What makes any sports movie great? Drama, authenticity, edge-of-your-seat games, inspirational locker room speeches, training montages? Certainly, all of the above will enhance a sports movie into that greater realm of great movie, not one reduced to a subgenre.

And everybody wants to have that “GOAT” debate, right? Who’s the greatest of all time? Michael Jordan or LeBron James? Tiger Woods or Jack Nicklaus? Apply that to sports movies. What’s the GOAT sports movie? “Rocky?” “Field of Dreams?” “Remember the Titans?”

“Air,” Ben Affleck’s movie about Michael Jordan’s iconic shoe brand (starring Matt Damon and Viola Davis) is now playing in theaters everywhere. Will it become an instant sports movie classic? Will it join the ranks of those we’ve carefully curated below, accounting for as many movies and sports as possible (without stretching too thin)?

Bowling: The Big Lebowski

You don’t even see the Dude roll a single frame. But we love hanging with that Jeffrey Lebowski, Walter Sobchak and Donny Kerabatsos in the alley, despite what may happen if you step over the line (”Mark it eight, dude”), in Joel and Ethan Coen’s 1998 masterpiece. Even at your lowest point, when you’ve lost all your money and you’ve emptied a coffee can of your friend’s ashes into the Pacific, you can fall back on this mantra: Let’s go bowling. The Dude abides, and so do we.

Honorable mention: Kingpin

Cycling: Breaking Away

The options are limited, but regardless, odds are we pick Peter Yates’ coming-of-age tale about friends in Indiana navigating their futures after graduating high school. Dennis Christopher’s Italy-obsessed Dave has grandiose dreams of becoming a worldclass cyclist, feeling limited by his hometown and less ambitious friends.

Honorable mention: Premium Rush, Rad

Climbing: Free Solo

Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin’s Oscar-winning documentary about rock climber Alex Honnold and his quest to perform a free solo climb of El Capitan in Yosemite National Park is maybe the most terrifying thing I’ve ever watched. Never in a million years would I ever attempt to free solo a 10-foot oak tree, let alone a 3,000-foot granite monolith. But it’s in this fascinating film we see the Michael Jordan of that sport reach the peak of the profession.

Honorable mention: 127 Hours, Cliffhanger

Golf: Caddyshack

Why aren’t there more great golf movies? We only have about three we can call consensus classics in the genre. I’m a ‘90s kid who will watch Happy Gilmore vs. Shooter McGavin for the rest of my life, but Harold Ramis’ 1980 classic about Bushwood Country Club hijinks remains the leader in the clubhouse for the foreseeable future. Chevy Chase and Rodney Dangerfield are brilliant, but stealing the whole show is Ted Knight as Judge Smails. (”How ‘bout a Fresca?”)

Honorable mention: Happy Gilmore, Tin Cup

Hockey: Slap Shot

The gold standard in R-rated sports comedies (until “Major League” in 1989) finds Paul Newman reuniting with “Butch Cassidy & the Sundance Kid” and “The Sting” director George Roy Hill for, pound-for-pound, one of the funniest movies ever made. Newman plays a minor league hockey captain whose team resorts to violent play to gain popularity in a declining factory town.

Honorable mention: Goon, The Mighty Ducks, D2: The Mighty Ducks, Miracle

Horseracing: Seabiscuit

Inspirational, true underdog story of the famed Depression-era racehorse starring Jeff Bridges as the idealistic owner, Chris Cooper as the grizzled trainer and Tobey Maguire as the oversized jockey. Feel-good doesn’t begin to describe this beautifully made piece of perfect Hollywood schmaltz.

Honorable mention: Let It Ride, Secretariat

MMA: Warrior

The youngest son of an alcoholic former boxer returns home, where he’s trained by his father for competition in a mixed martial arts tournament, which puts the fighter on a collision course with his estranged older brother. Stars Tom Hardy, Joel Edgerton and Nick Nolte. From “The Way Back” director Gavin O’Connor.

Pool: The Color of Money

Another limited genre comes down to the same character, “Fast” Eddie Felson, originated in the 1961 film “The Hustler.” But we’re picking Martin Scorsese’s follow-up that finally won Paul Newman his Oscar. Slickly made and acted, it finds Felson teaching a cocky but talented protégé (Tom Cruise) the ropes of pool hustling while making a comeback of his own.

Honorable mention: The Hustler

Racing: Days of Thunder

Long live Tony Scott. Call it “Top Gun on a NASCAR track” all you want — that doesn’t make it any less awesome. Tom Cruise plays Cole Trickle (that name!), a hot-shot stock car driver in this visually gorgeous flick full of thrilling racing scenes, it’s essential for the genre. Never forget: “Rubbin’ is racin’.”

Honorable mention: Ford v Ferrari, Rush, Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby

READ: 17 must-see racing movies

Soccer: The Damned United

From “The King’s Speech” director Tom Hooper, this underrated gem tells the story of the controversial Brian Clough’s 44-day reign as the coach of English football club Leeds United. Required viewing for those who just got into “Ted Lasso” (and Premier League football).

Honorable mention: Bend It Like Beckham, Kicking & Screaming, Shaolin Soccer, Victory

Tennis: King Richard

We need more tennis movies. There’s no higher drama in sports when it’s one-on-one (no coaching allowed), as two people battle it out in five sets to determine the best on a clay, grass or hard court. Does Will Smith’s Oscar slap negate the winning big-screen depiction of the Williams sisters and the man who trained them towards iconic careers?

Honorable mention: 7 Days in Hell, McEnroe/Borg: Fire & Ice, Venus and Serena, Wimbledon

Track and Field: Chariots of Fire

The Oscar-winner for best picture in 1981, Hugh Hudson’s historical drama tells the story of two British track athletes who are driven to win in the 1924 Olympics as they wrestle with issues of pride and conscience. You know the Vangelis theme song.

Wrestling: The Wrestler

As a washed-up pro wrestler looking for meaning inside and outside the squared-circle, Mickey Rourke delivers a career-best performance in Darren Aronofsky’s hyper-realistic tale that gets high points for authenticity.

Honorable mention: Beyond the Mat, Hitman Hart: Wrestling with Shadows, Nacho Libre

Boxing: Rocky

Sylvester Stallone plays small-time boxer who gets the rare chance to fight a heavyweight champion in Philadelphia. Under the steady direction of John G. Avildsen, this ultimate underdog story won the Oscar for best picture and launched a beloved franchise that remains a vital part of American film history. Is boxing the best sports movie genre?

Honorable mention: Cinderella Man, Creed, Million Dollar Baby, Raging Bull, Rocky III

Basketball: He Got Game

Spike Lee’s woefully underrated drama stars Denzel Washington as a man freed from prison who hopes to influence his prodigious high school basketball prospect son’s decision in hopes of cutting his sentence short. The film describes basketball as “poetry in motion,” but Lee’s filmmaking and clear love for the game reflect that sentiment throughout down to the recreation of an ESPN “SportsCenter” segment about the phenom Jesus Shuttlesworth (an outstanding Ray Allen) to the gripping opening credits set to the music of Aaron Copeland.

Honorable mention: Blue Chips, Hoosiers, Hustle, Love & Basketball, Space Jam, The Way Back, White Men Can’t Jump

Pro football: Any Given Sunday

Bleak, cynical, entertaining, edgy, ugly. This is as close to an all-out honest portrayal of professional football in a movie as we might get. It took “JFK” director Oliver Stone to pull back the curtain an a win-at-all-costs, money-driven industry that brings a lot of joy to people at the expense of those who make it all happen. Silly at times (”It’s a game of inches!”), but never boring thanks to a cast led by Al Pacino, Jamie Foxx, Dennis Quad and Cameron Diaz.

Honorable mention: Brian’s Song, North Dallas Forty, Invincible, The Longest Yard

College Football: Rudy

As a lifetime Alabama fan, I’m not supposed to like “Rudy,” let alone say out loud that it is, without question, the best college football movie of all time. But here we are. It’s the truth. To be fair, the college football movie landscape is a bit barren, but there remains one true champion. It understands the game, the culture, the tradition and all else in between that fans obsess over, chiefly the main character, Daniel E. “Rudy” Ruettiger, driven to achieve his dream of playing football for Notre Dame.

Honorable mention: The Program, The Waterboy, We are Marshall

READ: 13 reasons why ‘Rudy’ is the best college football movie of all time

High school football: Remember the Titans

Denzel Washington plays a newly appointed coach and his high school team during their first season as a racially integrated unit. As Herman Boone, he injects much-needed star power and gravitas into what would have otherwise felt like a run-of-the-mill, corny sports flick. When Coach Boone speaks, we listen. And the Motown soundtrack doesn’t hurt either.

Honorable mention: The Blind Side, Friday Night Lights, Varsity Blues

Baseball: A League of Their Own

Penny Marshall’s deeply heartfelt portrait of the inaugural season of women’s major league baseball is as great an example of pure American entertainment out there, cementing itself as a 1990s classic that helps us understand that it doesn’t matter whose swinging the bats, men or women, the game remains pure either way. Thrilling game sequences, a terrific ensemble cast led by Geena Davis, Lori Petty and Madonna, plus an all-timer performance from Tom Hanks as their hapless sot of a manager. Just a perfect movie.

Honorable mention: Bull Durham, Field of Dreams, Major League, Moneyball, The Natural

READ: The 15 best baseball movies ranked

Action: Bloodsport

Sports movie?! Well, yeah, “sport” is in the title. Duh. Jean-Claude Van Damme’s star-making role follows Frank Dux, an American martial artist serving in the military, who decides to leave the army to compete in the Kumite, a martial arts tournament in Hong Kong where fights to the death can occur. And it’s awesome, if you like old arcade games, Bolo Yeung, splits and jump spinning heel kicks.

Honorable mention: Ford v Ferrari

Business: Moneyball

Director Bennett Miller’s outstanding Oscar-nominated adaptation of Michael Lewis’ famous book about sabermetrics and how Oakland Athletics general manager Billy Beane (played by Brad Pitt, in a career-best performance) fielded a competitive team with almost no money compared to his major league counterparts during the 2002 season. Gets better with every swing.

Honorable mention: Blue Chips, High Flying Bird, Jerry Maguire

Comedy: Major League

Perhaps the total package when it comes to baseball movies, this highly profane but charming comedy has humor, hilarious characters and an authenticity that paid immense respect to the game. Tom Berenger, Charlie Sheen, Wesley Snipes, James Gammon, Bob Uecker (so good) and Corbin Bernsen and others tell a true underdog tale, as the lowly Cleveland Indians play their way out of being sold by their greedy owner. And those opening credits with Randy Newman’s “Burn On” are a knockout.

Honorable mention: Baseketball, Caddyshack, Dodgeball, Goon, Happy Gilmore, Slap Shot

Documentary: Hoop Dreams

Steve James’ film following the lives of two inner-city Chicago boys who struggle to become college basketball players on the road to going professional is widely considered one of the greatest sports movies ever made. Roger Ebert picked it as his best film of the 1990s. Gripping and, at times, tragic. A glimpse into the sacrifice young people and their families make in pursuit of a dream achieved by so few.

Honorable mention: Free Solo, The Last Dance, Murderball, O.J.: Made in America, When We Were Kings

Kids: The Bad News Bears

Fewer movies rekindle memories of spending summers playing little league baseball than this comedy about a washed-up ex-pro coaching a team of potty-mouthed misfits against all odds. Plenty of American kids still wander through this right of passage, even when they’d rather not. And the film even teaches kids that they can’t depend on every adult and sometimes have to figure out things on their own. From a child’s point of view, quite possibly the greatest baseball movie ever made and easily one of the funniest.

Honorable mention: Little Big League, Little Giants, Rookie of the Year, The Sandlot, Space Jam

Romance: Bull Durham

Ron Shelton’s romantic comedy film stars Kevin Costner as “Crash” Davis, a veteran catcher brought in to teach rookie pitcher Ebby Calvin “Nuke” LaLoosh (Tim Robbins) about the game, as baseball groupie Annie (Susan Sarandon) romances Nuke but finds herself increasingly attracted to Crash. Easily a member of the baseball movie hall of fame, it beautifully captures the minor league experience and sentiment for the game no matter how cynical one might get about the world outside of it. One of Costner’s finest performances as the grizzled vet behind the plate.

Honorable mention: Jerry Maguire, Love & Basketball