Adam Sandler loves American football!

Adam Sandler in ‘The Longest Yard’

Adam Sandler is the funny man of Hollywood. But as he yells “You can do it!!!” in the sports comedy flick The Waterboy, you get an idea that he is pretty serious when it comes to sports, especially American football.

Sandler’s first football-related movie was The Waterboy (1998), where he plays the role of a socially awkward waterboy of a college football team. At the outset, it looks like a pretty simple plot where the protagonist goes on to fight the social stigmas and achieve fame and glory by becoming a football star. And maybe it is.

But it struck a chord with the audience. Sandler showed that even a man in his 30s can get over his frailties and become a success. The film shows that in the beginning he is mocked and bullied by the players of the team he supplies water to, and this leads to his eventual sacking. After a lot of turmoil he gets the job of a waterboy for a University team which hasn’t won a game in four years.

With this team, he realizes a hidden talent as a football player and becomes the hero of his team and town. After dealing with the vicious head coach of his former club, he helps his team win the Bourbon Bowl as well as becoming the Most Valuable Player (MVP) of the season.

Not only that, he professes his love to his childhood crush Vicki who accepts his proposal, and they go on to get married and live a peaceful life together.

The film brings his estranged father into the scene at the very end, but that does not ruin the show as Sandler shows what sheer determination and passion can do in the world of sports.

Adam Sandler’s love for football seems endless and he proves it with the reboot of 1974 sports film “The Longest Yard”.

Here Sandler assumes the role of a disgraced pro quarterback Paul Crewe. Paul joins forces with former college champion and coach Nate Scarboro (Burt Reynolds) to beat a team of prison guards in a game of football, by putting together a squad of prison inmates.

The film starred many football and WWE stars like Terry Crews (NFL), Michael Irvin (NFL), Brian Bosworth (NFL), Bill Romanowski (NFL), Bill Goldberg (NFL, WCW/WWE), Bob Sapp (NFL, MMA), Kevin Nash (Euro League Basketball, WCW/WWE), "Stone Cold" Steve Austin (WWE/ECW/WCW, college football at North Texas State University), and Dalip "The Great Khali" Singh Rana (WWE).

Though Sandler’s team had the upperhand in the game, he was forced to leave play due to pressure from cunning prison warden Rudolp Hazen.

But realising he has been tricked into playing his hand, Crewe (Sandler) makes a return and wins the game for his team.

Mean Machine (team name of the inmates) beats the guards in their own backyard. Crewe built a team from scratch, instilled faith and team work into them as well as asking them to get over their personal grudges and anger issues.

And maybe thats what teamwork and sports really is; Its all about believing in your team-mate and giving all for your team. Sandler shows exactly that in these two films.

So if you have not seen these two movies yet, it’s high time you do.

Comedy and sports are always a good combo for a leisurely weekend in your home. Just grab a DVD and enjoy!