Sports Movies Based on True Stories
Young Woman and the Sea: History vs. HollywoodSports | Does the truth drown in this story of Olympian Trudy Ederle (Daisy Ridley), who attempted to swim across the English Channel?
The Iron Claw: History vs. HollywoodSports | Does this movie about the Von Erich professional wrestling family keep the facts inside the ring?
Nyad: History vs. HollywoodSports | Does this story of long-distance swimmer Diana Nyad (Annette Bening) drown in too much fiction?
Gran Turismo: History vs. HollywoodSports | Meet the expert Gran Turismo player who was given a shot at becoming a real-life race car driver.
True Spirit: History vs. HollywoodSports | Do the facts stay afloat in this story of a 16-year-old sailor who circumnavigates the globe?
Home Team: History vs. HollywoodFootball | Is this Kevin James comedy about Saints coach Sean Payton in line with the real-life coach's story?
King Richard: History vs. HollywoodSports | Will Smith portrays Richard Williams, the controversial father who raised his daughters Venus and Serena to become tennis superstars.
Blue Miracle: History vs. HollywoodSports | A skipper teams up with a group of orphans to compete in a world-famous fishing competition that could save the orphanage.
The Boys in the Boat: History vs. HollywoodSports | Meet the real group of working-class college students who rowed their way to the 1936 Olympics in Germany.
Next Goal Wins: History vs. HollywoodSports | Does this Taika Waititi movie accurately portray Thomas Rongen, who accepted a job coaching the infamously bad American Samoa soccer team?
The Hill: History vs. HollywoodBaseball | Rickey Hill dreams of playing in the big leagues despite a seemingly insurmountable disability.
Air: History vs. HollywoodBasketball | How much of this story of Nike's efforts to sign Michael Jordan is based in reality?
A League of Their Own: History vs. HollywoodBaseball | We've updated our research comparing the Tom Hanks movie to the real All-American Girls Professional Baseball League.
American Underdog: History vs. HollywoodFootball | Zachary Levi portrays Kurt Warner, who worked stocking shelves in a supermarket while dreaming of making it to the NFL.
12 Mighty Orphans: History vs. HollywoodFootball | Does this inspirational football movie fumble when it comes to the facts?
Dream Horse: History vs. HollywoodSports | Does this rags-to-riches racehorse movie stay true to the documentary that inspired it?
ALL TRUE STORY Sports Movies
Whether you're watching the story of an underdog high school basketball team that won it all, an undersized football player who dreamed of making his favorite college team, or an Hawaiian surfer who got back on the board after a shark took her arm, we analyze the reality behind these true sports movies, separating the facts from the Hollywood fiction. Meet the real life athletes and people behind these sports movies based on true stories. Return to this page to peruse our latest additions or explore the sports biopics by choosing a category below.
Young Woman and the Sea
Swimmer Trudy Ederle (Daisy Ridley) attempts to swim across the English Channel.
The Boys in the Boat
Meet the real group of working class boys who rowed their way to the 1936 Olympics in Berlin.
The Iron Claw
Does this movie about the Von Erich wrestling family deliver an iron claw to the truth?
Next Goal Wins
Thomas Rongen becomes the head coach of the infamously bad American Samoa soccer team.
Nyad
Annette Bening portrays long-distance swimmer Diana Nyad, who attempts to swim from Cuba to Florida.
The Hill
Rickey Hill dreams of playing big league baseball despite a seemingly insurmountable medical condition.
Gran Turismo
Meet the real Gran Turismo player who became an actual race car driver.
Air
Nike's Sonny Vaccaro (Matt Damon) wants to create a shoe around rookie Michael Jordan.
True Spirit
16-year-old Jessica Watson tries to become the youngest person to sail solo and nonstop around the world.
Home Team
Saints coach Sean Payton (Kevin James) coaches his son's football team during his year-long NFL suspension.
American Underdog
The story of Hall of Fame quarterback Kurt Warner, who went from grocery store stock boy to NFL star.
King Richard
Will Smith portrays Richard Williams, father of tennis stars Venus and Serena Williams.
12 Mighty Orphans
Is the truth left on the sidelines in this story of a football coach who leads a group of orphans to victory?
Blue Miracle
Does this story of an orphanage entering a fishing tournament leave the facts stranded at sea?
Dream Horse
A barmaid convinces her small-town neighbors to help fund a racehorse in hopes of it becoming a champion.
Safety
Are the facts left on the bench in this tale of a college football player who takes custody of his brother?
Ford v Ferrari
Does this car racing movie about the 1966 Le Mans rivalry leave the truth in the dust?
Happy Valley
Was Al Pacino able to capture Joe Paterno's appearance for the Penn State scandal movie?
I, Tonya
With so many unknowns surrounding Tonya Harding, what does the movie get right?
Battle of the Sexes
Does this movie about the Battle of the Sexes tennis match serve up the truth?
Bleed for This
Does this story of a boxing comeback get pinned against the ropes by too much fiction?
Queen of Katwe
Does this story of a Ugandan female chess prodigy add any fictional pieces to the board?
Hands of Stone
Does fiction knock out the truth in this story of boxing trainer Ray Arcel and boxer Roberto Duran?
Eddie the Eagle
Does this story of the first British Olympic ski jumper stick its landing when it comes to the truth?
Race
African American athlete Jesse Owens wins a record-breaking four gold medals at the 1936 Olympic Games in Berlin as Hitler watches.
Concussion
Does this Will Smith movie suffer from dementia when it comes to the truth?
My All American
Is the truth left on the sidelines in this story of college football standout Freddie Steinmark?
The Walk
Is this story of high-wire artist Philippe Petit wobbly with the truth?
Pawn Sacrifice
Chess prodigy Bobby Fischer (Tobey Maguire) takes on the Soviet Union and Boris Spassky (Liev Schreiber).
McFarland, USA
Does this Kevin Costner sports movie outrun the truth?
When the Game Stands Tall
Does the movie fumble when it comes to the truth?
Million Dollar Arm
Does this Jon Hamm Disney baseball movie hit too many foul balls regarding the truth?
Rush
Explore the real Formula One rivalry between James Hunt and Niki Lauda.
42
Does this Jackie Robinson movie strike out with regard to the truth?
Chasing Mavericks
Does Chasing Mavericks hang ten or wipeout with regard to the truth?
Soul Surfer
Does the truth hang ten or wipe out?
The Fighter
We pit Fact vs. Fiction to see which wins the title.
The Blind Side
Is the reality just as inspiring?
Gridiron Gang
Meet the real coach and find out if the football program really changed the lives of these troubled kids.
Invincible
Meet the real Vince Papale and discover the true story.
Miracle
Meet the real hockey players and coach behind the 1980 Olympic victory.
Radio
Find out what made the real coach invite Radio into his life.
Seabiscuit
Meet Seabiscuit and watch the real-life races depicted in the movie.
The Rookie
Did Jim Morris really test his fastball by throwing past a speed limit monitor on the side of the road?
Remember the Titans
Find out if the racial tension was depicted accurately in the movie.
Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story
Find out if a family curse could have been responsible for Bruce Lee's death.
Rudy
Learn the truth and see a pic of the real Rudy being carried off the Notre Dame field.
A League of Their Own
When the men go off to war, the women pick up their bats, but is the story based in fact?
Bloodsport
We fight to uncover the truth behind Frank Dux and the Bloodsport movie.
Hoosiers
Find out if the real basketball team's story was as dramatic as the movie.
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