Top 100 Biggest Box Office Grossing Sports Movies

Tobey Maguire in 2003’s Seabiscuit….Seabiscuit grossed over $161 million in adjusted domestic dollars.
Tobey Maguire in 2003’s Seabiscuit….Seabiscuit grossed over $161 million in adjusted domestic dollars.

Want to know the Top 100 Biggest Box Office Grossing Sports Movies? Well you have come to the right place….because we have all of that information.  A few years ago, I got a request I got a request from HubPages’s Stevennix2001 to figure out the Top 100 Sports Movies according to my Cogerson Movie Score formula.  Well I had to research over 1,200 sports movies….but I was able to come up with a Top 100.  Along the way I actually wrote 14 sport movie pages.  Ten of those pages looked at each individual sport….for example Ranking Baseball Movies.  Three more of those pages were: Top 100 Best Reviewed Sports Movies and Top 400 Sports Movies.

The 14th Sports Movie Page I wrote was this one….Top 100 Biggest Box Office Grossing Sports Movies.  The movies are ranked by domestic adjusted box office gross.  Why use adjusted gross?  I use adjusted box office gross so it is easier to compare today’s movies with movies of the past.  The best example is 1942’s Pride of the Yankees.  Pride of the Yankees was a huge hit in the 1940s….grossing just over $8 million.  Well $8 million today would not even crack the Top 300.  But by using tickets sold we are able to figure out how much a movie would earn today.  Using adjusted gross…we see that Pride of the Yankees would have grossed over $225 million….which puts in the Top 10.

Paul Newman in 1977's Slap Shot...Slap Shot grossed over $108 million in adjusted box office gross.
Paul Newman in 1977’s Slap Shot

Top 100 Biggest Box Office Grossing Sports Movies Can Be Ranked 6 Ways In This Table

The really cool thing about this table is that it is “user-sortable”. Rank the movies anyway you want.

  • Sort Top 100 Biggest Box Office Grossing Sports Movies by the type of sport
  • Sort Top 100 Biggest Box Office Grossing Sports Movies by the star of the movie
  • Sort Top 100 Biggest Box Office Grossing Sports Movies by adjusted box office grosses using current movie ticket cost
  • Sort by how Top 100 Biggest Box Office Grossing Sports Movies were received by critics and audiences.  60% rating or higher should indicate a good movie.
  • Sort by how many Oscar® nominations and how many Oscar® wins each Top 100 Biggest Box Office Grossing Sports Movies received.
  • Sort Top 100 Biggest Box Office Grossing Sports Movies by Cogerson Movie Score.  Cogerson Movie Score puts box office, reviews and awards into a mathematical equation and gives each movie a score.
RankMovie (Year)SportStar of MovieAdjusted Domestic Box Office (Millions)Critic Audience RatingOscar Nom / WinCogerson Movie Score
Rocky (1976)BoxingSylvester Stallone$446.6079.3%10 / 0392.77
Rocky III (1982)BoxingSylvester Stallone$342.7061.3%01 / 0063.84
Rocky IV (1985)BoxingSylvester Stallone$292.3052.0%00 / 0061.16
Heaven Can Wait (1978)FootballWarren Beatty$283.4077.5%09 / 0185.12
Jerry Maguire (1996)FootballTom Cruise$282.6078.5%05 / 0184.24
Waterboy, The (1998)FootballAdam Sandler$279.3044.5%00 / 0057.79
Blind Side, The (2009)FootballSandra Bullock$276.9071.5%02 / 0175.90
Rocky II (1979)BoxingSylvester Stallone$275.3071.3%00 / 0064.97
Karate Kid Part II, The (1986)KarateRalph Macchio$251.7047.5%01 / 0057.22
Those Magnificent Men in Their Flying MachinesAirplane RacingTerry-Thomas$245.2070.5%01 / 0067.77
Pride of the Yankees, The (1942)BaseballGary Cooper$225.7084.0%11 / 0185.40
Karate Kid, The (1984)KarateRalph Macchio$219.2080.0%01 / 0068.60
National Velvet (1945)Horse RacingElizabeth Taylor$212.7079.5%05 / 0272.82
League of Their Own, A (1992)BaseballTom Hanks$210.3076.0%00 / 0066.60
Longest Yard, The (2005)FootballAdam Sandler$200.6046.5%00 / 0054.91
Great Race, The (1965)Car RacingTony Curtis & Jack Lemmon$199.8074.0%05 / 0169.86
Main Event, The (1979)BoxingBarbra Streisand$187.6046.0%00 / 0053.62
Longest Yard, The (1974)FootballBurt Reynolds$186.8076.0%01 / 0065.81
Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby (2006)Car RacingWill Ferrell$182.7068.0%00 / 0060.34
Karate Kid, The (2010)KarateRalph Macchio$181.9064.0%00 / 0058.78
Remember the Titans (2000)FootballDenzel Washington$174.6074.0%00 / 0062.84
Chariots of Fire (1981)OlympicsBen Cross$172.1079.0%07 / 0480.97
Space Jam (1996)BasketballBill Murray$166.5047.5%00 / 0050.17
Seabiscuit (2003)Horse RacingTobey Maguire$161.6075.5%07 / 0070.88
Days of Thunder (1990)RacingTom Cruise$158.3047.5%01 / 0049.92
Grand Prix (1966)RacingJames Garner$154.3075.5%03 / 0361.08
Stratton Story, The (1949)BaseballJames Stewart$153.5078.3%01 / 0159.72
White Men Can't Jump (1992)BasketballWoody Harrelson$149.4070.0%00 / 0058.75
DodgeBall: A True Underdog Story (2004)DodgeballBen Stiller$149.4068.0%00 / 0054.61
Take Me Out to the Ball Game (1949)BaseballFrank Sinatra$141.3075.0%00 / 0054.51
Semi-Tough (1977)FootballBurt Reynolds$135.6069.0%00 / 0051.27
Cool Runnings (1993)OlympicsJohn Candy$134.8070.0%00 / 0051.46
Field of Dreams (1989)BaseballKevin Costner131.550.823658659.05
Million Dollar Baby (2004)BoxingClint Eastwood$131.5087.0%07 / 0479.15
Caddyshack (1980)GolfChevy Chase & Bill Murray$130.7073.5%00 / 0051.86
Bad News Bears, The (1976)BaseballWalter Matthau$122.6083.5%00 / 0053.74
Champ, The (1932)BoxingWallace Berry$121.8074.0%04 / 0266.66
Any Given Sunday (1999)FootballAl Pacino$121.0057.5%00 / 0045.52
Natural, The (1984)BaseballRobert Redford$116.1077.5%04 / 0056.65
Color of Money, The (1986)PoolPaul Newman$114.5080.0%04 / 0157.19
Last Boy Scout (1991)FootballBruce Willis$114.5055.0%00 / 0043.16
Gentleman Jim (1942)BoxingErrol Flynn$109.6083.5%00 / 0051.14
Slap Shot (1977)HockeyPaul Newman$108.8077.5%00 / 0048.88
Babe Ruth Story, The (1948)BaseballWilliam Bendix107.2157.5%00 / 0041.56
Blades of Glory (2007)OlympicsWill Ferrell$107.2047.0%00 / 0037.89
Game Plan, The (2007)FootballDwayne "The Rock" Johnson107.1845.0%00 / 0042.65
Rookie, The (2002)BaseballDennis Quaid105.6576.0%00 / 0049.46
Rookie of the Year (1993)BaseballGary Busey$105.6046.5%00 / 0037.39
One on One (1977)BasketballRobbie Benson$104.7073.0%00 / 0046.49
Caddy, The (1953)GolfDean Martin & Jerry Lewis$103.9070.5%00 / 0045.45
Good News (1947)FootballPeter Lawford$103.9057.5%01 / 0041.50
Let's Do It Again (1975)BoxingSidney Poitier$103.1071.0%00 / 0045.47
Bring It On (2000)CheerleadingKristen Dunst103.161.5%00 / 0042.14
Major League (1989)BaseballCharlie Sheen$101.5077.0%00 / 0053.16
Bull Durham (1988)BaseballKevin Costner$100.7084.0%01 / 0050.14
Angels in the Outfield (1994)BaseballMatthew McConaughey$99.9045.0%00 / 0035.50
Tin Cup (1996)GolfKevin Costner$99.1065.5%00 / 0042.74
Nacho Libre (2006)WrestlingJack Black$99.1048.5%00 / 0036.79
Mighty Ducks, The (1992)HockeyEmilio Estevez$99.1035.5%00 / 0036.57
Champ, The (1979)BoxingJon Voight$98.3049.5%01 / 0037.58
Fighter, The (2010)BoxingChristian Bale$96.6087.3%07 / 0265.01
42 (2013)BaseballHarrisonFord$95.0076.0%00 / 0050.37
Hustler, The (1961)PoolPaul Newman$91.8088.5%09 / 0263.34
D2: The Mighty Ducks (1994)HockeyEmilio Estevez$90.9033.0%00 / 0034.96
Real Steel (2011)BoxingHugh Jackman$87.7067.0%01 / 0045.65
Broadway Bill (1934)Horse RacingDirected by Frank Capra$87.7069.0%00 / 0041.69
Hidalgo (2004)Horse RacingViggio Mortensen$87.7056.5%00 / 0037.31
Champion (1949)BoxingKirk Douglas$86.9083.5%06 / 0150.60
Rocky Balboa (2006)BoxingSylvester Stallone$86.9074.5%00 / 0041.85
Coach Carter (2005)BasketballSamuel L. Jackson$85.3068.0%00 / 0043.59
Varsity Blues (1999)FootballJon Voight$85.3050.5%00 / 0034.73
Miracle (2004)Hockey/OlympicsKurt Russell$84.4077.0%00 / 0044.86
North Dallas Forty (1979)FootballNick Nolte$84.4077.0%00 / 0043.83
Ali (2001)BoxingWill Smith$83.6066.5%02 / 0039.17
Gus (1976)FootballDon Knotts$83.6053.0%00 / 0035.27
Hurricane (1999)BoxingDenzel Washington$81.2078.5%01 / 0046.50
Friday Night Lights (2004)FootballBilly Bob Thornton$80.4076.0%00 / 0042.68
Karate Kid Part III, The (1989)KarateRalph Macchio$79.6033.0%00 / 0027.47
Rollerball (1975)FuturisticJames Caan$78.8066.5%00 / 0039.04
Rocky V (1990)BoxingSylvester Stallone$78.8034.5%00 / 0028.86
Cinderalla Man (2005)BoxingRussell Crowe$78.0082.7%03 / 0045.08
Finding Forrester (2000)BasketballSean Connery$78.0073.0%00 / 0039.17
Damn Yankees! (1958)BaseballTab Hunter$77.1075.5%01 / 0044.94
It Happens Every Spring (1949)BaseballRay Milland$77.1066.0%01 / 0039.12
Moneyball (2011)BaseballBrad Pitt$77.1088.0%06 / 0061.51
Two-Minute Warning (1976)FootballCharlton Heston$76.3055.0%01 / 0035.11
Here Comes Mr. Jordan (1941)BoxingRobert Montgomery$76.3084.0%07 / 0261.66
Teen Wolf (1985)BasketballMichael J. Fox$75.5054.5%00 / 0034.18
Father Was A Fullback (1949)FootballFred MacMurray$74.7064.0%00 / 0037.34
City for Conquest (1940)BoxingJames Cagney$73.9076.5%00 / 0041.56
Benchwarmers, The (2006)BaseballDavid Spade$73.9033.0%00 / 0026.33
Breaking Away (1979)Bike RacingJackie Earle Haley$73.1085.5%05 / 0152.04
Trouble Along The Way (1953)FootballJohn Wayne$73.0566.3%00/ 00 37.84
Raging Bull (1980)BoxingRobert DeNiro$73.0091.0%08 / 0262.97
Like Mike (2002)BasketballShad Moss$72.3051.0%00 / 0032.31
Invincible (2006)FootballMark Wahlberg$71.5070.5%00 / 0042.64
Happy Gilmore (1996)GolfAdam Sandler$71.5064.0%00 / 0038.44
Kid Galahad (1937)BoxingHumphrey Bogart$71.5064.0%00 / 0036.70
Radio (2003)FootballCuba Gooding Jr.$70.6052.0%00 / 0032.32
To Please A Lady (1950)RacingClark Gable$70.6043.5%00 / 0029.34
Harrison Ford as Branch Rickey in 2013's 42. 42 almost hit the $100 million mark.
Harrison Ford as Branch Rickey in 2013’s 42.
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12 thoughts on “Top 100 Biggest Box Office Grossing Sports Movies

  1. CURRENT NET WORTH OF SELECTED FIM STARS, FILM DIRECTORS AND ATHLETES

    Courtesy of Celebrity Net Worth

    1/George Lucas $6.5 BILLION
    2/Steven Spielberg $3.6 BILLION
    3/Tiger Woods $740 million
    4/Tom Cruise $570 million
    5/Robert DeNiro $$500 million
    6/LeBron James $480 million
    7/Cristiano Ronaldo $460 million
    8/Roger Federer $450 million
    9/Lionel Messi $400 million
    10/Sylvester Stallone $400 million
    -/Tom Hanks $400 million
    -/Barbra Streisand $400 million
    13/Clint Eastwood $375 million
    14/Serena Williams $200 million
    -/Julia Roberts $200 million
    16/Venus Williams $95 million

  2. EXTRACTING THE PART OF ATHLETES’ TOTAL EARNNGS THAT RELATES JUST TO SPONSORSHIP INCOME [ie excludes prize money and other fees]

    Courtesy of The Forbes Rich List:

    THE TOP 3 EARNERS FROM SPONSORSHIP DEALS in PAST 12 MONTHS

    1/Roger Federer/tennis-$86 million

    2/Tiger Woods/Golf-$54 million

    3/LeBron James/Basketball- $53 million

    NOTE: Serena Williams again highest women’s earner with sponsorship deals worth $25 million

      1. HI BRUCE: Reasonable guess as Phil is 6th on the Forbes list with endorsements of $36 million and total earnings of $48 million. However Forbes is a bit behind Footy and if the latter is right Phil might have slipped since Forbes was published, because he is not included in the Footy Top 10. Here is an exact copy of the article concerned.

        “Swiss tennis legend Roger Federer has been named second in the Online Mortgage Advisor’s Footy 100 tool, which shows how much the top football stars earn as compared to athletes from other sports – including tennis, rugby, golf and basketball amongst others
        The tool highlights the highest earning player from each sport, creating a list of the top paying sports in the world. As per the tool, Barcelona’s Lionel Messi is the highest paid sports star in the world, with combined annual earnings of £97m/$126m.

        Boxer Canelo Alvarez and Federer come in second place with combined earnings of £72m/$93.5m. The list is as mentioned below –

        • Football: Lionel Messi – £97m/$126m
        • Boxing: Canelo Alvarez – £72m/$93.5m
        • Tennis: Roger Federer – £72m/$93.5m
        • NFL: Russell Wilson – £68m/$88m
        • Basketball: LeBron James – £67m/$87m
        • Golf: Tiger Woods – £48.5m/$63m
        • Formula 1: Lewis Hamilton – £42m/$54.6m
        • Baseball: Mike Trout – £38.6m/$50m
        • MMA: Conor McGregor – £35m/$45.5m
        • Cricket: Virat Kohli – £19m/$24.7m

  3. EXTRACTING THE PART OF ATHLETES’ TOTAL EARNNGS THAT RELATES JUST TO SPONSORSHIP INCOME [ie excludes prize money and other fees]

    Courtesy of The Forbes Rich List:

    THE TOP 5 EARNERS FROM SPONSORSHIP DEALS

    1/Roger Federer/tennis-$86 million

    2/Tiger Woods/Golf-$54 million

    3/LeBron James/Basketball- $53 million

    4/Cristiano Ronaldo/football-$44 million

    5/Stephen Curry/basketball-$42 million

    SELECTED OTHERS

    8/Lionel Messi/football-$35 million

    11/Novak Djokovic/tennis-$30 million

    14/Rafael Nadal/tennis-$26 million

    15/Serena Williams/tennis-$25 million

    28/Lewis Hamilton/motor racing – $10 million

  4. THE “FOOTY 100 TOOL”: TOTAL EARNINGS OF TOP 10 HIGHEST EARNING SPORTING MALE ATHLETES IN PAST 12 MONTHS:

    This list combines prize money/fees with earnings from sponsorship endorsements so that the figures quoted are overall earnings.

    ATHLETE and SPORT/TOTAL EARNINGS in US$

    1/Lionel Messi/football- $126 million

    2/Roger Federer/tennis – $93.5 million

    -/Canelo Alvarez/boxing-$93.5 million

    4/Russell Wilson/NFL-$88 million

    5/LeBron James/basketball-$87 million

    6/Tiger Woods/Golf-$63 million

    7/Lewis Hamilton/motorcar racing-$54.6 million

    8/Mike Trout/basketball-$50 million

    9/Conor McGregor/MMA-$45.5 million

    10/Virat Kohli/Cricket-$24 million

    NO female table available as only males compete in the major Footy leagues over here; but highest earning female athlete in the past 12 months has been Serena Williams with total earnings of $29 million.

  5. My main personal entertainment interests are the movies and tennis. I often link-up sport AND movies as this page comprehensively does; and I do so by watching good films [in my estimation] about American basketball, football and baseball such as Gene Hackman’s Best Shot and Hoosiers; Redford’s The Natural; Hanks’ A League of their Own; Charlie Sheen/Tom Berenger’s Major League; and Robin Williams/Kurt Russell’s The Best of Times.

    Movie stars net worth figures have gotten a lot of coverage on this site in recent times; and here The Great Lister turns the attention to the earnings of real life sporting athletes.

    “Footy” is the nickname for football over here in my country The United Kingdom; and the “Footy 100 Tool” [see Part 2] is a publication by the footballing authorities that compares the current earnings of the top football stars with those of all other top athletes across the board. As a stats buff I have a keen interest in it just as I gather all the information that I can about movie stars wealth and earnings.

    Some athletic stars do well in prize money but are lower down the endorsements pecking-order and vice versa. Part C lists the athletes who have the highest earnings from the endorsements part of their total earnings.

    1. Hey The Great Lister….sounds like a good name for a website….you should start it up. Glad you do not avoid American sports movies….like other UMR commenters….lol. I like the nickname. Thanks again for sharing this information.

      1. HI BRUCE

        Thanks for your comments. It seems to me that NONE of them NEED all that money. I would get that Bob guy to set Joel on THE LOT OF THEM if he were still about!.

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