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Lockdown 3.0, a third term ridden with Coronavirus restrictions, gyms closed across the country and a suspension of all sports definitely calls for a sports-based movie bucket list. So here it is – a hand-picked compilation of ten films to give you your sports fix this term. Whether you’re stretching out, on your treadmill or chilling with a box of chocolates, quality entertainment is here to cure your boredom.

1. Moneyball (2011) - baseball

Billy Beane (Brad Pitt) is a baseball manager who challenges traditions of the game. With a limited budget and the help of Yale economics graduate, Peter Brand (Jonah Hill), he recruits less valuable players, labelled as flawed but who have the potential to change the game. You need no knowledge of baseball to get behind his motion as he joins the big leagues with his improvised squad. Of course, anything with Brad Pitt, in my opinion, should be advocated for.

2. Coach Carter (2005) - basketball

Coach Carter is based on the true story of high school coach Ken Carter (Samuel L. Jackson) who begins a strict disciplinary training programme for the previously rowdy basketball team. When they don’t live up to expectations, he locks the gym and suspends the team until their grades improve. Carter and his team endure a myriad of obstacles as the story relays the importance of discipline and determination.

3. Dodgeball (2004) - … take a guess

Average Joe’s gym is on the verge of being overtaken by Globo-Gym owner and fitness fanatic, White Goodman (Ben Stiller). Average Joe’s owner, Peter La Fleur (Vince Vaughn) gathers a group of misfits to form a team and enters a tournament with hopes of winning prize money that will save the gym. In response, White forms his own first-class team to go against them. Daft and comical with plenty of laugh-out-loud moments.

4. Wimbledon (2004) - … take another guess

I couldn’t give you a bucket list of films without including a rom-com; it’s just not in my nature. Tennis player, Peter Colt (Paul Bettany), exasperated at his own failures, vows that this is his last tournament. He soon meets rising star, Lizzie Bradbury (Kirsten Dunst), who has her own upcoming competition. Pleasant to watch, while cleverly emphasising the pressure of a sport where all depends on one person in one moment.

5. Cool Runnings (1993) - bobsleigh

A Jamaican sprinter, disqualified from joining the Olympic team, enlists the help of a dishonoured coach to start the first Jamaican bobsled team. After training in the harsh and hot climate, they arrive in Canada and see snow for the first time before they compete in the 1988 Winter Olympics. A heart-warming comedy for the family.

6. Unbroken (2014) - long distance running

After a defiant childhood, Louis Zamperini channels his energy into long distance running and qualifies for the 1936 Olympics. In the breakout of World War II, he enlists in the military, during which time he becomes a prisoner of war of the Japanese navy. Undoubtedly a hero, not only for holding a plank for 37 minutes but also his unequivocal bravery and strength.

7. Blades of Glory (2007) - ice skating

Following an altercation, two rival Olympic male ice skaters, Jimmy MacElroy (Jon Heder) and Chazz Michael Michaels (Will Ferrell), are stripped of their medals and banned from men’s single competition for life. Years later and at rock-bottom, the two find a solution: they compete as a pair. Delivering on the laughs and a must-see slapstick comedy – if you liked Dodgeball, you’ll love Blades of Glory.

8. I, Tonya (2017) - ice skating

Same sport but very much a different tone, we see the life of Tonya Harding. Harding (Margot Robbie) has a successful career but her world comes crashing down when her abusive ex-husband (Sebastian Stan) conspires to injure her rival. Dark humour runs throughout but doesn’t damage the authenticity of the characters or reduce the poignancy of her story. Harding’s legacy remains besmirched as she is perpetually associated with one of the biggest scandals in sports history.

9. Southpaw (2015) - boxing

It seems like Billy Hope (Jake Gyllenhaal) has it all: a successful career, a loving family and a luxurious lifestyle. But all of this is lost when Hope is struck by tragedy. He soon finds an unlikely saviour in trainer (and former fighter) of the toughest amateur boxers in the city. We watch Hope’s journey back from rock bottom as he attempts to regain the trust of his loved-ones.

10. Million Dollar Baby (2004) - boxing

L.A. boxing trainer, Frankie Dunn (Clint Eastwood), appears unapproachable to almost everyone, so when Maggie Fitzgerald (Hilary Swank) seeks his help, it’s unsurprising he is reluctant to lend it to her. But, with the persuasion of his old friend, “Scrap” (Morgan Freeman and narrator of the story), he acquiesces. This film is about a determined woman and a man who, initially having not wanted to do anything for her, eventually will do everything. Roger Ebert labels it, “ the best film of the year” and a “masterpiece”. Definitely a must-see sports film.

I could go on forever and regrettably didn’t get on to the Adam Sandler classics – Happy Gilmore and The Longest Yard –but hopefully this gives you a glimpse into the world of sports during lockdown 3.0 before we all eventually reunite with our teams. Happy watching!