As part of Sportsnet magazine’s upcoming sports movie package we’re seeking to determine the greatest fictional athlete in film history. And we need your help to do it.
“Greatness” is open to interpretation. Some of the names appearing in the bracket overcame extreme adversity, others single-handedly took their team from laughing-stock to champion, while a select few were flat-out dominant in their respective sports.
Each day this week on Sportsnet.ca we’ll be asking you to cast your vote, with the final results appearing in the next issue of Sportsnet. With a seemingly endless list of worthy candidates and a rule that only one athlete from a movie can be represented, on Monday we asked you to help whittle the list down to 16 names that will make up the bracket. Tuesday and Wednesday we cut through the eight first-round showdowns.
Now it’s on to the second round.
Vote on the following matchups: Adam Banks vs. Rocky Balboa; Roy Hobbs vs. Rod Tidwell; Happy Gilmore vs. Rick “Wild Thing” Vaughn
But no more waiting. It’s time to get to a second-round matchup featuring a pair of superlative baseball talents:
Dottie Hinson, C, Rockford Peaches
Ever seen Russell Martin drop into the splits and make a catch? Well, Dottie Hinson did. The star catcher for the Rockford Peaches out-did the likes of Madonna and Rosie O’Donnell on the field, doing everything in her power—including the splits, and catching the ball behind her back—to drum up fans. The one knock on Dottie is that in the championship game, her sister slid into her at home and knocked the ball out of Dottie’s hand, and so the Peaches lost. But we’re pretty sure Dottie dropped it on purpose because she’s a nice sister. It only cements her legend.
Benny “The Jet” Rodriguez
How does Benny help Scotty Smalls adapt to life in a new town? He sticks him in left-centre, 300 feet from home plate, and intentionally hits a ball into his glove—A CHILD-SIZED GLOVE 300 FEET AWAY. As a kid Benny’s already the greatest athlete in cinematic history, and when he grows up he makes the majors and steals home by straight-up beating out the pitch. He outruns a major-league fastball.