Since the earliest days of silent films, beginning with projects like Charlie Chaplin’s Champions (1915), cinema has incorporated sports. Even the first iterations of video games in the 1960s and 70s portrayed sports, further demonstrating the popularity and relevance of sports in modern storytelling.

Even those who aren’t athletes themselves likely participate in sports in some meaningful way—whether that’s in the cinema or beyond. For example, since sports betting went live in the US in 2018, states like New Jersey and Pennsylvania have shown that filling theaters and stadiums aren’t the only way fans like getting closer to their favorite sport.

Finding the best odds when it’s time to bet on money lines and point spreads may be the latest form of sports entertainment (aside from the game itself), though that doesn’t mean Hollywood plans on retiring from the heartfelt or comedic sports film.

As is true in live sports, video games, or sports betting, athletic feats create amazing entertainment because of the competition and risks involved. Looking at the best sports films in North America, there’s one genre that stands out: sports comedy. Let’s take a look at the best from each league.

Baseball

Bad News Bears, 1972

This project, from director Michael Ritchie, was a surprise hit that found footing with people of all ages despite the raw and uncut nature of the dialogue and action. The story follows one down-on-his-luck former pitcher who’s recruited to helm an equally hopeless little league team.

What follows is an unvarnished, gritty look at a coach and a team attempting to pull themselves up by the bootstraps. They’re all, in their own way, anti-hero underdogs. Despite getting ready to celebrate its 50-year release anniversary, Bad News Bears doesn’t seem to have any trouble aging.

Football

The Waterboy, 1998

Given its popularity, The Waterboy may not take much explaining. In short, the story follows one shy, un-athletic guy who ends up joining the college team that shows little interest in appreciating their water boy.

The film takes a variety of stereotypes that follow college football and the American South and turns them into a comedy with a heartfelt ending. The film mirrors dramatic football films, including Rudy and Invincible, which focus on football wannabes who turn into gridiron heroes. In this case, Adam Sandler (no stranger to sports comedies) is that underdog.

Hockey

The Mighty Ducks, 1992

Similar to the narrative in Bad News Bears that sees one has-been take another shot at glory, The Mighty Ducks follows one coach as he attempts to string together a winning team from a rag-tag group of hockey players. Switch out Bad News Bears’ unflinching grit with a cast of witty, unforgettable one-liners, and this hockey film has the similar lasting power as its predecessor.

Headed by Emilio Estevez, this comedy-drama has the happy ending that audiences crave, as well as a few deeper messages that haven’t gone unnoticed. With most movies on this list aged past a decade, films like The Mighty Ducks are a reminder that quality sports films, comedic or not, endure the test of time.

Basketball

White Men Can’t Jump, 1992

Though themes in this film make the genre straddle both comedy and drama, there are few quality basketball comedies out there. Starring Wesley Snipes and Woody Harrelson as basketball players who hustle strangers out of money by challenging them to pickup games, there’s plenty of dramatic appeal.

Both men have to navigate a maze of social and cultural stereotypes and prejudices. However, the ensuing action features moments of natural comedy given the cast of well-rounded characters. Rather than become a needlessly bleak trope, White Men Can’t Jump bridges laughs with insight.