I was working on a longish deconstruction of Sports Illustrated's 50 greatest sports movie list, noting the unusual lack of comment from some of my fellow bloggers, when it hit me why there was little comment.

What I was writing wasn't very interesting.

The main problem was that in most cases, the argument would be about order rather than place on the list, especially in the top 15-20 movies. I don't agree that Bull Durham is the greatest sports movie of all time, but I don't think I'd leave it off entirely, either.

In any case, I am taking five movies off the list and replacing them with five that I think should have been on it.

GONE: Searching for Bobby Fisher
WHY?: Chess is not a sport.
IN: Fear Strikes Out
WHY?: It sticks with the father and son theme, but in a much darker way. Jimmy Piersall, whose story is the basis of the movie, was driven by his father to become a major leaguer, with the stress and pressure eventually leading to a breakdown during one season. Tony Perkins plays the adult Piersall, while Karl Malden plays his abusive father.

GONE: Fists of Fury
WHY?: If simply having martial arts in a film makes it a sports movie, wouldn't The Matrix be eligible?
IN: Enter the Dragon
WHY?: It at least uses a competition as a backdrop to the plot. It's Lee's last film but his first Hollywood-backed movie, and the bigger budget allows for better production and a better class of martial artists to compliment Lee. It also has early appearances by Jackie Chan and Sammo Hung, a nice little bonus.

GONE: Any Given Sunday
WHY?: It sucks. Oliver Stone's fever dream about pro football is obvious and loud, and most of the characters fill some sort of archetype (grizzled veteran, cocky newcomer, stern coach).
IN: Black Sunday
WHY?: If you want life-and-death drama mixed with pro football, you can't do any better than mixing terrorism, the Super Bowl, and a blimp.

GONE: The Deadliest Season
WHY?: It's made for TV.
IN: Idol of the Crowds
WHY?: OK, after Slap Shot it's hard to find really good hockey movies (and no, the Mighty Ducks movies do not count). This one has, to me, one of the more entertaining story lines: a guy signs up to play pro hockey to make money to enlarge his chicken farm. Seriously. Gangsters try to get him to throw a game, he refuses, etc. The hockey player is portrayed by a young John Wayne. I have to imagine that it's better than it sounds.

GONE: Best in Show
WHY?: Dog shows aren't sport. Dog shows, like debutante balls and country club membership, are competitions in grooming and genetics. Not sport.
IN: Major League
WHY?: Best in Show was at 50, a spot where I'd probably put a movie whose rougher edges are smoothed out by cult following and quotability. Major League fits the bill quite well. And hey, it gave Cleveland a winner back when it looked like they'd never have one.