10 Best Love Triangles In Sports Movies (Including Challengers)

April 28, 2024, 1 p.m.

Movies

10 Best Love Triangles In Sports Movies (Including Challengers)

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Summary Sports and romance movies intersect in love triangles, combining competition and complex relationships for compelling storytelling.

Challengers, a new tennis drama starring Zendaya, brings the niche of sports romance movies back to the mainstream.

Love triangles in movies like Match Point and Love & Basketball delve deep into themes of greed, entitlement, and personal growth.

The intersection between Sports Movies and romance movies doesn't include the highest volume of films, but the great love triangles that bridge the gap between genres make for excellent storytelling. These types of movies have been made since the beginning of cinema, as many romance movies have employed the trope of the love triangle. Challengers is a new tennis drama starring Zendaya that brings this niche of cinema back to the mainstream and has caused quite a stir with its promise of incredible romantic tension.

Themes like competition, insecurity, and the drive to be the best can all be explored through athletics of every level in addition to complex relationship dynamics.

While some of the most annoying movie love triangles are often the ones audiences remember the best, ideally a love triangle should elevate the plot and mirror the tone of the story. Themes like competition, insecurity, and the drive to be the best can all be explored through athletics of every level in addition to complex relationship dynamics. Within a love triangle, there are frequently two people who obviously belong together and a third person who's keeping them apart. However, sometimes audiences have no idea who will end up together until the final moments of the film.

Related 12 Awesome Sports Movies Not Based On A True Story While most sports movies are based on a real-life player, team, or event, these classic films feature completely original characters and stories.

10 Breaking Away (1979)

Directed by Peter Yates

The divide between these men and the local university students is put on display, and the importance of money, resources, and class when it comes to high-level competitive sports is a central theme throughout the narrative.

In Breaking Away cycling takes a front-row seat in the narrative, but closely following the sport are the ups and downs of the lives of a group of young men in Indiana. The divide between these men and the local university students is put on display, and the importance of money, resources, and class when it comes to high-level competitive sports is a central theme throughout the narrative. This is also a feature of the love triangle between Dave (Dennis Christopher), Katherine (Robyn Douglass), and her boyfriend Rod (Hart Bochner).

Dave is one of the locals and feels he can't compete with Rod as he's a university student and has a group of imposing fraternity brothers behind him. Although Katherine is less concerned with these differences, she still has a different social standing than Dave, which colors their relationship. To prove his worth to himself and Katherine, he competes in the university bike race and learns the importance of being true to himself.

Breaking Away is available to rent on Prime Video or Apple TV.

9 Whip It (2009)

Directed by Drew Barrymore

Drew Barrymore's directorial debut, Whip It, boasts a fantastic cast of comedic actors and a young Elliot Page in a performance imbued with the joy that comes through the search to find oneself. Roller derby isn't the most high-profile sport, but the teams that compete in Whip It are so alive and full of excitement that it's easy for the audience to imagine themselves racing down the track, joining in on the fun. The action sequences during the competitions give the movie an uncontrollable energy.

Page's character, Bliss, feels out of place in the world and finds a new home in roller derby and among the women who are part of the team. Throughout the story, Bliss meets Oliver (Landon Pigg), but he ends up cheating on Bliss with another girl. Fortunately, Bliss's true love is roller derby, and she quickly kicks Oliver to the curb once she starts believing in herself. The relationships she builds with the women on the team are a highlight of the narrative.

Watch Whip It on Paramount+ or Showtime.

8 Match Point (2005)

Directed by Woody Allen

Match Point Where to Watch *Availability in US stream

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buy Not available Not available Not available Director Woody Allen Release Date October 26, 2005 Cast Jonathan Rhys Meyers , Alexander Armstrong , Paul Kaye , Matthew Goode , Brian Cox , Penelope Wilton Runtime 124 minutes

In Match Point, the love triangle, or more accurately, square, isn't characterized by star-crossed lovers or extenuating circumstances but as a symptom of larger issues of greed and selfishness.

Match Point is a sports movie in the loosest sense of the term, as the film is much more concerned with the romantic entanglements of its characters. Chris Wilton (Jonathan Rhys Meyers) is a former tennis pro who marries into an upper-class family and soon finds himself navigating a world for which he doesn't have a rule book. The central conflict of the film occurs when Chris has an affair with his brother-in-law's girlfriend, Nola (Scarlett Johansson), and she gets pregnant. Soon Chris finds himself committing acts he never thought himself capable of.

In Match Point, the love triangle, or more accurately, square, isn't characterized by star-crossed lovers or extenuating circumstances but as a symptom of larger issues of greed and selfishness. Chris is easily corrupted by money, power, and his newfound social standing, and feels entitled to keep these parts of his life despite his unfaithfulness. Match Point allows its characters to revel in the drama and intrigue of their salacious actions, but it doesn't reward the audience for rooting for them.

7 A League Of Their Own (1992)

Directed by Penny Marshall

A League Of Their Own (1992) A League of Their Own is a comedy sports drama directed by Penny Marshall that was released in 1992. As professional Major League Baseball's player count dwindles following World War II, the Chicago Cubs owner helps build a women's league to save the sport. Now, hoping to make it big, the women of the new team must face off against fellow rival all-female teams and prejudice against their gender. Director Penny Marshall Release Date July 1, 1992 Cast Tom Hanks , Geena Davis , Madonna , Lori Petty , Rosie O'Donnell , Megan Cavanagh , Ann Cusack , Anne Ramsay Runtime 128 Minutes

A League of Their Own is one of the few prominent sports movies directed by a woman, Penny Marshall, and centers on the previously unexplored history of women's major league baseball. The recent but short-lived A League of Their Own series was canceled despite expanding upon the world created by the landmark film and shedding light on how much a part of LGBTQIA+ history the league was. During World War II when the majority of adult men in the U.S. were fighting overseas, major league baseball was kept alive through the work of a talented group of women.

The movie is more interested in being a historical record of this period and uses individual experiences as a window into the universality of the women's league. There is a hinted potential romance between Dottie (Geena Davis) and Jimmy (Tom Hanks), but this leans more toward mutual respect and understanding, and a deep love for the game. Dottie is married, and in the end, this keeps her from baseball, and continuing with the league past the first season. However, the film doesn't pass judgment on her choices and pays tribute to her contributions to her team.

Watch A League of Their Own AMC+, or on Prime Video with a premium subscription.

6 She’s The Man (2006)

Directed by Andy Fickman

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buy Not available Not available Not available Director Andy Fickman Release Date March 17, 2006 Cast Amanda Bynes , Channing Tatum , Laura Ramsey , Vinnie Jones , David Cross , Julie Hagerty Runtime 105 Minutes

Like many other teen rom-coms from the late 1990s and early 2000s, She's The Man is a movie that's secretly a Shakespeare adaptation. Based on the play, Twelfth Night, Amanda Bynes plays the lead character, Viola, a young woman who's family and boyfriend frequently underestimate her abilities as a soccer player. To combat this, she disguises herself as her brother and starts playing for the men's team at his boarding school. While being herself and masquerading as her brother, Sebastian, Viola is embroiled in much more than a love triangle and finds herself fending off the advances of everyone except the person she's interested in.

This man, Duke, played by a charming Channing Tatum, is Sebastian's roommate and trains the disguised Viola to be a better player so she can prove herself to her friends, family, and the school.

This man, Duke, played by a charming Channing Tatum, is Sebastian's roommate and trains the disguised Viola to be a better player so she can prove herself to her friends, family, and the school. This results in excellent training montages and plenty of sweet moments between Duke and Viola as they unknowingly fall in love. However, fate is constantly pulling them apart, as Viola and Duke's exes are after them. Though She's The Man experiences many pitfalls common in somewhat cheesy teen movies, it has genuine emotion, which comes through in Viola and Duke's relationship.

5 Major League (1989)

Directed by David S. Ward

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buy Not available Not available Not available Director David S. Ward Release Date April 7, 1989 Cast Corbin Bernsen , Charlie Sheen , Wesley Snipes , Tom Berenger , Rene Russo Runtime 107 minutes

All odds are against the fictionalized version of the now-renamed baseball team from Cleveland, Ohio. When the team's new owner, Rachel Phelps (Margaret Whitton), tries to sabotage the team so she can move them to Florida, she recruits a rag-tag group of players she's sure will tank the team's success rate. However, she could never have expected that the catcher, Jake Taylor (Tom Berenger), would see the potential of his teammates and turn the whole scheme on its head.

Though Taylor is the protagonist of the film, a young Charlie Sheen is also featured as a pitcher whose throw is corrected when he realizes he needs glasses. Behind the scenes of the training and games, Taylor is on a mission to get the love of his life back but she's engaged to someone else. While this love triangle isn't central to the film's plot, it does serve as excellent motivation for Taylor to get his act together and is paramount to his character development.

4 Bend It Like Beckham (2002)

Directed by Gurinder Chadha

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Not only does it elevate the experience of young female athletes, a group highly underrepresented in the media, but it positively depicts a positive female friendship at the heart of the narrative.

The cult-classic teen sports film, Bend It Like Beckham, has become a hallmark of the sports genre for a reason. Not only does it elevate the experience of young female athletes, a group highly underrepresented in the media, but it positively depicts a positive female friendship at the heart of the narrative. Additionally, Jess' (Parminder Nagra) identity as a young Indian woman living in England is highlighted, as well as the difference in cultural expectations in her immigrant family versus Juliette's (Kiera Knightley) white British family.

While these differences play a major role, Bend It Like Beckham is far more concerned with how Juliette and Jess share many similarities, like their love of football. The central fight between the two women is caused by their mutual affection for their young coach, Joe (Jonathan Rhys Meyers). Though this is a relatable experience for audiences to identify with, the most compelling relationship in the movie is between Jess and Juliette. Their reconciliation and Jess' performance on the field are easily the most emotional parts of the story.

3 Love & Basketball (2000)

Directed by Gina Prince-Bythewood

Love & Basketball (2000) Love & Basketball, directed by Gina Prince-Bythewood, is a romantic sports-drama film that stars Sanaa Lathan and Omar Epps star as childhood neighbors who aspire to professional basketball careers while continuing to explore their relationship. Director Gina Prince-Bythewood Release Date April 21, 2000 Cast Sanaa Lathan , Omar Epps , Alfre Woodard , Dennis Haysbert , Debbi Morgan Runtime 124 minutes

Gina Prince-Bythewood's seminal romantic comedy, Love & Basketball features Omar Epps and Sanaa Lathan as two young basketball players as much in love with the game as they are with each other. The film depicts the gendered differences between the experience of two people becoming professional basketball players and the passage of time from childhood to adulthood. Though Quincy (Epps) and Monica (Lathan) have grown up together and can't seem to break free of their connection, in the final act of the film they drift too far apart and Quincy gets engaged to someone else.

While his fiancée is the third part of the triangle within the movie's plot, it could be argued that basketball itself is the other love that Quincy and Monica put before the other throughout the film. Their professional triumphs and setbacks have an immediate impact on their personal lives and relationships, with each other and their families. However, by the end of the film, they realize there is room for their love and basketball in their lives, and their paths are always meant to be entwined with both.

Watch Love & Basketball on Netflix or rent on Prime Video.

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2 Bull Durham (1988)

Directed by Ron Shelton

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buy Not available Not available Not available Director Ron Shelton Release Date June 15, 1988 Cast Kevin Costner , Susan Sarandon , Tim Robbins , Trey Wilson , Robert Wuhl , William O'Leary Runtime 108 minutes

Susan Sarandon, Kevin Costner, and a young Tim Robbins make the incredible love triangle in the ode to minor league baseball, Bull Durham. Sarandon's Annie takes rookie player Nuke (Robbins) under her wing when he joins the team as he has plenty of natural talent, but little experience and forethought to back it up. The relationship between Annie and Nuke is one between a teacher and student, and it's clear that Annie has no intentions of spending more than a season educating him. However, her chemistry with Crash (Costner) is immediate, and their connection can't be denied.

Unfortunately, Crash doesn't make it easy on Annie, and she takes a long time to come around to the idea that she could have a serious relationship with anything other than baseball. Bull Durham doesn't take itself too seriously, emphasizing the comedic aspects of its rom-com format, but the film is so much more than that. It's gone down in history as one of the best sports movies of all time, and a large part of that is how the character's interpersonal relationships elevate the interworkings of a minor league team.

Related Was Crash Davis A Real Baseball Player? Kevin Costner's Bull Durham Character Explained Kevin Costner plays a veteran baseball catcher named Crash Davis in the 1988 sports comedy Bull Durham. Here's whether or not Davis was real.

1 Challengers (2024)

Directed by Luca Guadagnino

Challengers Challengers is a romantic sports comedy film by director Luca Guadagnino. The film stars Zendaya as a retired Tennis legend who, while trying to coach her husband and lead him to victory in an upcoming Tennis match, discovers his coming opponent is her ex-lover. Director Luca Guadagnino Release Date April 26, 2024 Cast Zendaya , Josh O'Connor , Mike Faist

Although Challengers is not based on a true story, real-life tennis matches and events inspired the film. Tennis doesn't have the reach of baseball or football in American culture, it's just as exciting a game Challengers helps to expose audiences to the intricacies and dramas of pro-level tennis. The film takes place over many years as the stars of three tennis players rise and fall and their relationships with each other change. At the center of the triangle is Tashi Duncan (Zendaya), the best player of the three, who is taken out of the game by a life-changing injury.

The two men may believe that their competition is only on the court, but behind the scenes, Tashi is pulling the strings.

However, she doesn't let this stop her from playing on a different court. Her husband, Art Donaldson (Mike Faist), and former lover, Patrick Zweig (Josh O'Connor) are going head-to-head in a definitive match. The two men may believe that their competition is only on the court, but behind the scenes, Tashi is pulling the strings. What makes this an excellent love triangle is how high the stakes are, and how willing each party is to betray the others. This builds tension and creates unforgettable drama, making the audience question who deserves to win, or find love.