20 best movies like American Underdog (2021)

The dramatic and inspirational story of a young pitcher who becomes the first woman to play Major League Baseball.

Based on the incredible true story of Jesse Owens, the legendary athletic superstar whose quest to become the greatest track and field athlete in history thrusts him onto the world stage of the 1936 Olympics, where he faces off against Adolf Hitler's vision of Aryan supremacy. Starring Stephan James, Jason Sudeikis, Jeremy Irons, Carice Van Houten and William Hurt - Race is an enthralling film about courage, determination, tolerance, and friendship, and an inspiring drama about one man's fight to become an Olympic legend.

Love and unity in a school torn by racism and hate in the 1970s.

Two years after a Super Bowl win when NFL head coach Sean Payton is suspended, he goes back to his hometown and finds himself reconnecting with his 12-year-old son by coaching his Pop Warner football team.

A dramatic thriller based on the incredible true David vs. Goliath story of American immigrant Dr. Bennet Omalu, the brilliant forensic neuropathologist who made the first discovery of CTE, a football-related brain trauma, in a pro player and fought for the truth to be known. Omalu's emotional quest puts him at dangerous odds with one of the most powerful institutions in the world.

After becoming the winningest coach in college football history, Joe Paterno is embroiled in Penn State's Jerry Sandusky sexual abuse scandal, challenging his legacy and forcing him to face questions of institutional failure regarding the victims.

Oversized African-American, Michael Oher, the teen from across the tracks and a broken home, has nowhere to sleep at age 16. Taken in by an affluent Memphis couple, Michael embarks on a remarkable rise to play for the NFL.

After discovering a once-in-a-lifetime player with a rocky past abroad, a down on his luck basketball scout takes it upon himself to bring the phenom to the States without his team's approval. Against the odds, they have one final shot to prove they have what it takes to make it in the NBA.

An inspiring biopic about the legendary skier Elena Vyalbe. Born in a small town in the north of Russia, she had the courage and dedication to overcome a slew of obstacles on her way to becoming the very best in her sport. The film captures a historic skiing event at the 1997 FIS Nordic World Ski Championships in Trondheim, Norway, where Elena Vyalbe made skiing history by winning five out of five gold medals, which to this day remains a record achievement.

A bright hockey confrontation through the eyes of very young players. Doc about those for whom sport is the main chance in life

A former basketball all-star, who has lost his wife and family foundation in a struggle with addiction attempts to regain his soul and salvation by becoming the coach of a disparate ethnically mixed high school basketball team at his alma mater.

The story of Ray-Ray McElrathbey, a freshman football player for Clemson University, who secretly raised his younger brother on campus after his home life became too unsteady.

Champion. Olympic Medallist. The Doyen of Indian Badminton. Saina Nehwal is all of this and much more. This biopic chronicles the inspiring story of a gifted youngster's ascendance to the pinnacle of the Badminton World through sheer passion and perseverance.

High school football coach, Harold Jones befriends Radio, a mentally-challenged man who becomes a student at T.L. Hanna High School in Anderson, South Carolina. Their friendship extends over several decades, where Radio transforms from a shy, tormented man into an inspiration to his community.

What happens in fairy tales after the wedding of the prince and princess? Figure skater Nadia and hockey player Sasha got married and more than anything else they dream of a child. True, the price they will have to pay for this dream will be unimaginably high. After such upheavals, it seems impossible to count on a happy ending. But if you think so, you do not know anything about real tales...

As long as the fans live, hope won't die. They are fans of the hockey Lokomotiv from Yaroslavl. People forever loyal to the club. Hockey players' wives, stadium staff, young athletes and fan movement veterans who have been singing in the stands for several decades. In honor of the opening of the new season of the Kontinental Hockey League, the army of Lokomotiv fans is sent to Minsk for the first match of the tournament to support the team. None of them knows that this trip will change everyone's life forever, and the tragedy that will happen to Lokomotiv will divide the sports world into “before” and “after”.

Following her divorce, Marina thinks that she’ll never meet love again. Little does she know that one day, she’ll find the love of her life in freediving, one of the most extreme sports in existence, built on diving as deep as possible on a single breath. In the vast, mysterious realm of the sea, Marina not only regains her sense of peace and well being, but also redefines her existence.

A bright and determined teen who has mild cerebral palsy strives to be a wrestler on his high school's team and to win over the heart of a classmate, the girl of his dreams.

Against the backdrop of a turbulent era in Brazil, this documentary captures Pelé's extraordinary path from breakthrough talent to national hero. Mixing rare archival footage and exclusive interviews, this documentary celebrates the legendary Brazilian footballer who personified football as art.

A college freshman joins her university's rowing team and undertakes an obsessive physical and psychological journey to make it to the top varsity boat, no matter the cost.

Haunted by his mysterious past, a devoted high school football coach leads a scrawny team of orphans to the state championship during the Great Depression and inspires a broken nation along the way.

In the aftermath of Cassius Clay's defeat of Sonny Liston in 1964, the boxer meets with Malcolm X, Sam Cooke and Jim Brown to change the course of history in the segregated South.

Krasnodar's debut in the Champions League in 2020. Emotional doc film about the brightest season in the history of the club.

After a crushing defeat ended their prior season, everyone counted the Abilene Eagles out of title contention. Facing doubts and personal challenges both on and off the field, it takes the guidance of their team chaplain and a surrogate father figure for the players to realize what they can achieve when they stand united.

Inspired by true events, Eddie the Eagle is a feel-good story about Michael "Eddie" Edwards (Taron Egerton), an unlikely but courageous British ski-jumper who never stopped believing in himself - even as an entire nation was counting him out. With the help of a rebellious and charismatic coach (played by Hugh Jackman), Eddie takes on the establishment and wins the hearts of sports fans around the world by making an improbable and historic showing at the 1988 Calgary Winter Olympics.

The powerful story of Jackie Robinson, the legendary baseball player who broke Major League Baseball’s color barrier when he joined the roster of the Brooklyn Dodgers. The film follows the innovative Dodgers’ general manager Branch Rickey, the MLB executive who first signed Robinson to the minors and then helped to bring him up to the show.

Based on the true life story of California gymnast Ariana Berlin. As she zoned in on her Olympic goals, 14 year old Ariana Berlin's life took a sharp turn when she was involved in a debilitating car accident. Gaining her confidence and movement back through learning hip hop dance, she unexpectedly found herself called back to the gymnastics world thanks to world renowned UCLA Coach Valorie Kondos Field. With Val's help, Ariana was eventually able to secure a spot on the UCLA gymnastics team and win an NCAA championship, a lifelong goal that she had always dreamed of. This is a wonderfully inspiring story of persistence, confidence, and the heart and courage to make a somewhat impossible comeback in life.

In 1975 Dynamo Kiev became the first Soviet team to win a major European trophy. The team’s rapid rise was remarkable and attributed to one man: Valeri Vasilievich Lobanovskyi. His technique as a manager is now the stuff of folklore - not least for his imposing a fitness regime so brutal that his players looked upon the matches themselves as relaxing.

Kostya and his friends are young and love playing street football. He is the coolest of the lot. Kostya dreams of playing professionally, but cannot bring himself to approach the coach. His girlfriend, Nastya, shares his dream, but street football is Kostya’s life, and the outdoor pitch is akin to a second home, a place for friends to meet and play.

Two young gay soccer players get caught up between the politics of the game and the politics of love.

Biopic of Russian ice hockey legend Valeri Kharlamov from early childhood, rising to the pinnacle of the sport and his untimely death

Housewife and mother Penny Chenery agrees to take over her ailing father's Virginia-based Meadow Stables, despite her lack of horse-racing knowledge. Against all odds, Chenery - with the help of veteran trainer Lucien Laurin - manages to navigate the male-dominated business, ultimately fostering the first Triple Crown winner in 25 years.

A track coach in a small California town transforms a team of athletes into championship contenders.

After a teenager's friends die in an accident, he finds running allows him to remember them perfectly. Running, however, also brings him notoriety. He is caught between keeping the past alive and making new memories in the present.

A true sports story that utterly defies the odds, Duguay’s film captures the wild ups and downs of the Olympics-bound career of legendary equine star Jappeloup and his troubled rider, locked in a tense relationship with his horseman father and forever uncertain of his own skills as an equestrian

He was called the Champion of Champions. The strength and strong-willed character Poddubniy composed legends. And 50 great fighter effortlessly overcame young athletes, and questions of honor and justice did not know compromises. And only love could put Russian Heroes on both blades

Fully authorized, access-all-areas feature doc on the hugely charismatic and globally adored Usain Bolt – officially the fastest man alive. With never-before-seen archive footage of his youth in Jamaica, through to original footage that will be captured at his fourth and final Olympic Games in Rio, where he will compete for the gold in both the 100 and 200 metres races, for a third straight Games before his retirement in 2017. I AM BOLT will reveal the man and define the legacy of this incredible athlete.

Contemporary Russia. After he flubs a penalty kick, a humiliated national soccer player quits the game. He flees to a small town, where he decides to coach their local team.

Indian biographical sports film directed by Tony D'Souza based on the life of the former Indian international cricketer, Mohammad Azharuddin. It will star emraan hashmi in the lead role alongside Prachi Desai , Nargis Fakhri and Huma Qureshi

A biographical drama centered on the rivalry between Formula 1 drivers James Hunt and Niki Lauda during the 1976 Formula One motor-racing season.

The true story of the 1973 tennis match between World number one Billie Jean King and ex-champ and serial hustler Bobby Riggs.

After the tragic death of star volleyball player Caroline "Line" Found, a team of dispirited high school girls must band together under the guidance of their tough-love coach in hopes of winning the state championship!

The lives of a young couple intertwine with a much older man as he reflects back on a lost love while he's trapped in an automobile crash.

“McConkey,” a 90-minute documentary to be released in 2013, is a heartfelt examination of the legacy one athlete left to the progression of his sports, and the path he paved to conquer his dreams. Shane McConkey is revered as the pioneer of freeskiing and ski base jumping, and through his talent and unique outlook on life, he inspired countless lives. In a new film from Red Bull Media House in association with Matchstick Productions, “McConkey” celebrates the life of one of the world’s ultimate innovators

In an alternate present-day version of Oakland, black telemarketer Cassius Green discovers a magical key to professional success – which propels him into a macabre universe.

This ensemble comedy follows the Pullham University Bluecocks, a small liberal arts college with a Division III football program (the lowest division in the NCAA). When the head coach unexpectedly dies, the future of the flailing football program is in jeopardy, as they have not had a winning season in decades. In a desperate attempt to create some media attention for the athletic program and the university, President Georgia Anne Whistler hires known lunatic and felon, Coach Rick Vice, for what could be the football programs final season.

Major-league rookie pitcher Hopper Gibson has lost his focus. After choking on the mound, he’s sent down to the minors and prescribed sessions with an unorthodox sports therapist, who pushes him to uncover the origins of his anxiety.

The story of Oakland Athletics general manager Billy Beane's successful attempt to put together a baseball team on a budget, by employing computer-generated analysis to draft his players.

Matvey: a simple guy from a small province. What differentiates him from others are his physical attributes such as his strong legs, powerful lungs and an incredible endurance. He uses these talents to help his team win football matches but also takes advantage of his skills when it comes to small criminal adventures. This worries Dasha, his girlfriend, who tries to endlessly protect Matvey, whilst her friends are hopelessly attempting to persuade her to leave. After all, there are better options out there... Especially Vadim. Suddenly, Matvey receives an incredible offer: to go audition for a Premier League football club in Moscow. Not wanting to leave Dasha behind, he realizes he needs to obtain money for them to travel together.

Tony, a promising young motorcycle racer, is forced to do perilous drug runs to save the mother of his child from a dangerous mobster.