Top sports films now on Netflix

Missing your sports fix? Netflix has you covered.

Today in ‘The Aisle Seat: Home Edition’, we take a peek at eight of the top sports movies, currently streaming.

#1) ‘Moneyball’. Sharp, funny, surprisingly touching and an overall Valentine to the lore of baseball, this 2011 drama starring Brad Pitt and Jonah Hill followed the improbable rise of the financially-strapped Oakland A’s during the 2002 baseball season; how manager Billy Beane attacked a lack of budget with an overflow of statistics to build a winning club. For a baseball film that’s really quite void of action on the diamond, the fascinating maneuvers in the boardroom and the personal approach makes this one not only one of my favorite sports movies of all time – but one of my favorites, period.

#2) ‘Coach Carter’. Samuel L. Jackson stars as real-life high school basketball coach Ken Carter in this 2005 drama which is an especially good fit for teen viewers. Yes, the underdogs-from-the-wrong-side-of-the-track-rise-up yarn is a bit cookie cutter, but wildly effective in Jackson’s fiery yet capable hands. Watch for Channing Tatum in one of his earlier appearances. He’s really easy to find, I believe he’s the only white guy on the team.

#3) ‘Concussion’. A sobering addition to the list, this 2015 Will Smith vehicle is about the NFL’s attempt to put a hush-hush on the medical community’s findings r.e. head injuries. It might make you look a little differently at the game you love….but it’s a film that every sports fan should see at least once.

#4) ‘Bleed For This’. Miles Teller plays former world boxing champ Vinny Pazienza in this gritty 2016 biopic, which follows the athlete’s comeback from what should’ve been a career-ending injury. For non-boxing fans, it might be a bit of a tough sit, but if you enjoy the sweet science, this is a gem that doesn’t get its due. I actually found the plot very similar to ‘Creed 2’……only this one is real.

#5) ‘The Natural’. What?! You’ve NEVER seen Robert Redford’s 1984 baseball fairy tale? Never witnessed the legend Roy Hobbs step up to the plate in the bottom of the ninth, and…….well, you have time now. Experience this beauty.

#6) ‘The English Game’. The only entry on the list that’s not actually a movie, rather a six-part miniseries about the origins of modern football (or, as we call ‘er on this side of the pond, soccer). Developed by Julian Fellows, the man behind ‘Gosford Park’, I was shocked how much I enjoyed this. So, are YOU ready for some FUT-ballll?