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.
Vote on the following matchups: Benny “The Jet” Rodriguez vs. Amanda Whurlitzer; Jesus Shuttlesworth vs. Happy Gilmore; Roy Hobbs vs. Joe Cooper
So let’s get started with our first round match-ups, this one pitting two transformative superstars against each other:
Adam Banks, F, Mighty Ducks
A loophole in the Minnesota city zoning sent Banks from the Hawks to the rival Ducks, and while neither side was happy with the move, Banks proved to be the do-it-all wunderkind forward that the hapless Ducks needed to turn them into contenders. Put it this way: You don’t wear No. 99 unless you deserve it.
Lewis Scott, G, Utah Jazz
He single-handedly took a lousy Utah Jazz team to the NBA finals (think: LeBron James in 2007 with Cleveland) and was so dominant that two crazed fans had to capture him to give their hometown Celtics any legitimate shot at winning.