Back when I was a dating man, I'm sure plenty of women tried to understand me. They didn't know the trick: to understand a man, you must understand what gets to him. For me, it was a good movie. It's that way for many guys. For others, it may be music and I'm not really an expert there. Still other guys have beer or cars. Nontheless, men are all the same. Find what gets to them and you'll find their heart.

This hub is for men and women alike. For men, it's my personal compilation of the best twenty-five sports movies of all time. I think you'll like my choices. If you haven't seen them all, I am making a strong recommendation to do so soon.

For women, it's a catalog. Choose one of these movies and settle in with your man. Most of the movies have a hidden theme. Look beyond the sport and you'll find it.

My own personal reviews are what I felt from the movie.

I was a sportscaster in Blackstone, Virgina for a couple of years back in the early nineties and I had heard of the TC Williams Titans. It sounded more like folklore than facts. When this movie came out, it told a great story of race relations and how sports can heal a community, a state and even a nation. It's based on a true story. Ryan Hurst, Kip Pardue and Ryan Gosling Gosling are great as high school football players and the coaches are Denzel Washington and Will Patton. Hayden Panettiere is Will Patton's young daughter.

The music is outstanding, the acting is great and the message is worth the cost of the rental or purchase.

This 2002 film featured Ryan Gosling as a player again and David Morse as his coach. It's an independent film so many of you may not have seen it. Excellent acting and brilliant filming make this a must see.

In this movie, Gosling is a troubled youth. Morse is a troubled adult. They find each other and a healing takes place. Sounds kinda weak and some of the undertones may be gay but it's still an excellent movie.

If you can find the movie, buy it. There aren't too many places who have this one for rent because it was an independent film. It goes to show you that the best movies aren't always bankrolled by the major studios.

It has Jamie Lee Curtis in it. But that's not what makes it so special to me. This 1987 film is about a little league baseball player who goes on strike to protest nuclear weapons. He won't play another game until the United States and the Soviet Union agrees to stop the nuclear arms race. In the end it works but it takes some touching twist along the way.

The story here is that one person can make a difference even if it's a little league baseball player.

This movie is extremely hard to find. You could find it at a yard sale on tape but you'll want to convert it to DVD as soon as possible. It may also be available on e-bay or you can search the satellite providers. Find it. Watch it.

It has Barry Pepper in it. To me, he is one of the best actors around these days. It's the story of how Roger Maris broke the single season home run record and few people appreciated it. Still, he was humble. Unlike today's sports heroes, he drew little attention to himself for the feat he accomplished.

Directed by Billy Crystal, this is truly a sports masterpiece.

Compare Maris to the modern day sports heroes and tell me which one you would want your child to look at as a role model. He was not appreciated in his time and this movie gives proper tribute to a man who helped shape baseball history. Kudos to Pepper and Crystal.

Another Barry Pepper film. He is such a good actor that you believe he is Dale, Sr. The story chronicles the life of the legendary stock car racer and let's you see the soft side that few people knew.

It was an ESPN film but they did a good job. Dale Earnhardt, Sr was a legend to his fans but he was also a legend to his family.

If you are not a Dale Earnhardt, Sr fan, you will be after you see this movie. It's the best racing film I have ever seen and I have seen plenty of them.

Tom Berenger has the lead role as Paul "Bear" Bryant. This film takes place before Bear Bryant became a legend. Heck, it's porbably what shaped Bear Bryant. It's about his 1954 Texas A & M team went to summer camp in the dry and hot air of Junction, Texas. Few players survived the ten day camp but those who did learned a valuable lesson. Don't give up.

Another ESPN movie but Berrenger plays such a strong role and the plot is so perfect. Those two elements make the movie brilliant.

I had always heard that Bear Bryant was a mean ole cuss. After seeing this  movie, I believe it. But I also believe that he was a person who could motivate others to achieve the personal best on the field and in life.

Roll tide!

The first Kevin Costner movie on my list and I am not ashamed to say that I started crying like a baby half way through the movie when I figured out the plot.

This movie is shadowed by Costner's other baseball movies in many sports fan's eyes because it has such a romantic twist but that is what makes it so great. The story here is that sports and love are both a game and a seroius endeavor. You can't take either lightly. I really loved this movie.

Ladies, if you want to see if your man has a heart, even if you believe sports is all he thinks about, get this movie and watch him cry.

This movie is about football but it's more about life and how perfect both can be and how confusing both can be. Tim McGraw has a big role in this one and the head coach is none other than Billy Bob Thornton. Thornton's star quarterback is Lucas Black, the kid that befriended Thornton 's character in Slingblade. Yep, 'cept this time, he ain't asking for potted meat.

This movie comes as close to telling the true story of high school football as any movie I have ever seen. It's about triumph but it's more about failure and what we can learn we we fail.

Alright, the ultimate underdog story. It gets you fired up no matter who you are. It has love in it too but it's more about winning and what it takes to get there. The musical score is brilliant and the acting is stunning.

Sylvester Stalone is Rocky. Enough said. 

To me, this is the second greatest Costner baseball movie. It makes you believe. It makes you want to look beyond the horizon and see what is really guiding your life and your decisions. When his father comes back to play catch, I lost it. I wish I could build my own field of dreams.

Costner plays a great role in this film but so does Amy Madigan. James Earl Jones, however, is what many people remember. When he gives his spill about baseball and how it IS america, that gives me chill bumps. It's worth seeing just for that part of the movie.

11.  The Rookie (2002, Dennis Quaid)

12.  Glory Road (2006)

13.  Stealing Home (1988) My own personal favorite soul searching movie.

14.  Everybody’s All American (Dennis Quaid, 1988)

15.  Bull Durham (Kevin Costner)

16.  Varsity Blues

17.  Hoosiers

18.  Million Dollar Baby (2004, Eastwood, Swank, Freeman)

19.  The Best of Times (Robin Williams, Kurt Russell, 1986)

20.  Radio (2003)

21.  Days of Thunder (1990, Tom Cruise)

22.  All the Right Moves (Tom Cruise)

23.  Tin Cup (1996, Kevin Costner)

24.  Greatest Game Ever Played (2005)

25.  Personal Best (1982)