Sunday night at the Oscars Moneyball will attempt to join the company of Rocky, Chariots of Fire and Million Dollar Baby as the only sports-themed movies to win the Best Picture Award. Many others have been nominated over the years including The Hustler (1961), Raging Bull (1980), Field of Dreams (1989) and most recently The Fighter (2010), but few have taken home the prize.

I, however, rarely trust the Oscars as a barometer of good taste in film. Instead I have formed my own lists of great (and not so great) sports movies for your enjoyment leading up to Oscar night; may I present a few of Nick’s nominees:

Straight Up Best Sports Films You’ve Probably Seen But Can Rewatch A Million Times

1. Raging Bull (1980)
2. Hoosiers (1986)
3. Rocky (1976)
4. Bull Durham (1988)
5. The Hustler (1961)

Best Sports Documentaries

(OK, so I’ve excluded the entirety of ESPN’s 30 for 30 series and Ken Burn’s baseball documentary and stuck to feature films, but if you haven’t watched these, do so now)

1. Hoop Dreams (1994)
2. Endless Summer (1966)
3. Dogtown & Z-Boys (20020
4. The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters (2007) (I will fight anyone who denies that playing Donkey Kong is a sport after watching this doc)
5. When We Were Kings (1996)

Best Sports Comedies

1. Major League (1989)
2. Slap Shot (1977)
3. The Longest Yard (1974)
4. Caddyshack (1980)
5. Happy Gilmore (1996)

Best Sports Movies You Should See But Probably Haven’t

1. Sugar (2008)
2. Big Fan (2009)
3. Eight Men Out (1988)
4. Riding Giants (2004)
5. Above The Rim (1994)

Enjoy!