar for Best Art Deco.

Runaway (1979)

At the Academy Awards, Breakaway was nominated for Best Screenplay for Dennis Christopher's story about a teen obsessed with a bicycle.

Raging Bull (1980)

Raging Bull, directed by Martin Scorsese, is considered one of the greatest sports films and has won two Oscars. While Scorsese missed the Best Picture and Best Director nominations, Robert De Niro won Best Actor for his portrayal of Jake LaMotta and Thelma Schunker.

The Color of Money (1986)

25 years after Hasler's debut, Newman won Best Actor for a Scorsese-directed sequel.

Jerry Maguire (1996)

Tom Cruise won Best Actor, Cameron Crowe won for Original Screenplay and the film was nominated for Best Picture overall, but Cuba Gooding Jr. won his only Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor as Arizona Cardinals fantasy W.R. Rhoda. Can you tell Tidwell is offering me money?

The Blind Side (2009)

Sandra Bullock won the Academy Award for Best Actress for her role in Blind Side, directed by former cinematographer Michael Oh. The movie also won the Best Picture award.

Warrior (2010)

The Fighter earned three Academy Award nominations in acting categories, but none of them went to the main character, played by Mark Wahlberg. Christian Bale won Best Supporting Actor; Melissa Lea also won the role of co-star Amy Adams for Best Supporting Actress.

Best Basketball (2017)

Los Angeles Lakers legend Kobe Bryant has turned a win on the court into a basketball Oscar. The six-minute production, based on a poem he wrote after leaving the NBA, won Best Animated Short Film.

King Richard (2021)

Adding to the chaos at the 2022 Academy Awards, Will Smith won his first Oscar for playing Richard Williams, father of Serena and Venus Williams, in King Richard.

Basketball Queen (2021)

The Queen of Basketball looks down on Lucia Harris, the first woman to compete in women's basketball at the Olympic Games. The 22-minute film was nominated for Best Documentary Feature at last year's awards ceremony.