Dr. Jim Moncier, Sport and Performance Psychologist

Movies can inspire, evoke a mood, and, in some cases, even demonstrate the use of mental skills. Below you will find a listing of sports-themed movies that athletes, coaches, or teams can use as part of their mental preparation for competition. I will add more as I come across them.

The following movies are grouped by sport. Additionally, I've listed some themes contained within the movie that makes it useful for use with athletes. These themes are based upon listings in the Sport Psychology Movie Database.

Baseball

Bull Durham

Anxiety, going for your dream, general mental skills, rituals & superstitions, teamwork, winning

Eight Men Out

Commitment, peak performance, sportsmanship

Field of Dreams

Confidence, going for your dream, keeping sport in perspective, parents & families, social factors, teamwork

For Love of the Game

Career issues, competition, confidence, injury, keeping sport in perspective, mental skills, peak performance

A League of Their Own

Aggression, anxiety, coaching, commitment, confidence, gender issues, going for your dream, keeping sport in perspective, leadership, mental skills, motivation, parents & families, teamwork, underdogs

Major League

Coaching, confidence, motivation, rituals & superstition, teamwork, underdogs

61*

Anxiety, competition, handling pressure, motivation

Basketball
Glory Road	Coaching, cultural differences, going for your dream, leadership, motivation, social factors, teamwork, winning
Hoosiers	Aggression, coaching, parents & family, teamwork, winning
Hoop Dreams	Career issues, commitment, competition, confidence, cultural differences, going for your dream, keeping sport in perspective, motivation, parents & families, social factors, winning, youth sport

Boxing
Ali	Aggression, competition, confidence, going for your dream, motivation, winning
Rocky	Commitment, going for your dream, motivation, parents & families, underdogs

Cycling
Breaking Away	Commitment, competition, going for your dream, keeping sport in perspective, motivation, parents & family, social factors, sportsmanship, teamwork

Football
Any Given Sunday	Aggression, anxiety, career issues, confidence, injury, leadership, mental skills, rituals & superstition, social factors, teamwork, winning
Friday Night Lights	Coaching, commitment, motivation, social factors, sports fans, teamwork, winning
Remember the Titans	Career issues, coaching, commitment, confidence, cultural differences, mental skills, teamwork
Rudy	Commitment, going for your dream, mental skills, motivation, teamwork, underdogs

Golf
The Greatest Game Ever Played	Competition, confidence, going for your dream, motivation, winning

Hockey
Miracle	Aggression, coaching, commitment, competition, confidence, going for your dream, leadership, motivation, teamwork, underdogs, winning

Horse Racing
Seabiscuit	Career issues, commitment, competition, confidence, going for your dream, motivation, teamwork, underdogs, winning

Running
Chariots of Fire	Cultural differences, motivation, sportsmanship

Soccer
Bend It Like Beckham	Career issues, commitment, competition, confidence, cultural differences, gender issues, going for your dream, keeping sport in perspective, parents & families, social factors, youth sport

Other
Murderball	Aggression, commitment, competition, confidence, cultural differences, going for your dream, keeping sport in perspective, motivation, social factors, teamwork, underdogs, winning
Rollerball	Aggression, leadership, winning
Rounders	Commitment, competition, confidence, keeping sport in perspective, mental skills, motivation, winning