There were times when the partaking of women in sports was not much treasured. Since twentieth century, the role of women in sports has raised gradually likewise the topic which tempted the filmmakers to vitrine the lives and struggle of female sports girls through movies. The good movies and dramas are usually very helpful in mind making of viewers; similarly the effective movies on female sports actually helped the viewers across the world to recognize the females’ contribution in sports industry. Hollywood also played its contribution in this cause; following is a list of some top movies related to female sports.

Bend It like Beckham (2002)

One of the inspirational comedic female sports movies demonstrates the efforts of two young girls Jess (Parminder Nagra) and Jules (Keira Knightley) who want to play professional soccer and were inspired from Football star David Beckham. The movie is actually about the rebellion efforts of Jess against her Sikh-British parents who want her to learn cooking and get married.

Traditionally, in Sikhism, women were not allowed to participate in sports but jess goes against the will of her parents. Following her heartiest soccer star, Jess was shown rebelling against her family traditions in the movie. By her exceptional soccer talent, Jess at the last got succeed in making her name in soccer.

Bend it like Beckham, the highest-grossing sports film was directed by Gurinder Chadha with Parminder Nagra, Keira Knightley, and Jonathan Rhys Meyers as leading roles. The movie was a Golden Globe award nominee under the best motion picture and also managed to earn a nomination for best British film for BAFTA awards 2003.

Woman of the Year (1942)

Woman of the Year portrays the changes a woman goes through after involving in a well-appreciated career. The movie is about the relationships of two news reporters Sam Craig (Played by Spencer Tracy) and Tess Harding (played by Katherine Hepburn) who work for the same newspaper but in different domains. The relationship which was built by difference of opinion on baseball broadcast actually changes in a love relationship. The movie further discusses the impacts of being “woman of the year” on the personal and married life of a woman.

George Stevens’ directed movie is a pathway for many professional sportswomen in achieving a balance between professional and personal life. During the shoots of Woman of the Year, Spencer Tracy and Katherine Hepburn fell into a love relationship which resulted in the incredible chemistry of both movie stars also shown in movie.

The movie won an Oscar for the best writing and original screenplay, Katherine Hepburn was also nominated for the best actress in a leading role for an Oscar. The classic film is also preserved in United States National film Registry since 1999.        

A League of Their Own (1992)

Featuring Tom Hanks, Geena Davis, and Lori Petty as lead, “A League of Their Own” is a female sports movie directed by Penny Marshall. The story is about the fictional role of women in keeping baseball alive during the World War II. During the era of war, most of the men were busy in fighting for their countries; Walter Harvey (played by Gary Marshall) comes up with an idea of composing a women baseball league.

The movie revolves around certain characters including two sisters Kit (Lori Petty) and Dottie (Geena Davis), a drunk manager Jimmy (Tom Hanks), and a baseball girl Mordibeto (Madonna) struggling to attain the world attention to their own women baseball league.

One of the most noteworthy historical movies got two nominations for Golden Globe Awards, one for the best original song and the other nomination was won by Geena Davis in the best performance by an actress. The film earned $132 million with budget of $40 million and also preserved in United States National film Registry since 2012.

Personal Best (1982)

Written and directed by Robert Towne, Personal Best is one of the finest movies made on two genres including homosexual relations and female sports. The movie is about two athletes Chris Cahill (played by Mariel Hemingway) and Tory Skinner (played by Patrice Donnelly).

The duo embarks into a love relationship while training for the Olympics. Their coach Terry Tingloff (Scott Glen) convinces Chris to take part in Pentathlon rather than track races. Familiarity and friendship between Chris and Tory come to a stake when both of the friends become competitors to each other in the upcoming Olympics.

The movie represents the steeplechases, women face in associations with their coaches and teammates. Starring Mariel Hemingway, Scott Glenn, and Patrice Donnelly as leading roles, Personal Best was the directorial debut for Robert Towne who was also the writer and the producer for the film.

Pat and Mike (1952)

George Cukor’s directed “Pat and Mike” starring Spencer Tracy, Katherine Hepburn, and Aldo Ray as leads. Pat and Mike, the movie is about a female athlete Pat (Katherine Hepburn) who is brilliant in everything she does in sports. During golf championship finals, Pat loses her concentration due to the presence of her fiancé Davie (Aldo Ray).

Pat’s fiancé wants her to give up her dream and marry him but pat denies doing so. On the other hand, Pat enlists the services of a sports manager Mike who later develops feelings for Pat and the duo face numerous staggers in facing gangsters and an envious boxer.

The movie also managed to win an Oscar nomination for best screenplay following two Golden Globe awards nominations for the best actresses (Katherine Hepburn) and the most promising newcomer (Aldo Ray).

Bring it on (2000)

The story of “Bring it on” is about two cheerleading squads who are competing against each other in a contest. The teams include the Clovers and the Toros. The Toros are determined to win the competition and earn their sixth consecutive title. Torrance (played by Kristen Dunst) is the newly-elected team captain for the Toros.

During the rehearsals of Toros Squad for championship, it is revealed that their routines were stolen by their former team captain. The story is about continuous efforts in learning new routines for the finals to defeat clovers, the other team which led by Isis (Gabriel Union).

The film was directed by Payton Reed, starring Kristen Dunst, Eliza Dushku, and Jesse Bradford as leading roles. The movie managed to win a Black Reel award for the best-supporting actress (Gabriel Union). The movie actually become a cult classic and grossed about $90 million on Box Office from just $11 million budget.

National Velvet (1944)

National Velvet, one of the classic sports film is based on the novel by Enid Bagnold published in 1935. Clarence Brown, the director of movie with Mickey Rooney, Elizabeth Taylor, and Donald Crisp as lead roles.

The movie is about a young 12-years old girl Velvet Brown (Elizabeth Taylor) who trains her horse to compete for a national-level race. Mi Taylor (Mickey Rooney), a former jockey aids her in her mission. Unsatisfied with her jockey, Velvet decides to replace the jockey with herself but she has to replace the jockey by pretending to be a boy.

The story inspires every sportswoman for not giving up; anyone can achieve anything regardless of gender. The movie owns two Oscar wins for the best-supporting actress and best film editing along with three other nominations of Academy Awards.

Conclusion

Female sports athletes often have to work harder than men to get recognize in sports due to the roles and responsibilities a woman have on her shoulders. The above-mentioned sports movies are not just for entertainment purposes but these movies can inspire and motivate numerous women who intend to make their efforts count in sports.

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