Football is the most popular sport in America, as the NFL is the most profitable sports league in the country. That said, because of how popular football is, it is no secret that there are plenty of different movies and shows about the sport. And some of the best football movies are on Netflix, so you can simply stream them when you want to.
As such, we have come up with a list of the 25 best football movies that you can stream on Netflix.
Best Football Movies On Netflix
The list is ranked from the 25th to the 1st (best) movies. Let us look at the best football movies that are available on Netflix.
25. QB1: Beyond the Lights (2017 – 2019)
Not a movie but a documentary series, QB1: Beyond the Lights is an inspiring story that you might want to watch if you want to look at what football players have to go through to get a college scholarship for a Division I school.
QB1 is actually a go90 series that eventually found its way to Netflix. It focuses on three quarterbacks from three high schools as they play their final season in the prep ranks. You get to see their different backgrounds and the different struggles they go through to get to earn a football scholarship.
24. The Longshots (2008)
The Longshots is a good football movie that focuses on second chances not only in life but also in football. It tells the story of a former football player who finds himself in a tough part of his life but has a chance to make it all better after finding his niche as a coach.
In this movie, Ice Cube used to be a football player but became a head coach of the Minden, Illinois, Pop Warner football team during a time when he was at the lowest point in his life. However, after installing his niece as the quarterback, he realizes that he found his calling in life, as he was able to bring back some life into the team and the entire town of Minden as well.
23. All-American (2018 – Present)
All-American is another great Netflix documentary that revolves around football. It is a great way for you to see different perspectives of a player from a different part of LA clashing with the world of Beverly Hills. Of course, the movie is also inspired by the life story of pro football player Spencer Paysinger.
The story revolves around a high school football player who was recruited to play for Beverly Hills high school due to his amazing talents. However, you also begin to see how the different things in life collide with one another, as someone from Crenshaw was now playing in Beverly Hills, an entirely different world compared to what he was used to.
22. Undefeated (2012)
What you are going to like about Undefeated is that it explores a different side of the football. While most documentary films focus more on how good a football team is, Undefeated doesn’t quite live up to its name because it actually shows the opposite.
Instead, in Undefeated, you watch a Memphis-based high school team from the inner city. The team never won a playoff game before 2009 because of how historically bad the school is in football. However, thanks to the efforts of a volunteer coach and some of the players on the team, we get to see the challenges that the team faces in this documentary, as it focuses more on what football means to them rather than on what is actually happening out on the pitch.
21. The Waterboy (1998)
The Waterboy is the first of the two Adam Sandler films we have on this list, as Sandler himself is actually a big fan of the sport of football. And, because it is a Sandler movie, expect it to be more on the comedic side rather than the serious part about football.
In this movie, Adam Sandler is an immature man who works as his college football team’s water boy. However, when he got fired from his job, he joined a rival squad not as a water boy but as a hard-hitting player. It’s a crazy movie that was able to mix comedy and heart in one neat package that you and your friends might want to watch.
20. Friday Night Tykes (2014 – 2017)
Friday Night Tykes is a documentary that departs from the usual documentary about high school and college football players. Instead, the focus of this film is on youth football and the challenges that the young players have to go through while learning the sport.
The film follows different players from the Texas Youth Football Association, as you get to see different kids facing extreme training drills and other challenges such as irresponsible parents and heckling fans. As such, you get to see a different side of the sport as players as young as eight years old are already experiencing what it means to be in a competitive environment that is full of different challenges.
19. Titletown High (2021 to Present)
Titletown High is one of the newest reality shows that we have on this list. And it focuses entirely on one school that is based in the town of Valdosta, Georgia, as we get to see the different things that the players had to go through in their first season under head coach Rush Propst.
So, while it might be a football film, Titletown High doesn’t focus solely on football. You get to see what the students have to go through when it comes to balancing athletics, academics, and relationships. In a way, it allows you to see that these players are still teenagers that don’t have to focus their entire lives on the sport of football.
18. Colin in Black and White (2021)
You probably already know who Colin Kaepernick is if you love the sport of football. Basically speaking, Colin Kaepernick is a football player that actually accused the NFL of blacklisting him due to his fight against racial inequality.
Colin in Black and White basically tells the story of Colin’s experiences during his younger years in high school. It shows you the experiences he went through and the things he saw so that you would understand why he became a modern-day activist for racial equality in sports and in society.
17. The Express (2008)
The Express is an inspiring story about a football player who had to overcome a lot of different challenges in his life to get into Syracuse’s football program. And he did so under the guidance of a coach that acted like a parent figure and a mentor to the young man.
This film focuses on Ernie Davis, a talented football player born into poverty. He was so good in high school that he was able to surpass the legendary Jim Brown’s achievements. Of course, after overcoming all of the obstacles in his life, he was the first black player in history to win the Heisman Trophy in 1961. However, he had one more obstacle in his life—leukemia.
16. Last Chance U (2016)
Last Chance U is a Netflix docuseries that isn’t all about football. It is actually about different sports all over America. And, as the name suggests, the series is all about young players trying to get to college on scholarships.
In this episode, we get to see the Mississippi Community College Football team, one of the most unconventional and unrecognized but most effective college football programs in the entire country. We also get to look at why this team is good at developing players, as the players themselves are on their way to trying their luck out in pursuing their dreams of playing in the NFL.
15. The Blind Side (2006)
Starring Sandra Bullock, The Blind Side is a true-to-life story that focuses on being thankful for what you have and for giving hope to those who were born with little to no hope in life. And it revolves around the life of Michael Oher, who eventually became an NFL player.
Michael Oher was a homeless teen that had to drift in and out of the school system due to poverty. However, Leigh Anne Tuohy and her family gave him hope by taking him in and becoming his legal guardians. This allows Michael the opportunity to make the most out of what he was given in life, as he realized his potential as a football player due to the help of a loving family.
14. Coach Snoop (2018)
You already know how Snoop Dogg is due to his success in the music industry. But, get this, in Coach Snoop, he tries his hand in some of the other things in life, especially football, which is a sport that he truly loves.
In this film, we see Snoop taking on the challenge of starting his own youth football league, as he intends to find a way to give at-risk kids a chance at becoming something bigger. It is also a good way for him to keep kids off the streets so that they can focus more on sports such as football. And we also get to see Snoop coaching his very own team in the league.
13. Home Team (2022)
Home Team is another one of the movies that explore the story of a man who failed in football as a head coach but eventually found success in other places. This is also the newest football movie we have on this list.
In this movie, Sean Payton is an NFL head coach that got suspended. He had no choice but to return to his hometown, where he was able to bond more with his 12-year old son. And their bond grew stronger when he began coaching his son’s Pop Warner football team in this heartwarming story about family.
12. Audible (2021)
Audible may only be 39 minutes short, but this is actually a very inspiring film that will allow you to see what some people are willing to go through to pursue their passion no matter what obstacles may be in front of them.
In Audible, we get to see a deaf high school football player coping up with different challenges in life, such as his friend’s suicide and the problems he faces with his family and relationships. It might be a short film, but this is more than worth it.
11. Killer Inside: The Mind of Aaron Hernandez (2020)
This is probably the oddest football movie we have on this list, but it still tells the story of a former NFL star who had sunk to the lowest of the low. And the truth is that it is more of a crime film than a football film.
Killer Inside; The Mind of Aaron Hernandez tells the story of how Aaron Hernandez, who was once an NFL star, became a convicted killer. We get to know more about him through his family, friends, teammates, and peers.
10. Concussion (2015)
As successful as the NFL may be and as popular as football is in America, one of the biggest issues of the sport include concussions, which happens quite often in a sport that is so physical. In that regard, Concussion is a movie that focuses on the impact of concussions on the players and their brains.
In this movie, we follow Will Smith, who plays a doctor studying the different effects of concussions on the players. We see how the players are affected in terms of their mental health, as families observe the erratic behavior in the players who have experienced concussions several times in the past. It’s a good movie that revolves around fighting “the man” to bring to light an issue that has been around for decades.
9. Friday Night Lights (2004)
While you might be familiar with the Friday Night Lights series, there is actually a movie that existed before the TV show. And it’s actually a pretty good movie that is on par with the hit TV show of the same name.
In this movie, we follow Billy Bob Thornton’s character, who coaches a high school football team whose best player went down with an injury. Because the adults of his town’s football team were quite involved with their team, it became an issue for the coach to manage expectations, especially now that his best player was out.
8. The Game Plan (2007)
The Game Plan stars Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, a former college football player himself, in a comedy that should be fun to watch for the entire family. It’s an amazing story that is able to blend family and football into an innocently hilarious movie.
This movie revolves around The Rock’s character, a quarterback, who finds out that he has an eight-year old daughter from a previous relationship. As such, he struggles to juggle his life as a football star and as a father, which is something he has never experienced before. But he eventually realizes how important his daughter is to his life in this heartwarming family movie.
7. Happy Valley (2014)
Don’t let the title of the film fool you because this is anything but a happy film. It is actually one of the more disturbing stories about football because of the fact that people were willing to condone a horrific action for the sake of supporting a winning football team.
The documentary revolves around the former Penn State defensive coordinator named Jerry Sandusky, who was convicted for 45 counts of sexual abuse in 2011. However, despite that, the program, fans, and the team coach all knew about what was happening but decided to look the other way because the team was winning.
6. Invincible (2006)
Invincible is a true story that should be very interesting to watch because of how it was able to tell the tale of a player that struggled to get accepted by his fellow players in the NFL because he didn’t have to go through what they went through to get to the league.
In this movie, Vince Papale is actually a substitute teacher. However, when he was able to impress the Philadelphia Eagles’ general manager despite the fact that he didn’t have the same background that some of the players had, he was able to play for the team at the age of 30. But because of the circumstances surrounding his entry to the team, he struggled to win acceptance from his fellow players as he felt like he didn’t belong on the team.
5. The Longest Yard (2005)
The Longest Yard is another Adam Sandler film that is actually based on the original 1974 film. And this is a good movie to watch if you want some good laughs and if you want to see what convicts have to go through to seek redemption.
Adam Sandler, in this movie, used to be a star quarterback but finds himself in prison. While in jail, he experiences how harsh the guards are towards them, and that is when he decides to use his star power as a former football star to lobby for a game between the inmates and the guards. And he and the inmates use this opportunity to get revenge on the abusive guards.
4. A Triumph of the Heart (1991)
A Triumph of the Heart revolves around a character that was supposed to be a star in the NFL but eventually died early due to a skin and muscle condition. Ricky Bell, the focus of this movie, died at 29 due to the condition he was suffering from.
This movie tells Ricky Bell’s story and how he was able to become as good as he was to the point that he was the first player drafted into the NFL in 1977. It’s a tear-jerker that you need to see if you want to understand what he had to go through in life.
3. Radio (2003)
Radio is an inspiring tale that is based on a true story about a man who was suffering from a mental illness. The man, played by Cuba Gooding Jr., is named Radio. But Radio finds a friend in a small-town football coach named Harold Jones.
Despite the fact that Jones was able to befriend Radio, the latter was tormented by Jones’ own players. This prompts Jones to help Radio build a life for himself in their small community while teaching his players to learn how to look beyond a person’s imperfections to see their true value in life.
2. Remember the Titans (2000)
Of course, Remember the Titans deserves a high spot on this list because of the spectacular performance of Denzel Washington and the amazing leadership of producer Jerry Bruckheimer. Those names are more than enough to convince you to watch this masterpiece.
Remember the Titans is based on the true story of an African-American coach as he was trying to integrate himself as the coach of a high school team in Virginia back in the 70s. It sends a strong message about social inequality and justice, as this film is beyond what we usually see in most football films.
1. Carter High (2015)
Carter High is an amazing football team that was able to deliver a story that doesn’t entirely focus on football but on all of the other things going on beyond the field. As such, it is a great film that will allow you to see a different side to football, especially because it takes place in a small town, whose members were so tightknit and supportive of their football team.
Basically, it takes a look at a Texas high school football team in the 80s, a powerhouse team with an entire town on its back. However, we also get to see racial tensions in the small town and how the townspeople were willing to overlook some of the bad deeds that their players were doing outside the field because of the fact that they were considered “untouchable.”
