How many sports movies have won Best Picture at the Oscars?

It may not have the same ring to it as Super Bowl Sunday, but Oscars Sunday is just as huge for its respective industry.

Hollywood’s biggest night is here with the 96th Academy Awards. The ceremony celebrates the year in movies, and sometimes sports have entered the conversation and even come away with the top prize.

A handful of sports movies have earned Best Picture Oscars, while others have claimed awards in different categories. From the track to the court and beyond, a variety of sports have been represented at the award show.

To be clear, we’re talking about movies that feature actual sports action or otherwise showcase athletes during their playing days. “The Champ” and “On The Waterfront,” for instance, follow ex-boxing champions but don’t show either in the ring, removing themselves from the “sports movie” category here.

With that out of the way, let’s dive into the most successful sports movies at the Academy Awards.

Which sports movies have won Best Picture at the Oscars?

Three conventional sports movies, along with two more epics that can be viewed through a sports prism, have been named Best Picture at the Academy Awards.

Ben-Hur (1959)

“Ben-Hur” famously featured the largest budget of any movie at the time, but it also serves as an unconventional sports movie. The titular character becomes a champion charioteer and the movie includes epic races, showcasing one of the world’s oldest sports.

The Charlton Heston classic is one of three movies all-time to win 11 Oscars, including Best Picture.

Rocky (1976)

Soon after sprinting up the famous steps outside the Philadelphia Museum of Art, Sylvester Stallone trotted up the steps at the Academy Awards in 1977 to claim Best Picture.

The original “Rocky” was the first traditional sports movie to win Best Picture and sparked a series that’s up to nine movies, most recently “Creed III.” Along with the top honor, “Rocky” also won Oscars for Best Director and Best Film Editing.

Chariots of Fire (1981)

“Chariots of Fire” follows Eric Liddell and Harold Abrahams, two British runners who faced different obstacles on their way to the 1924 Paris Olympics.

The film beat out the likes of “Raiders of the Lost Ark” and “Reds” to win Best Picture at the Oscars in 1982. On top of Best Picture, it also won Best Screenplay, Best Costume Design and Best Original Score, which plays during the film’s iconic slow-motion running scene.

Gladiator (2000)

Let’s head back to the Colosseum for another Best Picture winner.

Like “Ben-Hur,” “Gladiator” brings an ancient sport to the silver screen in grand – and gory – fashion. The Best Picture winner featured a Best Actor performance from Russell Crowe and won additional awards for Best Costume Design, Best Visual Effects and Best Sound.

Million Dollar Baby (2004)

“Million Dollar Baby” certainly isn’t a feel-good watch, but it remains the latest sports film to take home Best Picture.

Clint Eastwood, Hilary Swank and Morgan Freeman each won individual Oscars en route to the movie’s Best Picture win. Hilary Swank earned Best Actress, Morgan Freeman earned Best Supporting Actor and Eastwood earned Best Director. 

Which other sports movies have won Oscars?

Here are some of the other sports movies that have claimed Academy Awards in categories beyond Best Picture:

The Pride of the Yankees (1942)

The New York Yankees may have 27 World Series titles, but “The Pride of the Yankees” has just one Oscar for Best Film Editing. The film, which stars Gary Cooper as Lou Gehrig, earned 11 nominations.

The Hustler (1961)

Paul Newman’s pool movie earned two Academy Awards: Best Cinematography, Black-and-White and Best Art Direction-Set Decoration, Black-and-White. He earned his second career acting nomination, but he would have to wait a bit before finally lifting a statuette.

Heaven Can Wait (1978)

The 1978 comedy about a Los Angeles Rams quarterback taken to heaven before he was meant to die earned an Oscar for Best Art Direction-Set Decoration.

Breaking Away (1979)

“Breaking Away” earned Best Writing, Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen at the Oscars for its story about a teen, played by Dennis Christopher, obsessed with competitive cycling.

Raging Bull (1980)

Widely regarded as one of the best sports movies of all time, Martin Scorsese’s “Raging Bull” took home two Oscars. While Scorsese missed out on Best Picture and Best Director, Robert De Niro won Best Actor for his portrayal of Jake LaMotta and Thelma Schoonmaker won for Best Film Editing.

The Color of Money (1986)

Twenty-five years after “The Hustler” debuted, Newman took home a Best Actor win for his performance in the pool-hustling sequel, which was directed by Scorsese. 

Jerry Maguire (1996)

Tom Cruise got a Best Actor nomination, Cameron Crowe received an Original Screenplay nod and the movie as a whole was up for Best Picture, but it was Cuba Gooding Jr. who claimed the film’s lone Oscar for Best Supporting Actor as fictional Arizona Cardinals WR Rod Tidwell. Can you say, “Show me the money?”

The Blind Side (2009)

Sandra Bullock earned the Best Actress Oscar for her role in “The Blind Side,” which follows the story of former offensive lineman Michael Oher. The movie collected a Best Picture nod, as well.

The Fighter (2010) 

“The Fighter” earned three Oscar nominations in acting categories, but none of them went to the titular character played by Mark Wahlberg. Christian Bale won for Best Supporting Actor and Melissa Leo beat out fellow cast member Amy Adams in Best Supporting Actress.

Dear Basketball (2017)

Los Angeles Lakers legend Kobe Bryant went from winning on the court to winning at the Oscars for “Dear Basketball.” The six-minute production was based on a poem he wrote following his NBA retirement and took home the prize for Best Animated Short Film.

King Richard (2021)

Mixed in all the chaos Will Smith created at the Oscars in 2022, he earned his first Academy Award for his portrayal as Richard Williams, Serena and Venus Williams’ father, in “King Richard.”

The Queen of Basketball (2021)

“The Queen of Basketball” looks at Lusia Harris, the first woman to ever score a basket in women’s basketball at the Olympics. The 22-minute film won Best Documentary Short Subject at last year’s ceremony.