The dramatic nature of sport makes it an ideal vehicle for filmmakers to work their magic.
For many movie fans, the 1990s was a golden era for sports movies, with the decade producing tons of top-class sporting tales.
From basketball to American Football and more, the final ten years of the 20th century delivered some truly remarkable sports films.
With that in mind, read on as we pick out for sports moves from the 1990s that you simply must watch again.
Never Give Up: The Jimmy V Story
North Carolina State University’s run to the national college basketball championship final in 1983 is one of sport’s greatest ever underdog stories.
In a recent interview with Betway Insider, NC State’s Thurl Bailey explained how legendary coach Jim Valvano inspired the team to achieve what many people thought was impossible.
Valvano went on to enjoy a hugely successful career in broadcasting with ESPN and ABC Sports, before sadly passing away in 1993 with cancer.
Never Give Up: The Jimmy V Story is a loving tribute to a man and team who refused to lie down, regardless of the obstacles placed in their way.
Jerry Maguire
Jerry Maguire is the type of movie that most of your family will enjoy, regardless of whether they enjoy watching sports or not.
Maguire (Tom Cruise) and Rod Tidwell (Cuba Gooding Jr) bounce off each other throughout the film, perfectly encapsulating the agent/sports star relationship.
Intertwined in the story are their respective love interests, who are supportive of their partners’ efforts despite the difficulties they face.
The movie is undoubtedly about life transformation – how two men come to understand that there is much more to life than money.
Cool Runnings
When it comes to delivering life lessons, you would be hard pushed to find a movie so wonderfully affirming as the 1993 classic Cool Runnings.
The film charts the unlikely story of Jamaica’s bid to compete in the bobsleigh event at the 1988 Winter Games in Calgary.
John Candy does what he does best in the movie, delivering a multi-layered performance that went way beyond his well-established comedic ability.
Cool Runnings highlights the power of never giving up on your dreams and believing that the way you conduct yourself can have a massive impact on other people.
Any Given Sunday
When it comes to star appeal, 1999 American sports drama film Any Given Sunday blows many other movies out of the water.
With a cast including Al Pacino, Cameron Diaz, Dennis Quaid, Jamie Foxx, James Woods, Ann-Margret and Charlton Heston, it is little wonder the movie was such a big hit.
While some reviewers say the film suffers from ‘production overkill’, strong on-screen performances from Pacino and Foxx help to overcome this.
Quaid is also excellent as a surprisingly vulnerable veteran quarterback, but it is Pacino’s ‘Inch by Inch’ speech towards the end of the film that steals the show.