Wednesday, February 4, 2009

Best fictional athletes in the movies?

Sylvester Stallone made Rocky (right) a household name -- and a popular statue. He gave rope-a-dope a whole new meaning.


Bill Simmons has his Teen Wolf hang up, but which full-time humans were the best athletes the movies have ever seen? Observer designer Eric Edwards offers his list.

1. Rocky Balboa, multiple "Rocky" movies - He still has more statues in Philly than Donovon McNabb.

2. Roy Hobbs, "The Natural" - Imagine if he'd had access to steroids.

3. Jimmy Chitwood, "Hoosiers" - He'd still probably come off the bench in Chapel Hill.

4. Bobby Boucher, "The Waterboy" - Defense delivers championships, and high quality H2O.

5. Happy Gilmore, "Happy Gilmore" - "The Price is wrong..."

Disagree, or have a list of your own? Post your thoughts in the comments section!

30 comments:

Anonymous said...

Reg Dunlop (aka Paul Newman), hockey player/coach in Slap Shot.

And the Hanson brothers, same movie.

Anonymous said...

Carl Spackler in Caddyshack. A hero we can all agree on.

Anonymous said...

Come on folks. Ever heard of Daniel Larusso, "the Karate Kid" -

Anonymous said...

Marcus & David Sommers (kevin costner & david grant)in American Flyers, David Stoller (dennis christopher) in Breaking Away, and Loudon Swain (matthew modine) in Vision Quest!!

Anonymous said...

Quint{Robert Shaw] in JAWS,now that was a sport fisherman!

Anonymous said...

I absolutely agree with Rocky and Roy Hobbs at the top of the list, but I would add the following:
--Apollo Creed (Carl Weathers) in the first four Rocky movies. "Eye of the tiger, Rock!"
--Rod Tidwell (Cuba Gooding Jr.) in Jerry Maguire. "Show me the money!"
--Ty Webb (Chevy Chase) in Caddyshack. "Be the ball; nananananananana." Somebody else mentioned Bill Murray's Carl Spackler, who was a funny character but not an athlete.

Anonymous said...

Here's another vote for Reg Dunlop in "Slap Shot." He was a player AND a coach. Who can beat that?

Anonymous said...

How about Prof. Vernon Simpson (Ray Milland) in "It Happens Every Spring."

He was on the juice long before it became fashionable. He doctored the baseball with a fluid that repelled wood. He definitely had some hop on the ball.

Anonymous said...

Jesus Shuttlesworth (Ray Allen) in "He Got Game", one of Spike's best

Anonymous said...

Where is Crash Davis????

Anonymous said...

Forrest Gump: All-American Alabama & very Long Distant Runner.....

Anonymous said...

How about Heisman Trophy winner Forrest,Forrest Gump?

Anonymous said...

Roy McAvoy... in Tin Cup!

Carp said...

Crash Davis.
Billy Chapel.
Rick "Wild Thing" Vaughn.

Anonymous said...

What about the Ducks?

Anonymous said...

Golfers are not athletes, they just walk around hitting an egg sized ball. Yes, skilled, athletes no.

What about Cole Trickle?

Anonymous said...

It is insulting to Rocky to have half ass comedians on this list. Try having some respect for real actors. I mean Happy Gilmore are you F**king kidding? How about Rudy?

Anonymous said...

rudy is real. the subject is fictional characters, Einstein.

Anonymous said...

Where the heck is Ricky Bobby ?
If you're not first, you're last!

Anonymous said...

Shake and bake!

Anonymous said...

Anonymous 9:03: Good call on Jesus Shuttlesworth.

Anonymous said...

Crash Davis was a real ballplayer, though the events in Bull Durham were fictionalized.

Anonymous said...

Daniel LaRusso - Karate Kid

Forrest Gump - Forrest Gump

Anonymous said...

Bet, Alabama wishes there had been a real Forest Gump... They might have had a Heisman winner.

Anonymous said...

Any one of the characters from Major League. Willy Mays Hays, Wild Thing, etc.

Love Billy Chapel too from For the Love of the Game.

Paul Newman from Slapshot.

Now those are great sports movies.

All of the goofball Adam Sandlers' characters are an insult to a list like this. How can you even take this columnist seriously? I mean a month before baseball season begins Major League is shown a dozen times prior. That isn't happening with any other movie. Kind of on par with A Christmas Story on Christmas Day. You can't have one without the other.

Anonymous said...

Paul Crewe (aka Burt Reynolds) in The Longest Yard.

Maggie Fitzgerald (aka Hillary Swank) in Million Dollar Baby.

Anonymous said...

Fast Eddie Filson - The Hustler

Anonymous said...

Lattimer (The Program)....you leading me on??????

Anonymous said...

billy hoyle.

Anonymous said...

Al Bundy