From fisticuff feasts to slam dunk showdowns, the sports movie genre has had audiences cheering since the early days of cinema. As the genre has aged, it's also evolved, but it didn't do so without the help of some truly incredible, groundbreaking sports films.

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Not all that tried went home with the winner's share of the accolades when it came to reinventing the genre. Some movies added exceptional entries into the sports movie hall of fame without stepping outside of the usual guidelines, others ventured boldly into new territory only to fumble and end up with a disappointing picture as an end result.

10 Reinvented: Raging Bull Set A Gold Standard For Hard-Hitting Boxing Drama

Robert De Niro in Raging Bull

Martin Scorsese's brilliant biographical sports drama is often cited as one of the greatest movies ever made, regardless of genre. Raging Bull hits hardest with its drama as opposed to its in-ring action. Jake LaMotta's tale is one of violent self-destruction, and DeNiro's stunning portrayal rightly earned him an Academy Award for Best Actor.

Rocky had set the stage four years prior with an uplifting underdog story, but Raging Bull countered with a dark, gritty, and largely upsetting affair that reminded audiences about the bleaker side of boxing.

9 Didn't: Never Back Down Failed To Cash In On The UFC's Popularity

never back down

Attempting to cash in on the growing popularity of the Ultimate Fighting Championship, Never Back Down focused on an underground fight scene and the MMA fighters who test themselves there. It could be described as David Fincher's Fight Club without the irony or self-awareness, and it's not surprising the movie is mostly looked upon as a cheesy, unsuccessful attempt to kickstart a new subgenre.

Mixed martial arts was starting to catch on as a mainstream sport in 2008, but Never Back Down did nothing to help move the movie subgenre away from the straight-to-DVD bargain bin.

8 Reinvented: Space Jam Put A Sports Megastar Into The World Of Wacky Cartoons

screenshot of space jam scene

In the mid-'90s, Michael Jordan was an undeniable megastar. There were few names on the planet more famous, and so the move from hoops to Hollywood hardly seemed a surprising leap for the king of the NBA. Few expected Jordan to team up with Bugs Bunny and the Looney Tunes to create one of the most beloved films of the 1990s.

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Michael Jordan mixed up in a cartoon world made for a delightful time at the movies. Assists from the talents of Bill Murray, Danny DeVito, and Wayne Knight helped make Space Jam one of the most unique, and most enjoyable sports movies ever made.

7 Didn't: Ed Is A Huge Misstep From A Friends Fan-Favorite

matt leblanc ed

When it came to the cast of Friends, each member that made up the iconic couch could have made an easy switch to the movies. All of them eventually would get their chance in the Tinseltown spotlight, though with incredibly varied results.

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The biggest failure belongs to Matt LeBlanc for his role in what is regarded by some as the worst sports movie ever, Ed. The movie deserves some points for being so bold as to focus on a baseball-playing chimpanzee, but even by the standards of the often outrageous '90s, Ed is a dreadful attempt to reinvent the sports genre.

6 Reinvented: Above The Rim Combined The Sports & Crime Genres To Stunning Effect

tupac shakur in above the rim

By 1994, the hood movie was hitting new heights in Hollywood thanks to the likes of Menace II Society and Boys n the Hood. Above the Rim then came along and expertly combined the chaos of crime and gang culture with the sport of basketball.

The results are all the horrors and heartbreak of a gangster movie and the exhilaration and thrills of basketball on the big screen. Thanks to the standard that Above the Rim set, future hardwood hits like He Got Game and Coach Carter would focus more on the off-court drama that surrounded its subjects.

5 Didn't: Ford V Ferrari Didn't Need To Reinvent The Wheel To Set Itself Apart From The Rest

Christian Bale as Ken Miles in Ford v. Ferrari

A reinvention isn't always necessary in order to help a movie stand out in its genre. James Mangold's 2019 sports drama is a perfect example of a film that follows in the footsteps (or in this case, the tire marks) of those that came before whilst managing to one-up its predecessors.

Ford v Ferrari is a phenomenal racing film centered around the 1966 24 Hours of Le Mans. The film's race sequences are some of the most thrilling ever seen in the genre and an awe-inspiring performance from Christian Bale tops off Ford v Ferarri as a genuine sports movie gem.

4 Reinvented: Goal! Gave Soccer Fans Their Ultimate Love Letter To The Sport

goal! movie

What made Goal! stand out upon release was that the movie was made in full cooperation with FIFA. This allowed director Danny Cannon to utilize actual teams and players from the English Premier League. The world's most popular sport had appeared on the big screen before, but no single soccer movie had ever been littered with so many real-life legends.

From David Beckham and Steven Gerrard to Cristiano Ronaldo, Goal! works as a who's who of 2000s soccer. It may have underperformed at the box office, but thanks to overwhelming home video sales, Goal! is regarded as the greatest soccer movie ever made.

3 Didn't: The Blind Side Drew Heavy Criticism Despite Largely Sticking To Genre Tropes

Quinton Aaron & Sandra Bullock in The Blind Side

While Sandra Bullock's Oscar-winning performance in The Blind Side is enough to classify the 2009 biographical movie as a worthy watch, the film doesn't do a great deal to step away from the tropes seen in many football movies that came before.

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Michael Oher expressed displeasure at how he was portrayed in the film, which for many fans, is enough to turn them off from watching a flick based on his story. The Blind Side was also criticized for its alleged use of the "white savior" narrative as Oher is only able to overcome poverty thanks to his adoptive white mother (Bullock).

2 Reinvented: With Its Best Picture Win, Rocky Redinfined What The Sports Movie Could Be

Rocky Training

Sylvester Stallone's iconic underdog story launched both boxing's biggest movie franchise and his career as a major Hollywood star. Philadelphia's kind-hearted slugger captured the hearts of millions upon Rocky's release in 1976, earning a remarkable ten Academy Award nominations.

The sports movie hasn't been the same since, with almost every entry into the genre taking cues from Rocky. The failures and the triumphs that Balboa endures in the movie make him relatable to those without even a passing interest in combat sports. Rocky proved that boxing movies belonged in the big time.

1 Didn't: Play It To The Bone Played It Far Too Safe

Woody harrelson and Antonio Banderas play it to the bone

Though Play It to the Bone boasts the talents of bankable stars Woody Harrelson and Antonio Banderas, Roger Shelton's boxing flick is a largely forgettable affair. The tale of two friends battling in a high-stakes matchup is nothing new, and Play It to the Bones' fight choreography does little to separate it from the vast collection of boxing movies in existence.

Even cameos from Wesley Snipes, Mike Tyson, and Tony Curtis aren't enough for Play It to the Bone to leave a mark on one's memory. It's by no means a terrible movie, but it offered nothing new to the sports genre upon its release in 1999.

NEXT: 10 Sports Movies That Don't Have Happy Endings