4 of the most iconic sports movies ever made are streaming for free right now ‣ Diverse Daily

If you’re anything like me, you can never turn down a good sports movie. It’s a genre packed full of cliches and, to be quite honest, some pretty bad films, but when you land on a great one, you just can’t look away. After all, what other type of movie can capture all the highs and lows that come with being on the field of play? Sports are and always have been a perfect microcosm of life, and as an old coach of mine once said, “You can learn a lot about yourself by just playing.”

Perhaps the best part here, though, is that all of these movies are free to stream on Tubi and Pluto TV, ad-supported streaming services that don’t require a subscription. Simply download the app on any smart device, and you’ve got a huge library to stream from horror to westerns. We’re in the golden era of streaming, so you might as well enjoy it.

The Waterboy

All them teeth, but no toothbrush

There may not be a more quotable movie than The Waterboy. From everything that the main character, Bobby Boucher, likes about Vicki to foosball games and the devil, lines from this movie are shouted at just about every football practice I’ve ever been a part of, both as a coach (undefeated flag coach here, by the way) and a player.

While the movie’s hilarity is what makes it timeless, the plot and story still hold up. The 31-year-old Boucher, played by Adam Sandler, begins the movie as the pipsqueak waterboy for the University of Louisiana football team. He’s relentlessly bullied, so much so that he leaves the much more prestigious university to go and work for a struggling one — the Central Louisiana State Mud Dogs. There, Bobby discovers his prowess for tackling, and the Mud Dogs’ head coach names him starting linebacker.

What follows is a hilarious comedy that has endured for generations of football fans at this point, and even ends with a heartwarming nod to the difficulties of parenthood amidst rumored dehydration, no less.

Release Date: November 6, 1998
Runtime: 90 minutes
Director: Frank Coraci

Adam Sandler

Bobby Boucher
Henry Winkler

Coach Klein
Fairuza Balk

Vicki Vallencourt

Hoosiers

I know everything there is to know about the greatest game ever invented

While I did play my fair share of football growing up, this one hits close to home, as Hoosiers tells the story of a small-town basketball team that finally got their shot at the big state title. The cast is now legendary, as Hoosiers is in just about every running for “top 5 sports movies ever,” or at least it should be.

Coach Norman Dale, played by Gene Hackman, is a fiery, hot-headed basketball coach with a rough past who has been given a second chance at life in the tiny town of Hickory, Indiana, where he ruffles his fair share of feathers on the way to whipping the small school’s basketball team into playing shape, focussing on the fundamentals of the game.

Based on the true story of the 1954 Milan High School Cinderella run to the state title game, Hoosiers is a serious, emotional film, encapsulating deep messaging on family, careers, the spirit of youth, and religion. Maybe it does fall into some old sports movie tropes, but at the end of the day, every basketball fan needs to watch this at least once.

Release Date: November 14, 1986
Runtime: 114 minutes
Director: David Anspaugh

Gene Hackman

Coach Norman Dale
Barbara Hershey

Myra Fleener

Days of Thunder

Rubbin’, son, is racin’

First off, rest in peace to Robert Duvall, who is exceptional in this film as the formerly washed-up NASCAR crew chief, Harry Hogge. Duvall isn’t the only star in this one, though, as a baby-faced Tom Cruise suits up as the new kid on the stock car racing block, Cole Trickle. The two make for an instant classic pairing, and as a NASCAR fan myself, Days of Thunder remains the single greatest movie that has ever been made about one of America’s most tradition-rich sports.

Based on the real-life character of Tim Richmond, Trickle is a womanizing, go-fast playboy with nothing to lose at the movie’s outset, but by the end, he grows to appreciate every ounce of blood, sweat, and tears that go into one of the most demanding sports out there — professional stock car racing.

Release Date: June 27, 1990
Runtime: 107 minutes
Director: Tony Scott

Robert Duvall

Harry Hogge
Nicole Kidman

Dr. Claire Lewicki

Bull Durham

The world is made for people who aren’t cursed with self awareness.

If you want to see Kevin Costner at his best, look no further than Bull Durham, a raunchy, hilarious film that oozes knowledge of America’s pastime. Costner has made it no secret throughout his career that he’s every bit of a baseball nut as the next guy, which makes sense, considering that he once tried out for the team at Cal State Fullerton before he was cut.

As his baseball career didn’t pan out, Costner channeled his love for the game into this movie, where he, the older, wiser catcher on the team, coaches a young, erratic pitcher through learning the grind that is minor league baseball. Costner has his fair share of stellar baseball movies, but Bull Durham was his first, and you can tell how special it was in the acting jobs portrayed.