AwardsWatch Podcast #199: From ‘A League of Their Own’ to ‘He Got Game’ to ‘Speed Racer,’ Our Top 5 Sports Movies

On episode 199 of The AwardsWatch Podcast, Executive Editor Ryan McQuade is joined by AwardsWatch contributors Nicole Ackman and Jay Ledbetter to give out their Top 5 Sports Movies.

With just days before the fall festivals begin, the AwardsWatch podcast takes a left turn before all the madness begins. As one of the final films of the summer, Gran Turismo, finally made its way into theaters, giving the podcast team a chance to do a Top 5 Sports Movies episode inspired by the newest racing release. While not everyone is a sports fan, sports movies can be films made for all audiences, with some popular themes and messages that are larger than life, making audiences connect with the characters on their athletic journeys, thus becoming inspiring in the process. But not every film about sports is uplifting, as they can also be a looking glass into the soul of a human being, as well as examination of the time we live in and the dangers that the sporting world could bring to those who participate. Ryan, Nicole and Jay examine what makes a great sports film, what they love about them, and even stretch out the idea of what even qualifies as a sports movie in a fun episode featuring conversations over films like A League of Their Own, Bull Durham, Speed Racer, I, Tonya, The Color of Money, He Got Game, Warrior, Bend it Like Beckham, and many more.

You can listen to The AwardsWatch Podcast wherever you stream podcasts, from iTunes, iHeartRadio, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Spotify, Audible, Amazon Music and more.

This podcast runs 1h34m. We will be back next week to the films that premiered at the Telluride Film Festival. Till then, let’s get into it.

Music: “Modern Fashion” from AShamaleuvmusic (intro), “B-3” from BoxCat Games Nameless: The Hackers RPG Soundtrack (outro)

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Ryan McQuade

Ryan McQuade is the AwardsWatch Executive Editor and a film-obsessed writer in San Antonio, Texas. Raised on musicals, westerns, and James Bond, his taste in cinema is extremely versatile. He’s extremely fond of independent releases and director’s passion projects. Engrossed with all things Oscars, he hosts the AwardsWatch Podcast. He also is co-host of the Director Watch podcast. When he’s not watching movies, he’s rooting on all his favorite sports teams, including his beloved Texas Longhorns. You can follow him on Twitter at @ryanmcquade77.

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