The very best sports comedies

The granddaddy of all sports comedies, "Caddyshack" manages to deliver dozens of quotable lines while picking apart the highfalutin world of country clubs. Admit it. You've thought, "Be the ball, Danny" when lining up a tee shot at least once. 

Walter Matthau is at his cranky apex in this ode to the ups and downs of little league baseball. A young Tatum O'Neal stars in it as well, giving us the all-time insult of "Booger-eatin' spaz." 

Jess wants to live in two worlds: with her traditional Indian family in London, and with her friend Jules and the soccer team. She juggles her favorite sport, a budding romance, and her love for her family. 

Rivalries are commonplace in figure skating, but the one portrayed in "Blades of Glory" takes a bit of an odd turn. Will Ferrell and Jon Hader play skaters banned for life from Olympic singles competition, but they find a way to get into the pairs competition. Implausible? Absolutely. Hilarious? Absolutely. 

Julius Erving — yes, that Julius Erving — stars in a movie about a really bad Pittsburgh basketball team. He's joined by Meadowlark Lemon, Debbie Allen, and Marv Albert as the team relies on astrology to figure out how to win. It's as 70s as a movie can get and also quite hilarious.  

How do you pick a favorite scene from this movie? Is it learning that baseball is a simple game, Crash Davis' speech on what he believes in, or a conference on the mound that helps everyone decide what's a good wedding gift? It takes a closer look at what makes the minor leagues so special. 

Jamaica has a bobsled team! Based loosely on the 1988 Jamaican bobsled team's trip to the Calgary Olympics, "Cool Runnings" follows the team as they go from missing the Summer Olympics in track to making it in bobsledding competition. With John Candy as the coach, and the team practicing wherever they could with ice in short supply, this is definitely a movie worth spending an afternoon on. 

This film takes the game we loved and hated as kids and somehow makes it more ridiculous. Training with wrenches, bizarre facial hair and a David vs. Goliath story make this movie a perfect way to spend a Saturday afternoon. 

The Rancho Carne Toros are the best cheerleading squad in the country, or are they? They find out their routines are stolen from a school in Compton, and try to get both teams to nationals. Watch it to see Gabrielle Union and Kirsten Dunst face off. Watch it to learn spirit stick lore. Watch it for snarky comebacks in rhyme. Just watch it. 

The Charlestown Chiefs are not good. No one comes to their games. They are on the verge of being folded when Paul Newman's Reggie Dunlop, the Chiefs' player-coach, decides letting hockey goons loose is the way to save his team. Is it worth it to see Paul Newman get in a hockey fight? Absolutely.

Yes, it's the reason we hear "Get in the hole" yelled at way too many golf events. But it's also the reason we know Bob Barker can throw a punch and that sometimes, a hockey jersey is the very best golf attire. 

The Cleveland Indians were tanking before tanking was a thing, except for one problem. The players aren't content to tank, and the band of misfits who make up the team somehow come together to win — and make you laugh along the way. 

The Marx Brothers brought comedy to movies when we still were figuring out what movies could be, and even then they saw the humor in sports. The brothers are supposed to be really good football players, but of course, they are not. Hilarity ensues. 

The Farrelly Brothers directed Kingpin, which showcases Woody Harrelson as a former pro bowler who is now coaching Randy Quad, an up-and-coming bowler from Amish Country. The outfits alone will make you laugh. 

Is it Dottie learning to chew dip? The 'There's no crying in baseball' scene? The finishing school lessons? It's hard to pick the funniest scene from "A League of Their Own," because they are all so good. 

Burt Reynolds played a one-time NFL quarterback who ends up in jail. He puts together a football team, who takes on the guards. It's funny, heartfelt and was so good that Adam Sandler remade it. 

Imagine it's before the 2016 World Series, and that Cubs fans are still thirsting to see their team win it all. It didn't happen in real life, but "Rookie of the Year" helped fill the void. Henry Rowengartner is a 12-year-old whose arm healed badly from a break, and the change in his arm makes him good enough to pitch for the Cubs. 

"The Sandlot" is funny not just because of Smalls and Squints and Wendy Peffercorn, but because it speaks to universal experiences. Even if you didn't play baseball all summer long with your friends, you probably do know what it's like to find acceptance among a group of people you're not sure you belong with. 

It's rare that movies find comedy within the sport itself, but "White Men Can't Jump" is one of those special movies. Playground basketball is elevated and hilarious as Wesley Snipes and Woody Harrelson play to make money. 

Will Ferrell and Woody Harrelson — perhaps the king of sports comedies? — play for a terrible basketball team in Flint. They dream of playing for the NBA, but the plot doesn't matter nearly as much as the hair and costumes, which perfectly capture 70s ABA-esque style. 

Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis comedies were a staple of the 1950s, so of course they were going to tackle the world of golf. Lewis is the caddy and coach of Martin, but will their quarreling ways threaten their success — or perhaps introduce them to Hollywood? 

You don't have to like auto racing to like "Talladega Nights." You don't even have to like sports. You just need to embrace absurd moments like Ricky Bobby praying to a specific Baby Jesus, or meeting his wife after she flashed him at the track. 

A players strike gives Shane 'Footsteps' Falco, played by Keanu Reeves, a shot at redemption after choking for Ohio State in the Sugar Bowl. You can't help but cheer for the replacements, even as you expect for their dream to come to an end when the strike ends. 

Uncle Drew — played by NBA All-Star Kyrie Irving in impeccable make-up — once was a great basketball player. When his nephew needs him to play in a tournament in Rucker Park, he gets his whole gang together, bringing both the laughs and some very good basketball.