Seven Inspirational Sports Movies That Would Be Worthless Without Their Scores

This post could just as easily be named “Jerry Goldsmith Is THE MAN,” but I’d already mentioned Goldmith’s spectacular efforts on behalf of Hoosiers last week, and I’d hate to be repeating myself so soon. Besides, that would have been a clear violation of Listicle Day. (OK, fine. So that was last week. But I want in anyway, because I can’t let my wife have all the glory.)

Also, I confess that using “worthless” in the title up there is a wee bit click-bait-y. I think a number of these films would still be effective without their soundtracks. But they’d be a less effective. A lot less. (Also, the order’s almost entirely random. Except for #1. That one’s for real.)

7. Remember the Titans (Trevor Rabin)
No Cliché-Riddled Inspirational Sports Movie (C-RISM) can be truly inspirational without at least one transformative training montage. And no training montage can be truly spectacular without a great score. Which means, of course, that Rabin’s work on Remember the Titans must be included on this list. There are times when it drops into a bit more Armageddon territory that seems strictly appropriate for a sports film, but it’s a great combination of towering orchestral themes and the driving, electrical percussivity that Rabin does so well. It’ll get the blood going, for sure.

BONUS: Goldsmith’s work on Rudy. Yes, I mentioned it last week. But yes, it’s worth mentioning again. Probably comes in a tick or two above Titans on my (frighteningly long and exhaustive) “Transformative Training Montage” list.