Image credit: Warner Bros., MGM, TriStar Pictures, United Artists, Orion Pictures, Cannon Film, Taurus Entertainment, Twentieth Century Fox, Columbia Pictures
Sports dramas were a genre of their own in the '80s, full of clichés, outlandish plots, and melodrama.
1. "Over the Top" (1987) Yes, we're talking arm wrestling. When trucker Lincoln Hawk competes in an arm-wrestling championship to win $100,000 and a new truck, you might think, "What could go wrong?" His estranged son, Michael, tags along, adding some family drama to the mix.
As he overcomes his rich, controlling grandfather, Michael begins to appreciate his dad's underdog spirit. In the end, Lincoln wins the championship and gains custody of his son.
2. "Rad" (1986) BMX biking meets teen drama. Cru Jones is a young dude who has the chance to race Helltrack, a BMX race. The catch? He needs to qualify by winning another race first and skip his SATs. Cru wins the qualifier and beats Bart Taylor, the reigning champ, in the big race. Along the way, there's some love interest fluff and lots of bike tricks.
This movie is basically an '80s MTV music video disguised as a sports drama.
3. "Youngblood" (1986) Rob Lowe plays Dean Youngblood, a farm boy who wants to be a professional hockey player. He joins a minor league team and befriends the older Derek Sutton. Of course, there's a villain, Racki, who injures Derek and becomes Dean's arch-nemesis. Youngblood eventually learns to fight (literally) for himself and beats Racki in a hockey match.
The fights on the ice are more soap opera than sports, but hey, it's Rob Lowe on skates.
4. "Best of the Best" (1989) Ever thought karate could solve international relations? This movie does. A team of American martial artists, including Alex Grady and Tommy Lee, go head to head with the South Korean team. Tommy has a vendetta against one Korean fighter who killed his brother in a previous match.
After intense training montages and personal dramas, they reach the championship. Although they lose, the Koreans commend them for their spirit.
5. "Gleaming the Cube" (1989) Skateboarding solves a murder mystery — sounds legit, right? Brian Kelly's adopted Vietnamese brother is killed, and the police rule it a suicide. Brian isn't buying it. He uses his skateboarding skills to snoop around, uncover a weapons smuggling ring, and bring the villains to justice. He even customizes a skateboard for the big finale.
The plot is thinner than his skateboard, but it's a cult classic for shredders everywhere.
6. "Vision Quest" (1985) Matthew Modine plays a high school wrestler named Louden Swain — yup, you read that right — who decides he's going to drop two weight classes to wrestle the undefeatable Brian Shute. Why? Apparently, for the "vision quest," a personal journey or something like that. There's an older love interest, Carla, who stays with his family temporarily. She teaches him about life and love, and he wins the match. You can't make this stuff up.
7. "American Anthem" (1986) Mitch Gaylord, an Olympic gymnast, stars in this hot mess. Steve is a former football star who turns to gymnastics (as you do) and meets Julie, another gymnast with family issues. They both train for a national championship, tackle their personal problems, and fall in love.
The gymnastics scenes are honestly better than any dialogue in the movie, and the drama level is a perfect 10 — just like the sport it portrays.
8. "Hot Dog... The Movie" (1984) What's not to love about a movie that combines skiing and... hot dogs? Harkin Banks heads to a freestyle skiing competition and faces a snobby champ, Rudi. There's lots of partying, skiing stunts, and a love triangle, of course. The final showdown features a Chinese Downhill race, which is as ridiculous as it sounds.
9. "Johnny Be Good" (1988) This one's for the football fans! Johnny is a high school quarterback with the world at his feet, thanks to his pending college scholarships. The problem? He gets sucked into the world of greedy college recruiters, enticing him with girls and fast cars.
It's a critique of the corruption in college sports, but it's wrapped in such absurd comedy and stereotypes that it's hard to take seriously.
10. "Bolero" (1984) This one is a... sports drama? Kinda? Bo Derek stars as a woman on a quest to lose her virginity to the perfect man, and she thinks that man is a bullfighter. No joke. After witnessing the matador get gored (not quite the piercing she was hoping for), she moves on to a sheik but eventually ends up with her loyal sidekick. Yes, there's horseback riding and bullfighting, so we're counting it.
Don't watch it for the plot; watch it for the '80s extravaganza that it is.
