Wesley Snipes may have been in many sports related films, but Sidney Dean may have been the best one. As a street ball hustler, he showed us swagger (before we even used that as a word), trash talking, and intelligence in a package designed to drain buckets on the pavement. We will grant that Snipes was one half of what was a perfectly cast package, but though the fashions may date the film, Wesley’s role was timeless.



The Bullet Points:
Movie Appeared:
White Men Can’t Jump (1992)

Actor:
Wesley Snipes

Position Portrayed:
N/A

Played for:
Himself

Why you should vote for him:
We could argue (and we are) that this is Snipes’ best sports related role.

Why you should not vote for him:
He was one half of a great equation (with Woody Harrelson) and would the film have worked without that chemistry?

Shooter McGavin was the perfect foil to Happy Gilmore. Where Gilmore (Adam Sandler) was a man of the people, Shooter was an arrogant elitist who represented the old school ideal if the sport. McGavin was a talented player on the golf tour, but his sliminess oozed throughout the picture and this was the prime example of the character you “loved to hate”. To this day, we know that we are not the only ones who see Christopher McDonald (who is constantly working in film and television) and can only see him as “Shooter McGavin”. That may be a testament to what this Hall of Fame is about.



The Bullet Points:
Movie Appeared:
Happy Gilmore (1996)

Actor:
Christopher McDonald

Why you should vote for him:
Despite being a goofy comedy, this is one of the better sports villains in history.

Why you should not vote for him:
Was he too unlikable to get votes?

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For a Hockey movie, there was not that much of the sport in it, and by the time the Mystery, Alaska team played an inconceivable game against the New York Rangers (of which no actual Rangers played in), we didn’t care. Based on reviews and DVD sales, you didn’t either. Russell Crowe was the star of the film, so we are giving his Sheriff John Biebe character a token nomination.



The Bullet Points:
Movie Appeared:
Mystery, Alaska (1999)

Actor:
Russell Crowe

Position Portrayed:
Forward

Played for:
Mystery, Alaska

Why you should vote for him:
We don’t know; because you loved Crowe in Gladiator?

Why you should not vote for him:
This was not a great sports film.

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The man who choked horrifically for Ohio State in the 1996 Sugar Bowl and flamed out in the professional ranks, Shane Falco (Keanu Reeves) received a second opportunity when a strike forced the use of replacement players. So how did Reeves rebound from a label of a choke artist who avoided contact? Apparently, all he needed was Gene Hackman, a cheerleader and “Heart”. Sure, the believability scale wasn’t too high on this one, but somehow we bought Reeves as a Quarterback, and this sports flick is a favorite of many. Actually, we believed he was more capable of that than as a barnacle scraper.



The Bullet Points:
Movie Appeared:
The Replacements (2000)

Actor:
Shane Falco

Position Portrayed:
Quarterback

Played for:
Washington Sentinels

Why you should vote for him:
Falco was the story of athletic redemption, and Reeves was believable (and considering this is not exactly a thespian we are talking about here) says something.

Why you should not vote for him:
Prior to his comeback, his pro career was a stage below Ryan Leaf.

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