9 Sports Movies Women Love

Jerry Maguire 1. March Madness is almost here! In celebration of the time-honored tournament, we've gathered a collection of films to flex your competitive muscle. Tom Cruise is a sexy sports agent who, heaven forbid, gets hit with a bolt of conscience. Rene Zellweger is a young mother who believes in his mission. And, bless his heart, Jonathan Lipnicki is an unbearably cute 6-year-old whose delivery of lines like "the human head weighs 8 pounds" earned him a spot in the child star hall of fame. It hooked us at "Show me the money!" but stole our hearts forever with "You had me at hello." A League of Their Own 1. An all-star cast, including Geena Davis, Madonna, Lori Petty and Rosie O'Donnell, got us feeling the girl power. Who says we can't keep up with the boys? In between montages of strong women kicking butt, A League of Their Own gives us incredible depictions of such varied bonds as husband and wife, coach and team, sisters, and friendshipall of which are especially touching set against the backdrop of World War II. Tom Hanks is stellar as the alcoholic-turned-good-guy coach. But sorry Tommy, this one goes out to the ladies. Rudy

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Rudy is a classic tale of overcoming the odds. Clich? Maybe. That doesn't mean we don't cry when the Notre Dame players and football fans start chanting "Ru-dy! Ru-dy!" And when the teammates throw their jerseys on the new coach's desk, demanding Rudy see playing time? It's the stuff of dreams! These feel-good moments are pretty much why we agree to see football movies in the first place.

The Cutting Edge 1. A hockey player and a figure skater walk into a rink...sounds like the beginning of a bad joke. In fact, it's the setup of one of our favorite sports-inspired romantic comedies. A spoiled world-class figure skater teams up with a gritty ex-hockey star, and the petty rivalry that ensues is the reason we love a good "Toepick!" When, with nothing left in them but a go-for-gold attitude, the duo proclaim their love and decide to put the risky Pamchenko Twist back in their Olympic routine, it's not clear whose hearts are racing faster, theirs or ours. Bend It Like Beckham 1. Even though David Beckham doesn't actually show up, we'll happily accept Jonathan Rhys Meyers, the sexy soccer coach in this sports flick. But enough about the boys. This

filmwhich introduced us to Keira Knightley and ParminderNagrais all about women achieving their dreams. It inspired some dreams of our ownnamely imitating these ladies' rock-hard bods. Remember the Titans 1. Denzel Washington takes on a role he always gets rightthe inspiring mentor to students in an age of change. This time around, he's Henry Boone, the head football coach in a newly integrated Virginia high school. A Disney flick, Remember the Titans is filled with all the syrupy sweetness one comes to expect from the mouse, but those movies succeed for a reason. Adorable guys forming the unbreakable bonds only the field can foster and knocking down some racial barriers along the way. Caddyshack 1. It was the preJudd Apatow frat-boy comedyfull of classy jokes like a Baby Ruth floating in a pool getting widely mistaken for...something else (we'll leave that to your imagination). Despite our best attempts at sophistication, we can't help giggling along with the toilet jokes and Chevy Chase brand of humor. Thanks in large part to Bill Murray's ill-fated gopher chase, it's the funniest take on golf we've ever seen (sorry, Happy Gilmore). Maybe we should be, but we're not ashamed to say it. Field of Dreams 1. It started with a simple directive: "If you build it, they will come." Then came a backyard baseball diamond, an attempted kidnapping and a time-traveling hitchhiker. It sounds ridiculous, but is actually steeped in symbolism. Straddling the sports and fantasy genres, Field of Dreams is perhaps the seminal baseball lover's film and it speaks to anyone who ever longed for one last catch with Dad. Rocky

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If you've ever been inspired to sprint up the steps of the Philadelphia Museum of Art or listen to "Eye of the Tiger" during a workout, then you probably know why Rocky is a sports film no woman can resist. A small-town boy realizes his big-time dreams and in the end discovers that the love of a good woman is all he needs. It may not have reinvented the sports movie wheel, but it was original enough to earn it a Best Picture Oscar. And the ongoing saga of Rocky and Adrian? That was good enough for us.

BRIAN'S SONG 1. It's the movie that makes even the toughest guy cry, and it set the standard for the many heartfelt sports movies that would follow (despite being originally made for TV). The fierce bond between Chicago Bears teammates Gale Sayers (Billy Dee Williams) and Brian Piccolo (James Caan) is an unlikely onethey're competing for the same position and defying a race barrier still prevalent in the film's 1960s setting. But when Brian is diagnosed with terminal cancer, we see how strong, and vulnerable, real men can be.

LIFE IS BEAUTIFUL 1. Don't let the subtitles deter you from this Italian filmthe language of love is universal. Guido, played by Roberto Benigni, wins the heart of his soul mate, played by Roberto's real-life wife, NicolettaBraschi. But when the film jumps ahead five years, the family is torn apart by a Nazi concentration camp. To protect his young son, Guido makes up a game with a bittersweet ending that will have you buried in tissues. MY GIRL 1. Childhood love is innocent and pure and should be left untainted. So when the friendship between 11-year-olds Vada and Thomas J. is cut unbearably short (by a swarm of bees no less), it's a hard lesson in life's-not-fairfor Vada and for us. My Girl is one of those coming-of-age tales that every woman can relate to, and it's a reminder of why we're thankful adolescence is short-lived.