List of films based on sports books
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
On occasion, sports books have been used as source material for film adaptations. Popular sports in the United States such as baseball and American football have been adapted to film. Books about sports such as boxing, bullfighting, cockfighting, football, hockey, hunting have also been adapted.
Comedies
- * television film.
| Film | Date | Director | Country | Source work | Author | Date | Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rhubarb | 1951 | Arthur Lubin | USA | Rhubarb | H. Allen Smith | 1946 | Novel |
| Fever Pitch | 2005 | Farrelly Brothers | USA | Fever Pitch ♠[2] | Nick Hornby | 1992 | Memoir |
- ♠ The book Fever Pitch is about a fan of football and Arsenal Football Club in particular, not the baseball team, the Boston Red Sox.
Basketball
| Film | Date | Director | Country | Source work | Author | Date | Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Glory Road | 2006 | James Gartner | USA | Glory Road | Don Haskins | 2005 | Autobiography |
- * television film.
Bodybuilding
| Film | Date | Director | Country | Source work | Author | Date | Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stay Hungry | 1976 | Bob Rafelson | USA | Stay Hungry | Charles Gaines | 1972 | Novel |
Boxing
| Film | Date | Director | Country | Source work | Author | Date | Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| City for Conquest | 1940 | Anatole Litvak & Jean Negulesco (uncredited) | USA | City for Conquest | Aben Kandel | 1936 | Novel |
| Gentleman Jim | 1942 | Raoul Walsh | USA | The Roar of the Crowd | James J. Corbett | 1894 | Autobiography |
| Fat City | 1972 | John Huston | USA | Fat City | Leonard Gardner | 1969 | Novel |
| Mandingo | 1975 | Richard Fleischer | USA | Mandingo | Kyle Onstott | 1957 | Novel |
| Raging Bull[3] | 1980 | Martin Scorsese | USA | Raging Bull: My Story | Jake LaMotta & Joseph Carter | 1970 | Autobiography |
| The Hurricane | 1999 | Norman Jewison | USA | The 16th Round | Rubin "Hurricane" Carter | 199? | Non-fiction |
Bullfighting
| Film | Date | Director | Country | Source work | Author | Date | Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ferdinand the Bull | 1938 | Dick Rickard | USA | The Story of Ferdinand | Munro Leaf | 1936 | Children's Book |
| Sangre y arena | 1917 | Ricardo de Baños & Vicente Blasco Ibáñez | Spain | Blood and Sand | Vicente Blasco Ibáñez | 1909 | Novel |
| Blood and Sand | 1922 | Fred Niblo | USA | Blood and Sand | Vicente Blasco Ibáñez | 1909 | Novel |
Running of the Bulls
| Film | Date | Director | Country | Source work | Author | Date | Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Sun Also Rises | 1957 | Henry King | USA | The Sun Also Rises | Ernest Hemingway[4] | 1926 | Novel |
Buzkashi
| Film | Date | Director | Country | Source work | Author | Date | Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Devil's Pass La Passe du diable | 1958 | Jacques Dupont & Pierre Schoendoerffer | Italy, France, Spain | Témoin parmi les hommes: Le Jeu du Roi | Joseph Kessel | 1956 | ? |
| The Horsemen | 1971 | John Frankenheimer | USA | Les Cavaliers | Joseph Kessel | 1967 | Novel |
| Caravans | 1978 | James Fargo | USA & Iran | Caravans | James Michener | 1962 | Novel |
Car racing
| Film | Date | Director | Country | Source work | Author | Date | Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Last American Hero | 1973 | Lamont Johnson | USA | "The Last American Hero" from The Kandy-Kolored Tangerine-Flake Streamline Baby | Tom Wolfe | 1965 | Article |
| Bobby Deerfield | 1977 | Sydney Pollack | USA | Heaven Has No Favorites | Erich Maria Remarque | 1959 | Novel |
| Blink of an Eye | 2019 | Paul Taublieb | USA | In the Blink of an Eye | Michael Waltrip with Ellis Henican | 2011 | Autobiography |
Comedies
| Film | Date | Director | Country | Source work | Author | Date | Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Love Bug | 1968 | Robert Stevenson | USA | Car, Boy, Girl | Gordon Buford | 1961 | Novel |
| Stroker Ace | 1983 | Hal Needham | USA | Stand On It | William Neely & Robert K. Ottum | 1971 | Novel |
Cockfighting
(Popular and legal in Mexico)
| Film | Date | Director | Country | Source work | Author | Date | Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cockfighter | 1974 | Monte Hellman | USA | Cockfighter | Charles Willeford[5] | 1962/1972 | Novel |
Cycling
| Film | Date | Director | Country | Source work | Author | Date | Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Program | 2015 | Stephen Frears | UK, France | Seven Deadly Sins | David Walsh | 2012 | Non-fiction |
Diving
| Film | Date | Director | Country | Source work | Author | Date | Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Breaking the Surface: The Greg Louganis Story * | 1997 | Steven Hilliard Stern | USA | Breaking the Surface | Greg Louganis & Eric Marcus | 1996 | Autobiography |
- * television film.
Falconry
| Film | Date | Director | Country | Source work | Author | Date | Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kes | 1969 | Ken Loach | UK | A Kestrel for a Knave | Barry Hines | 1968 | Novel |
| The Falcons Magasiskola | 1970 | István Gaál | Hungary | Magasiskola | Miklós Mészöly | 1967 | Novel |
| The Hawk Is Dying | 2006 | Julian Goldberger | USA | The Hawk Is Dying | Harry Crews | 1973 | Novel |
Fencing
| Film | Date | Director | Country | Source work | Author | Date | Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Last Days of Patton ♠ * | 1986 | Delbert Mann | USA | The Last Days of Patton | Ladislas Farago | 1981 | Non-fiction |
| The Fencing Master El maestro de esgrima | 1992 | Pedro Olea | Spain | The Fencing Master | Arturo Pérez-Reverte | 1988 | Novel |
- ♠ Gen. George Patton relaxes in occupied Bavaria with fencing and horseback riding.
- * television film.
Fishing
| Film | Date | Director | Country | Source work | Author | Date | Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A River Runs Through It | 1992 | Robert Redford | USA | A River Runs Through It and Other Stories[6] | Norman Maclean | 1976 | Novella |
| The Old Man and the Sea | 1958 | John Sturges | USA | The Old Man and the Sea[7] | Ernest Hemingway[4] | 1952 | Novella |
| The Old Man and the Sea * | 1990 | Jud Taylor | UK | The Old Man and the Sea | Ernest Hemingway | 1952 | Novella |
| The Old Man and the Sea Старик и море | 1999 | Aleksandr Petrov | Canada, Russia, Japan | The Old Man and the Sea | Ernest Hemingway | 1952 | Novella |
- * television film.
Football/soccer
| Film | Date | Director | Country | Source work | Author | Date | Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Arsenal Stadium Mystery | 1939 | Thorold Dickinson | UK | The Arsenal Stadium Mystery | Leonard R. Gribble | 1939[8] | Novel |
| Yesterday's Hero | 1979 | Neil Leifer | UK | ? | Jackie Collins | 197? | Novel |
| Fever Pitch | 1997 | David Evans | UK | Fever Pitch[2] | Nick Hornby | 1992 | Memoir |
| The Game of Their Lives | 2005 | David Anspaugh | USA | The Game of Their Lives | Geoffrey Douglas | 1996[9] | Non-fiction |
| The Damned United | 2009 | Tom Hooper | UK | The Damned Utd | David Peace | 2006 | Novel |
| One Night in Turin | 2010 | James Erskine | UK | All Played Out: The Full Story of Italia '90 | Pete Davies | 2006 | Non-fiction |
Football, American
Professional, college, high school
- * television film.
Comedies
| Film | Date | Director | Country | Source work | Author | Date | Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Horse Feathers | 1932 | Norman Z. McLeod | USA | Fun in Hi Skule | Marx Brothers | 1920s | Vaudeville |
| The Gladiator | 1938 | Edward Sedgwick | USA | Gladiator | Philip Wylie | 1930 | Novel |
| Paper Lion | 1968 | Alex March | USA | Paper Lion | George Plimpton | 1966 | Memoir |
| Semi-Tough | 1977 | Michael Ritchie | USA | Semi-Tough | Dan Jenkins | 1972 | Novel |
Off the field
(Terrorism became a regular part of news reports in the early 1970s, and this theme was extended to popular fiction.)
| Film | Date | Director | Country | Source work | Author | Date | Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Two-Minute Warning | 1976 | Larry Peerce | USA | Two-Minute Warning | George La Fountaine, Sr. | 197? | Novel |
| Black Sunday | 1977 | John Frankenheimer | USA | Black Sunday | Thomas Harris | 1975 | Novel |
Football, Australian
| Film | Date | Director | Country | Source work | Author | Date | Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Great Macarthy | 1975 | David Baker | Australia | A Salute to the Great Macarthy | Barry Oakley | 1970 | Novel |
| Australian Rules | 2002 | Paul Goldman | Australia | Deadly, Unna? | Phillip Gwynne | 1998 | Novel |
Football, Canadian
Professional and university
| Film | Date | Director | Country | Source work | Author | Date | Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Man Who Lost Himself * aka The Stranger I Married | 2005 | Helen Shaver | Canada | The Man Who Lost Himself: The Terry Evanshen Story | June Callwood | 2000 | Non-fiction |
- * television film.
Golf
| Film | Date | Director | Country | Source work | Author | Date | Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dead Solid Perfect * | 1988 | Bobby Roth | USA | Dead Solid Perfect | Dan Jenkins | 1974 | Novel |
| The Legend of Bagger Vance | 2000 | Robert Redford | USA | The Legend of Bagger Vance | Steven Pressfield | 1995 | Novel |
| A Gentleman's Game | 2002 | J. Mills Goodloe | USA | A Gentleman's Game | Tom Coyne | 2001 | Novel |
| The Greatest Game Ever Played | 2005 | Bill Paxton | USA | The Greatest Game Ever Played: Harry Vardon, Francis Ouimet, and the Birth of Modern Golf | Mark Frost | 2002 | Non-fiction |
| Tommy's Honour | 2016 | Jason Connery | UK/USA | Tommy's Honor: The Story of Old Tom Morris and Young Tom Morris, Golf's Founding Father and Son | Kevin Cook | 2007 | Non-fiction |
- * television film.
Gymnastics
| Film | Date | Director | Country | Source work | Author | Date | Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Peaceful Warrior | 2006 | Victor Salva | USA | Way of the Peaceful Warrior | Dan Millman | 1980 | Novel/ Memoir |
Ice hockey
| Film | Date | Director | Country | Source work | Author | Date | Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Face-Off | 1971 | George McCowan | Canada | Face-Off | Scott Young & George Robertson | 1971[11]¤ | Novel |
| Net Worth * | 1995 | Jerry Ciccoritti | Canada | Net Worth: Exploding the Myth of Pro Hockey | David Cruise & Alison Griffiths | 1991[11] | Non-fiction |
| Breakfast with Scot | 2007 | Laurie Lynd | Canada | Breakfast with Scot | Michael Downing | 1999[11] | Novel |
| Indian Horse | 2017 | Stephen Campanelli | Canada | Indian Horse | Richard Wagamese | 2012 | Novel |
- * television film.
Horse racing
| Film | Date | Director | Country | Source work | Author | Date | Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| National Velvet[12] | 1944 | Clarence Brown | USA | National Velvet | Enid Bagnold | 1935 | Novel |
| Dead Cert | 1974 | Tony Richardson | UK | Dead Cert | Dick Francis | 1962 | Novel |
| International Velvet | 1978 | Bryan Forbes | USA | National Velvet | Enid Bagnold | 1935 | Novel |
| Champions | 1983 | John Irvin | UK | Champion's Story | Bob Champion & Jonathan Powell | 197? | Autobiography |
| Let It Ride | 1989 | Joe Pytka | USA | Good Vibes | Jay Cronley | 1979 | Novel |
| Seabiscuit | 2003 | Gary Ross | USA | Seabiscuit: An American Legend[13] | Laura Hillenbrand | 2001 | Non-fiction |
| Secretariat | 2010 | Randall Wallace | USA | Secretariat: The Making of a Champion (uncredited) | William Nack | 1975 | Non-fiction |
Comedies
| Film | Date | Director | Country | Source work | Author | Date | Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Francis Goes to the Races | 1951 | Arthur Lubin | USA | Francis (characters) | David Stern | 1946[9] | Novel |
Overland
| Film | Date | Director | Country | Source work | Author | Date | Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hidalgo | 2004 | Joe Johnston | USA | ? | Frank Hopkins | 1891 | Memoir (discredited) |
Hot air ballooning
| Film | Date | Director | Country | Source work | Author | Date | Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Five Weeks in a Balloon | 1962 | Irwin Allen | USA | Five Weeks in a Balloon, or, Journeys and Discoveries in Africa by Three Englishmen | Jules Verne | 1863 | Novel |
| Flight of the Eagle Ingenjör Andrées luftfärd | 1982 | Jan Troell | Sweden, West Germany, Norway | Ingenjör Andrées luftfärd | Per Olof Sundman | 1967 | Novel |
Hunting
Fox hunting
| Film | Date | Director | Country | Source work | Author | Date | Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Voice of Bugle Ann | 1936 | Richard Thorpe | USA | The Voice of Bugle Ann | MacKinlay Kantor | 193? | Novel |
| The Fox and the Hound | 1981 | Ted Berman & Richard Rich | USA | The Fox and the Hound | Daniel P. Mannix | 1967 | Novel |
Game
| Film | Date | Director | Country | Source work | Author | Date | Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Last Hunt | 1956 | Richard Brooks | USA | The Last Hunt | Milton Lott | 1954 | Novel |
| Shalako | 1968 | Edward Dmytryk | USA | Shalako | Louis L'Amour | 1962 | Novel |
| White Hunter Black Heart | 1990 | Clint Eastwood | USA | White Hunter Black Heart ♠ | Peter Viertel | 1953 | Novel |
- ♠ A roman à clef about director John Huston filming The African Queen.
Game birds
| Film | Date | Director | Country | Source work | Author | Date | Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Shooting Party | 1985 | Alan Bridges | UK | The Shooting Party[14] | Isabel Colegate | 1980 | Novel |
| My Father's Glory | 1990 | Yves Robert | France | La Gloire de mon père & Le Temps des secrets | Marcel Pagnol | 1957 & 1959 | Novels/Memoirs |
| La Horse ♠ La Horse | 1970 | Pierre Granier-Deferre | France | La Horse | Michel Lambesc | 196? | Novel |
- ♠ A duck-hunting grandfather (Jean Gabin) takes on a gang of drug traffickers.[15]
Hiking
| Film | Date | Director | Country | Source work | Author | Date | Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wild | 2014 | Jean-Marc Vallée | USA | Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail | Cheryl Strayed | 2012 | Memoir |
Hurling
| Film | Date | Director | Country | Source work | Author | Date | Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rooney | 1956 | George Pollock | UK | Rooney | Catherine Cookson | 1957 | Novel |
Jai alai
| Film | Date | Director | Country | Source work | Author | Date | Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Spanish Gardener | 1956 | Philip Leacock | UK | The Spanish Gardener | A. J. Cronin | 1950 | Novel |
Kite flying
| Film | Date | Director | Country | Source work | Author | Date | Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Kite Runner | 2007 | Marc Forster | USA | The Kite Runner | Khaled Hosseini | 2003 | Novel |
Lacrosse
(Lacrosse is the official national (summer) sport of Canada)
| Film | Date | Director | Country | Source work | Author | Date | Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Express: The Ernie Davis Story ♠ | 2008 | Gary Fleder | USA | Ernie Davis, the Elmira Express: the Story of a Heisman Trophy Winner | Robert C. Gallagher | 1983[9] | Non-fiction |
- ♠ Ernie Davis plays briefly with fellow football star Jim Brown, who was also a lacrosse superstar at Syracuse University.
Marathon
| Film | Date | Director | Country | Source work | Author | Date | Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Marathon Runner Der Läufer von Marathon | 1933 | Ewald André Dupont | Nazi Germany | Der Läufer von Marathon : Ein Sportroman | Werner Scheff | 1928[16] | Novel |
| Stockholm Marathon | 1994 | Peter Keglevic | Sweden & Germany | The Terrorists | Sjöwall and Wahlöö | 1975 | Novel |
Marathon dancing
| Film | Date | Director | Country | Source work | Author | Date | Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| They Shoot Horses, Don't They? | 1969 | Sydney Pollack | USA | They Shoot Horses, Don't They? | Horace McCoy | 1935 | Novel |
Motorcycle racing
| Film | Date | Director | Country | Source work | Author | Date | Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Last Hero | 1982 | Haruki Kadokawa | Japan | The Last Hero | Haruhiko Ôyabu | 1968 | Novel |
Mountaineering
- * television film.
Polo
| Film | Date | Director | Country | Source work | Author | Date | Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Once Before I Die ♠ | 1966 | John Derek | USA | Quit for the Next | Lt. Anthony March | 1945 | Novel |
- ♠ Polo-playing US cavalrymen resist Japanese invasion.
Roller derby
| Film | Date | Director | Country | Source work | Author | Date | Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Whip It | 2009 | Drew Barrymore | USA | Derby Girl | Shauna Cross | 2007 | Novel |
Rowing
| Film | Date | Director | Country | Source work | Author | Date | Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| True Blue | 1996 | Ferdinand Fairfax | UK | True Blue: The Oxford Boat Race Mutiny[18] | Daniel Topolski & Patrick Robinson | 1989 | Memoir/ Non-fiction |
| The Company ♠ * | 2007 | Mikael Salomon | USA | The Company: A Novel of the CIA | Robert Littell | 2002 | Novel |
| Three Men in a Boat | 1956 | Ken Annakin | UK | Three Men in a Boat (To Say Nothing of the Dog) | Jerome K. Jerome | 1889 | Novel |
| Three Men in a Boat * | 1975 | Stephen Frears | UK | Three Men in a Boat (To Say Nothing of the Dog) | Jerome K. Jerome | 1889 | Novel |
- ♠ Two rowers are recruited by the CIA, and the sport follows the agents through their lives.
- * television film.
Rugby league
| Film | Date | Director | Country | Source work | Author | Date | Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This Sporting Life | 1963 | Lindsay Anderson | UK | This Sporting Life | David Storey | 1960 | Novel |
Rugby union
| Film | Date | Director | Country | Source work | Author | Date | Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Invictus | 2009 | Clint Eastwood | USA | Playing the Enemy: Nelson Mandela and the Game That Changed a Nation | John Carlin | 2008 | Non-fiction |
Off the field
| Film | Date | Director | Country | Source work | Author | Date | Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Supervivientes de los Andes | 1976 | René Cardona jr. | Mexico | Survive | Clay Blair | 1973 | Non-fiction |
| Alive | 1993 | Frank Marshall | USA | Alive: The Story of the Andes Survivors | Piers Paul Read | 1974 | Non-fiction |
Sailing
(Yachting)
| Film | Date | Director | Country | Source work | Author | Date | Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Deep (unfinished) | 1970 | Orson Welles | USA | Dead Calm | Charles F. Williams | 1963 | Novel |
| Dead Calm | 1989 | Phillip Noyce | Australia | Dead Calm | Charles F. Williams | 1963 | Novel |
| White Squall | 1996 | Ridley Scott | USA | The Last Voyage of the Albatross | Chuck Gieg & Felix Sutton | 1962[9] | Non-fiction |
| Two Came Back * | 1997 | Dick Lowry | USA | Albatross | Deborah Scaling-Kiley & Meg Noonan | 199? | Novel?/ Memoir |
| Mutiny ♠ | 1925 | F. Martin Thornton | UK | ? | Ben Bolt | 192? | Novel |
- ♠ No plot is currently available for this yachting film.
- * television film.
Scuba diving and snorkelling
| Film | Date | Director | Country | Source work | Author | Date | Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Deep | 1977 | Peter Yates | USA | The Deep | Peter Benchley | 1976 | Novel |
Skating
| Film | Date | Director | Country | Source work | Author | Date | Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thin Ice | 1937 | Sidney Lanfield | USA | Thin Ice (?) | Attila Orbók Orbók Attila | 193? | Novel |
Skiing
| Film | Date | Director | Country | Source work | Author | Date | Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Downhill Racer | 1969 | Michael Ritchie | USA | The Downhill Racers | Oakley Hall | 1963 | Novel |
| The Other Side of the Mountain | 1975 | Larry Peerce | USA | A Long Way Up: the Story of Jill Kinmont | E.G. Valens | 1966[9] | Non-fiction |
| Crazy Canucks * | 2004 | Randy Bradshaw | Canada | White Circus[19][circular reference] (uncredited) | Ken Read & Matthew Fisher (uncredited) | 1987 | Novel |
- * television film.
Skydiving
| Film | Date | Director | Country | Source work | Author | Date | Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Gypsy Moths | 1969 | John Frankenheimer | USA | The Gypsy Moths, A Fable | James Drought | 1955 | Novel |
Stunt driving
| Film | Date | Director | Country | Source work | Author | Date | Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| My House in Umbria ♠ * | 2003 | Richard Loncraine | UK & Italy | My House in Umbria | William Trevor | 1991 | Novella |
- ♠ The film includes flashbacks of the Wall of Death.
- * television film.
Surfing
| Film | Date | Director | Country | Source work | Author | Date | Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gidget | 1959 | Paul Wendkos | USA | Gidget, The Little Girl With Big Ideas | Frederick Kohner | 1957 | Novel |
| Blue Crush | 2002 | John Stockwell | USA & Germany | "Surf Girls of Maui" | Susan Orlean | 200? | Article |
| Soul Surfer | 2010 | Sean McNamara | USA | Soul Surfer: A True Story of Faith, Family, and Fighting to Get Back on the Board | Bethany Hamilton | 2004 | Autobiography |
Swimming
| Film | Date | Director | Country | Source work | Author | Date | Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Swimming Upstream | 2003 | Russell Mulcahy | Australia | Swimming Upstream | Anthony Fingleton | ? | Autobiography |
Tennis
Real tennis
| Film | Date | Director | Country | Source work | Author | Date | Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Seven Percent Solution ♠ | 1976 | Herbert Ross | UK & USA | The Seven-Per-Cent Solution: Being a Reprint from the Reminiscences of John H. Watson, M.D. | Nicholas Meyer | 1974 | Novel |
- ♠ Sigmund Freud plays a match.[20][circular reference]
Track and field
| Film | Date | Director | Country | Source work | Author | Date | Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Blackbeard's Ghost | 1968 | Robert Stevenson | USA | Blackbeard's Ghost | Ben Stahl | 1965 | Novel |
Wrestling
| Film | Date | Director | Country | Source work | Author | Date | Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Gladiator | 1938 | Edward Sedgwick | USA | Gladiator | Philip Wylie | 1930 | Novel |
Historical sports
Chariot racing
| Film | Date | Director | Country | Source work | Author | Date | Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Quo Vadis ♠ | 1951 | Mervyn LeRoy | USA | Quo Vadis | Henryk Sienkiewicz[21] | 1895 | Novel |
| Ben-Hur | 1907 | Sidney Olcott | USA | Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ | Lew Wallace | 1880 | Novel |
| Ben-Hur[22] | 1925 | Fred Niblo | USA | Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ | Lew Wallace | 1880 | Novel |
| Ben-Hur[23] | 1959 | William Wyler | USA | Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ | Lew Wallace | 1880 | Novel |
- ♠ A chase, rather than a race.
Gladiatorial combat
| Film | Date | Director | Country | Source work | Author | Date | Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spartaco | 1913 | Giovanni Enrico Vidali | Italy | Spartaco | Raffaello Giovagnoli | 1873 | Novel |
| Spartacus | 1960 | Stanley Kubrick | USA | Spartacus | Howard Fast[24] | 1951 | Novel |
| The Sword in the Stone | 1963 | Wolfgang Reitherman | USA | The Sword in the Stone | T. H. White | 1938/1958 | Novel |
| Spartacus (television miniseries) | 2004 | USA |
