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I'll admit that I'm a sucker for sports movies. I like the whole underdog theme, and love it when someone triumphs against the odds. I know a lot of people dismiss sports movies as too predictable. "You already know that the hero is going to win in the end, so why even bother watching," they say. But the ending is rarely the point of a sports movie, although there are some great endings to the movies on this list; it's the journey that counts. So here, in order, are my five favorite sports movies of all time.

5. The Rookie
This is a movie based on a true story that inspires us to follow our dreams no matter what obstacles are in the way. Jim Morris was a top baseball pitching prospect whose dream of a major league career got derailed by an injury. His high school team challenges him to try out for the Tampa Bay Devil Rays. He makes the team, and enters his first major league game at the age of 35. In an era where youth is emphasized so much in professional sports, it was refreshing to see a relatively older person realize his dream.

4. Field of Dreams
This is not so much a sports movie, even though it centers around baseball. Instead, it is about second chances (Ray and his father, Moonlight Graham getting a chance to play ball, Shoeless Joe defending his name) and repairing relationships. This movie can have deeper meaning, if you want it to, or it can just be a baseball movie.

3. Rudy
Ok, I know a lot of people think this movie was too cheesy to be believed, and some of the scenes are a little over-the-top. But this movie is based on a true story, which, in my opinion, makes up for the cheese factor. By the time the whole stadium starts chanting "Ru-dy, Ru-dy" my eyes start to tear up. Rudy's determination and drive are inspiring, Sean Astin is likable as the main character, and Notre Dame football is big in my neck of the woods. So this movie is a cinch for my list.

2. Hoosiers
This is one of the best underdog movies around. The small-town basketball team full of misfits takes on the taller, faster, big-city team and wins. There are many memorable scenes in this movie, but the one where Coach Dale measured the court in the huge stadium to show his team it was exactly the same as back home was the best.

1. The Natural
This is another baseball movie about a truly talented player whose career was unexpectedly shortened, and then later revived. Roy Hobbs was seemingly on his way to baseball greatness when he was suddenly shot by a woman in a hotel room. He disappears for a time, but then returns in a big way. He uses a special bat made from a tree that had been struck by lightening, and hits towering home runs with it. The final baseball scene, in which Wonder Boy (the bat) breaks and Hobbs has to use a different one, is fantastic.