6 Must-Watch Movies To Get You In The Baseball Spirit
Now that the weather is warming up, flowers are blooming again, and the crack of a bat hitting a baseball can be heard around stadiums everywhere, it’s time to start thinking about baseball again!
Plus, there are Opening Days happening all around us! Baseball season is quintessential springtime to me, so when I’m not cheering on my Chicago Cubs or crying in the fetal position because they’ve blown their record, I’m trying to enjoy baseball culture. So, if you love baseball season, here are six movies to watch to keep the love alive even when your team is down by four runs at the bottom of the 8th.
Bull Durham (1988)
Bull Durham is so endearing in the fact that it has nothing to do with being a professional MLB player, but rather a ragtag group of rookies that didn’t quite make it to the majors and find their true love for the sport in the minors. With an all-star cast of Susan Saradon, Kevin Costner, and Tim Robbins, Bull Durham should never be overlooked for true baseball fans. Bull Durham is streaming on Prime Video and Tubi.
A League of Their Own (1992)
A League of Their Own will always be one of the greatest baseball movies in my opinion. The film follows a league of professional female baseball players as the typical man is off fighting in WWII. These women are inspiring, hilarious, and entirely loveable as their Midwest baseball dreams come to life across the screen. This film was based on a 1987 TV Documentary with the same title and it will forever be in my list of favorite sports movies. The cast is also criminally talented, including Geena Davis, Tom Hanks, Rosie O’Donnell, Lori Petty, and Madonna. A League of Their Own is streaming on Tubi.
The Sandlot (1993)
You cannot say you love baseball if you haven’t seen The Sandlot. You just can’t and I’ll die on that hill. The Sandlot is about everything and nothing at the same time as a group of young kids who all live in the same neighborhood and love to play baseball. There are various adventures and misfortunes that happen to these kids and how they handle all of these things by simply just playing baseball. The Sandlot is streaming on Disney+.
Moneyball (2011)
Moneyball is interesting because it’s one of the more recent films and it addresses how baseball has changed now that it is more information-informed and truthfully, money-motivated. Moneyball stars Brad Pitt and Jonah Hill and gives an honest look about the struggles some teams have with budget and how far it has to stretch to get the right players and make a profitable team. Moneyball is available on Peacock and Paramount+.
Hardball (2001)
Hardball is probably not on many people’s radars, even if you love sports movies but I have such a soft spot for it. It could be because it takes place in my city, Chicago, or it could be because I think Keanu Reeves is great, but either way, I will always watch this movie in season. Hardball is about a gambler who keeps running out of luck with all the people who owe him money. In order to pay off his debts, he must coach a young baseball team in a tough Chicago neighborhood. I have seen this movie so many times and will cry every time. Hardball is available on Prime Video and Paramount+.
42 (2013)
I love 42. Everything this movie stands for is baseball to me and it tells the amazing story of Jackie Robinson and how he was determined to break the color barrier that plagued the league in the 1940s. Chadwick Boseman plays Jackie and 42 brings the reality that race played in professional sports and how before Jackie, baseball was primarily a white man’s sport. Do yourself a favor and watch 42, right now! It’s streaming on Starz.