Sports can unite communities by facilitating a world where commonality and shared interests are the backbone of these relationships. But sports are more than that since they are, at their core, a form of live-action entertainment, where people pay venues and franchises to watch games for a few hours, similar to paying a movie theatre to watch a new blockbuster release. Because of this, a bridge has been built between the sporting world and the entertainment world, and today’s article will look at some of the best examples of this. 

The Movies

There are so many brilliant sports-themed movies to choose from. However, one of the biggest cult classics is Field of Dreams, starring Kevin Costner and based on the book Shoeless Joe. Like the book, Field of Dreams follows Costner’s character, Ray Kinsella, who owns a farm in Iowa with his wife and daughter. Kinsella grew up with a broken relationship with his father, though the two bonded over baseball, and one day, while walking in his cornfield, Kinsella hears a voice, ‘If you build it, he will come.’ Kinsella builds a baseball field on his farm, where he is soon greeted by the ghost of Shoeless Joe Jackson, a famous baseball player who played for the MLB in the 1900s and had a .356 career batting average. Jackson got his nickname after he played a game without his shoes and is most remembered for being a member of the Black Sox Scandal, which resulted in his ban from baseball. 

Another cult classic is Rudy. With emotional undertones, Rudy is a 1993 biographical sports film that follows the life of Daniel “Rudy” Ruettiger, who, after many obstacles, fulfilled his dream of playing football at the University of Notre Dame. The film stars Sean Astin and Jon Favreau and has received critical acclaim, including being named one of the best 25 sports movies over the past 25 years in 2005. It was also ranked the 54th-most inspiring film of all time by the American Film Institute. 

TV Shows

Over the years, there have been many popular sports-based TV shows, such as Friday Night Lights. Even though this show, which followed a football team in rural West Texas, went off the air in 2011, people still quote one of its most famous phrases: “Clear eyes, full hearts, can’t lose.” However, in the last year or so, one of the most talked about sports TV shows has been Apple TV+’s Ted Lasso. The show has received widespread acclaim and even won the 2021 Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Comedy Service. Jason Sudeikis, who stars in the show as Ted Lasso, a quirky American college football coach who starts coaching an English soccer team, also won the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor - Television Series Musical or Comedy. 

Games

The gaming world has also taken advantage of the popularity of sports across various audiences. The most obvious example is the FIFA video gaming franchise or the Madden NFL Football franchise, but it’s not just the video game industry that has developed sports-based games. In fact, the iGaming industry has taken advantage of this niche, offering sports-based games like Football Roulette and Football Star Deluxe in addition to online slot games and traditional table games like Texas Hold’em and Badugi. 

It’s not a surprise that the entertainment business has taken advantage of the sports world since many sports stories are exciting or emotional, whether it’s the story of an underdog's trials and turmoils or simply a story of victory from start to finish. But it’s not just movies and TV shows that boast sports themes; the gaming market has also developed many games for sports fans, including video games and online casino games. 

Tom Banks would become a steal for the St. Louis Cardinals when they got the Auburn Offensive Lineman in the 8^th Round of the 1970 Draft, but it would take years to realize that value.

Banks missed the entire 1970 Season because of a knee injury but came back to take over the starting duties at Center.  He played more at Left Guard in 1973, but another knee injury took him out of all but the opening game of 1974, right after he returned to Center.  Banks remained the starter upon his return and promptly went on a four-year run of Pro Bowls, where he was arguably among the best directly in front of the Quarterback in the NFC.  He would also secure a First Team All-Pro in the bi-centennial year of 1976.

Banks played until 1980, retiring with 110 Starts in 116 Games.

One of the best Wide Receivers in Cardinals history, Anquan Boldin, made an immediate impact in his 2003 rookie season.

A Second Round Pick from Florida State, Boldin won the Offensive Rookie of the Year on the strength of a 1,377 Yard/8 Touchdown year.  Boldin only played 10 Games in 2004 but bounced back with 1,402 Yards and led the NFL Receiving Yards per Game (100.1).  A Pro Bowl Selection in 2006 and 2008, Boldin exceeded 1,000 Receiving Yards five times in Arizona, a solid accomplishment over eight seasons.  He was traded to Baltimore in 2010, leaving the Cardinals after 44 Touchdowns and 7,520 Yards.

As good as he was on the field, Boldin was a better man off it.  He won the Walter Payton Man of the Year and Alan Page Community Award following his Cardinals tenure and continues to be known for his philanthropic endeavors.

A Cardinal for the entirety of his 13-year NFL career, Luis Sharpe was the second Offensive Lineman taken in the 1982 NFL Draft, behind only Hall of Famer Mike Munchak.  It is a safe assumption that the Cards got the second-best Offensive Lineman of that draft.  

Playing for the team while they had geographic designations of St. Louis, Phoenix, and Arizona, Sharpe started all 189 of his Games at Left Tackle, achieving Pro Bowls in three straight years (1987-89) while obtaining Second Team All-Pros in 1988 and 1990.  He rarely missed games, stayed relatively healthy for most of his career, and was the building block for over a decade that the Cardinals attempted to build around.  The team was not that successful in that regard, as he only appeared in one playoff game, but Sharpe was their top lineman for many years and deserved this spot.