Best kids sports movies

Lets go through the list of the best kids sports movies. Everybody loves sports, especially kids, who are inspired to take up certain gamesby their idols. A number of brilliant sports movies have come out over the years that have really struck a chord with the youth all over the world and havetaught them team spirit andunity along with various other lessons in life.Here's the list:Disclaimer: The views in this article are my own and do not necessarily reflect the views of Sportskeeda. The list isnt ranked in chronological order and can be followed in whichever way is deemed comfortable.

#1 The Karate Kid

This iconic martial arts film released in 1984 has got to be one of the best sports movies ever made. The Karate Kid tells the story of a young boy portrayed by Ralph Macchio who learns the Japanese martial art karate from an ageing master portrayed by Noriyuki Morita (who got nominated for an Oscar for his performance), and goes on to win the Championship. The amazing bond shared by the student and his master is the centre piece of the film, whose message is that anybody can achieve something if he is determined enough. The 2010 remake isn’t that bad either and contains the inspiring song ‘Never Say Never’ by Justin Bieber.

#2 Goal!

This amazing 2005 movie tells the story of an extremely talented but impoverished Spanish boy named Santiago Muniez (played by Kuno Becker), who harbours a dream of being a footballer and playing for a big club. Santi finally realizes his dream and goes on to play for Newcastle United where he becomes an integral player and finally helps them qualify for the Champions League with a win over Liverpool. Besides sending a powerful message about realizing dreams, the film also features numerous world class footballers like David Beckham, Alan Shearer, Cristiano Ronaldo and others. A must watch for children.

#3 Bend It Like Beckham

No list of sports movies can be complete without this cult favourite. The story is about a talented Sikh girl named Jasminder (Parminder Nagra) who loves football and idolizes David Beckham but faces objection from her family who are extremely conservative. Jasminder and Jules (Keira Knightly) eventually help their team win the league and earn football scholarships abroad. I would recommend this move to all kids and especially the girls who think football is a man’s game.

#4 Space Jam

This hilarious movie combines the brilliance of Michael Jordan along with the quirkiness of the Looney Toons. In the movie Jordan, who recently retired from basketball to pursue a career in baseball, gets kidnapped by Bugs Bunny and his pals who need his help to defeat a group of aliens in a game of basketball. Jordan eventually leads the Looney Toons to victory and is convinced by them to return to the Bulls. Kids should definitely watch Space Jam because who doesn’t love the Looney Toons or Michael Jordan?

#5 The Love Bug

Juniors will love this movie as it has both car racing and the adorable Volkswagen Beetle ‘Herbie’ in it. The story follows racecar driver Jim Douglas (Dean Jones) who wants to win a race in a flashy sports car but is completely bowled over by Herbie who helps him win the Championship by coming in first and third place. The Love Bug was a phenomenal success and was the third highest grossing movie of 1968. Volkswagen executives were so impressed by the movie that they featured their VW logo in all the ‘Herbie’ sequels which helped boost sales of the Beetle. The Love Bug is a cult favourite even today and is guaranteed to win the heart of every young sports fan.

#6 Miracle

This brilliant film which is based on a true story follows the story of the USA men’s Olympic ice hockey team and how they manage to defeat the powerful Soviet team who were favourites to win the gold in the ice hockey event of the 1980 Olympics. The film teaches us a lot about unity and team work as the athletes in the USA Olympic team were from different colleges, some of which even shared bitter rivalries, but came together as a team and pulled off one of the most memorable sports victories ever which was popularly dubbed as the ‘Miracle On Ice’. Kids can learn a lot about team spirit from this flick.

#7 Rudy

This is another brilliant film which is based on a true story. Rudy follows the journey of Daniel Eugene ‘Rudy’ Ruettiger who has dreams of representing his college football team in spite of being short, but bad grades along with financial problems stand in his way. Rudy never gives up on his dream and forces his way into the college team, eventually helping them lift the Championship. Rudy teaches kids to follow their dreams and never give up despite the odds being firmly stacked against them.

#8 Remember The Titans

Remember The Titans is an inspiring sports film based on a true story and stars Academy Award winner Denzil Washington who plays Coach Herman Boone – the African-American coach of a high school football team. The team and its coach face racial discrimination among other problems but overcome all odds and win the Championship. The movie’s beautiful lesson is that every person has a right to pursue their dreams irrespective of cast, creed or colour.

#9 Air Bud

Air Bud is a cute story about a young boy named Josh (Kevin Zegers) who loves basketball but is too shy to play the sport until Buddy, a basketball playing golden retriever, comes into his life. Buddy gets a place in Josh’s school’s basketball team and together they help the team win the Championship.

#10 Like Mike

Like Mike follows the story of an orphan named Calvin (Bow Wow) who loves basketball and purchases a second hand pair of basketball shoes with ‘MJ’ written on them, which he thinks are the initials of one of the game’s greatest players Michael Jordan. The shoes are struck by lighting and give Calvin some remarkable skills which land him a place on the Los Angeles Knights team who he helps win the NBA. Kids will love this one.