At this Sunday's 79th annual Academy Awards, everyone from Alan Arkin to Catherine Zeta-Jones will be at the Kodak Theatre at Hollywood & Highland Center.
However, despite a strong representation in recent years from films such as "Seabiscuit," "Million Dollar Baby" and "Cinderella Man," sports movies will be absent from the 2007 Oscars.
Upon noticing this, I started to think (oh yeah, get ready here it comes) about the whole concept of the sports movie and why this past season's crop of "Gridiron Gang," "Invincible" and "We Are Marshall" didn't receive invites.
In general, sports movies follow one of two set formulas:
Formula 1: A player or team struggles, but hard work or teamwork results in success at the end (e.g., "Rudy" or "The Mighty Ducks").
Formula 2: Sport serves as a steppingstone for moving up in life (e.g., "Finding Forrester" or "Bend It Like Beckham").
But does either of these formulas truly represent what sports are all about?
I think even though sports do promote values such as hard work, teamwork and ambition to succeed, they also have a much deeper meaning in our lives.
Sports portray human emotion in its purest sense. From the agony of defeat to the pure joy found in victory, sports show us a positive and natural side of humanity sometimes lost in today's self-focused world. And, beyond winning and losing, sports show human reaction untouched by the influences of a given society.
Though the values stressed in each formula film are no doubt positive and useful in our everyday lives, those sports movies cannot stress enough the role sports can play in this world.
While the so-called experts argue either "Hoosiers" or "Field of Dreams" is the best sports movie of all time, I think the movie that best expresses the true value of sports is the one with the guy who jumped on Oprah's couch a few years ago.
Though many people feel that it technically isn't even a sports movie or that "Show me the MONEY!" is the best thing they got out of the film, 1996's "Jerry Maguire" merits praise for the message it tries to convey.
For those who have not seen one of 10 million showings of the movie on TBS or TNT (Ted Turner must've really loved Rod Tidwell),
"Jerry Maguire" is about a sports agent of the same name who suddenly gains a conscience, leading him to lose his job, his fiancee and most of his clients.
Then, exiled from his former high-profile life built on sweet talk and empty promises, Maguire, initially resentful of his new conscience, learns doing the right thing and having faith in others can give him greater happiness than he could have ever previously achieved.
"Jerry Maguire" used the sports world as a backdrop to depict something often overlooked but crucial to human progress.
Though it may seem to fall into the "formula 1" category, "Jerry Maguire" illustrates a much deeper side of sports and human relationships "formula 1" fails to touch upon.
Perhaps the best line of the whole movie to illustrate my point occurs when Jerry's sole client, the underappreciated yet cocky wide receiver Rod Tidwell, expresses his faith in his agent after receiving an offer for a stingy contract.
"You bet on me like I bet on you."
To me, this simple request communicates what sports are truly meant to represent. Sports are supposed to be more than just entertainment.
They serve as a reminder of a simple faith humans can have in each other. They show us differences can be put aside, and beyond winning and losing, there can exist a universal "us."
So, to all of the directors, producers and writers out there: Work with that, and I'll show you the Oscar.
Be the first to comment on this article!