Throughout time, avid sports fans have had to turn away from the TV in shame of watching an athlete’s embarrassing fumble, a childlike misplay, or a missed shot on an empty net. Unfortunately, many fans have also had to turn away from the TV in shame because movies — despite the hours of work to bring these creative works to fruition — do not know how to portray sports properly.

There are countless examples of sports movies butchering the sport they are trying to portray. Many of these examples are minor misrepresentations. In the movie 42: A True Story of an American Legend, Jackie Robinson hits a home run in the top of the 9th inning. A walk-off win for Robinson’s Brooklyn Dodgers! Unfortunately, the Dodgers were the away team. There will never be a last at-bat for the away team because they always bat first, thus giving the opposing team a chance to score in the bottom half of the inning. A real game could not have ended there. 

Such minute details are easy to overlook, as they are often included for dramatization and are not glaringly obvious to the average viewer. But there are other examples of fundamental inaccuracies in movies which are much more difficult to dismiss. 

My favourite example is from a recent movie about golf, The Long Game. It is a story about a group of young, Mexican high school boys learning to play golf in the 50s. Unfortunately, the most memorable thing about that movie was that the golfing was terrible. Notably, one of the golfers was struggling while golfing right-handed. The coach, noticing this, suggested he try golfing left-handed. The golfer turned around but continued using the same club. 

Has nobody working on The Long Game ever picked up a golf club? It should be common knowledge on a set for a golfing movie that right-handed and left-handed clubs are not interchangeable. Any viewer who has ever held a club would know that the coach is giving phony advice. Viewers who have a sincere love for golf would recognize such errors because they affect their perception of the film. How can golfers take a golf movie seriously if the movie does not know the fundamentals of the sport? Not only golfers, but viewers who would watch this movie to learn more about the sport will leave with an inaccurate understanding of how the sport is played. 

Another example that blatantly misrepresents a sport is Rocky IV. In the fourth installment of his movie saga, Rocky Balboa (Sylvestre Stallone) is seen in the boxing ring taking dozens of hits to his face — without even raising his arms in defence. You don’t need to be a boxer to know that, when getting pummeled, you should probably put your arms up. It was meant to showcase how tough Rocky is and the lengths of pain he is willing to endure to win the match. 

Boxing is not a sport of brute strength and grit, as Rocky IV depicts. Boxing requires immense grit but grit does not save boxers from brain damage or death. It is hard for the audience to believe that Rocky can survive these hits and continue showing up to the ring for more. Rocky undermines the authenticity of the game — reducing boxing to unrealistic violence and ‘macho man’ antics instead of a sport requiring skill, strategy, and strength. Such flagrant misrepresentations feel disingenuous to viewers as the movie was clearly produced with no input from anyone who knows the game.

These misrepresentations then bring into question the authenticity of the story being shared. Many sports movies are based, at least loosely, on real events. When it is clear that the production team has no connection to the sport, it is easy to assume they have no connection to the story being told either. It is hard for viewers to appreciate the message of a movie when it is coming from an unreliable source. 

Thankfully, not all sports representations are inaccurate. Many famous sports movies have gone above and beyond to give viewers an accurate picture of sports. 

Miracle, a movie about the 1980 US men’s Olympic hockey team, did a phenomenal job of depicting hockey. They held casting auditions on an ice rink to ensure that all potential actors could skate. They also not only choreographed gameplay based on Olympic tapes, but used original audio from the winning moments of the US vs. Soviet Union game too, as they could not replicate the energy of the crowd at the game. The movie conveyed the intensity of professional hockey. It showcased the magnitude of competing for such high stakes — for both the team and their fans — and gave viewers an authentic experience of what hockey can be. 

Another movie that does sports justice is Adam Sandler’s Hustle which follows a basketball scout and his newest prospect. The cast includes current and former NBA stars who can obviously all play basketball. The film includes a training montage that, while extreme, accurately depicts the real and challenging training that professional basketball players undergo. When films portray a sport right, they are honouring the skill and the hard work that athletes commit to their game. It ensures that the athletes’ achievements are recognized and celebrated in a way that matches the reality of their performance.

Out of respect to athletes, sports, and audiences, it is important to portray sports properly. In the end, however, whether the depiction of the sport is accurate or not, I believe that these films remind us that sports are about much more than a game. If viewers want to see perfect form and proper gameplay, they can turn on ESPN, TSN, or any of the dozen sports channels readily available. 

Sports movies are more relevant when viewers need a reminder that sports are about sacrifice, success, and community — all of which linger long after the final buzzer goes off.