{"id":34262,"date":"2025-07-24T17:44:07","date_gmt":"2025-07-24T17:44:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/34262\/"},"modified":"2025-07-24T17:44:07","modified_gmt":"2025-07-24T17:44:07","slug":"the-sports-movie-sequels-we-want-to-see-after-the-release-of-happy-gilmore-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/34262\/","title":{"rendered":"The sports movie sequels we want to see after the release of \u2018Happy Gilmore 2\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"

Almost three decades after his (fictitious) Tour Championship triumph, Adam Sandler is back on the links as Happy Gilmore. The official follow-up to 1996\u2019s golf screwball comedy is out Friday on Netflix. Sandler, Julie Bowen, Christopher McDonald, Ben Stiller and Dennis Dugan are all back in their original roles. It remains to be seen if it\u2019s a worthwhile summertime watch, or if everyone involved should \u201cgo back to (their) shanties<\/a>.\u201d Either way, it got us thinking about all the other sports movies that deserve a part II \u2026 or III or IV.<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s what my colleagues and I came up with. Drop a comment below with your best (or most wonderfully unhinged) sequel ideas.<\/p>\n

The Athletic readers can stream movies, TV and live sports on Fubo (try for free<\/a>).<\/p>\n

Because I was the one to bring this exercise to our group, I felt obliged to come through with two different out-there offerings. Hollywood can cut the check in advance.<\/p>\n

\u201cFever Pitch\u201d<\/p>\n

I\u2019m going with the 2005 one centered around the Boston Red Sox, which is a twist on the 1997 British original about a lovestruck Arsenal superfan. The American version\u2019s leads, played by Jimmy Fallon and Drew Barrymore, are expecting a kid at the end of the movie. Canonically, that child is named either Ted Williams Wrightman or (brace yourself, dear reader) Carla Yastrzemski Wrightman.<\/p>\n

In today\u2019s timeline, Carla Yastrzemski has indeed inherited her father\u2019s bleeding heart baseball obsession. Now for our twist. In an effort to find her voice and rebel against her suburban upbringing, she becomes a diehard Arizona Diamondbacks fan. Yup! Carla, played by Maisie Williams, is slowly driving away her boyfriend (Jharrel Jerome) \u2026 not because of trust issues or a lack of communication or a pesky ex, but because the Snakes can\u2019t get over the NL West hump. Why won\u2019t our protagonist give this promising relationship a real shot? Well, Kevin Ginkel keeps blowing the seventh inning, that\u2019s why. Stay for the post-credits scene, in which Fallon shares a wedding toast with Steve Finley and D. Baxter the Bobcat<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cEddie\u201d<\/p>\n

Suspend your belief for a second and picture this: The New York Knicks have somehow put together their best season in 25 years, then unceremoniously can their head coach without a viable replacement in mind. A Madison Avenue farce breaks out, and a charming, outspoken fan gets the job of a lifetime. The original, which was underappreciated in 1996 (dare we say misunderstood?), starred Whoopi Goldberg as the Knicks\u2019 new coach. There is but one singular actor qualified for the 2025 sequel.<\/a><\/p>\n

Now, from my tremendously talented and far more rational coworkers:<\/p>\n

The Athletic staff picks\u201cBend it Like Beckham\u201d (a popular choice!)<\/p>\n

This was a groundbreaking film that inspired a generation of young women, particularly those from underrepresented backgrounds, to see themselves in sport. A sequel offers an opportunity to speak directly to the next generation of girls growing up in England and around the world, with a cast that meaningfully represents the diversity of today\u2019s game \u2014 including South Asian, Arab and Black players. Women\u2019s soccer has made incredible strides since 2002, but progress has not been equal across all communities. Just this week, England international Jess Carter<\/a> publicly stepped back from social media in response to the wave of racist abuse she and other players of color have received during the Women\u2019s European Championship. This is a reminder that, while the game has moved forward, the work is far from done. A sequel would celebrate how far we\u2019ve come \u2014 while also confronting the barriers that still exist \u2014 with the same heart, humor and cultural insight that made the original a classic.<\/p>\n

I\u2019d name the 2025 reboot \u201cBend It Like Bhamra,\u201d with the protagonist Jess Bhamra breaking new ground again \u2014 this time as the manager of Leicester FC women\u2019s team, fighting for its first Women\u2019s Super League title. It would make for a high-energy, heartwarming sequel about love, community, identity and standing up for what\u2019s right. Parminder Nagra, Keira Knightley and Jonathan Rhys Meyers would return, and I\u2019d cast newcomers like Adwoa Aboah, Lupita Nyong\u2019o and Margaret Qualley. \u2014 Alice Devine, senior art director for global video\u00a0<\/p>\n

I\u2019d love to see \u201cBend it like Beckham 2\u201d with the women\u2019s soccer\/football scene booming far more than it was in 2002. We just cracked the first female transfer over a million pounds in USWNT defender Naomi Girma going to Chelsea<\/a>. The 2025 Euros<\/a> have been great, and the NWSL is expanding<\/a> \u2014 so many more opportunities, but also so much more pressure. This would be a great watch considering our current moment. \u2014 Sarah Doran<\/a>, NHL staff editor\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cHe Got Game\u201d<\/p>\n

This one would be \u201cShe Got Game,\u201d with Jesus Shuttlesworth (Ray Allen) now the father and Angel Reese playing the lead. It deserves a sequel because it was a relatable story about a star coming into their own while dealing with family demons. Even though Jesus\u2019 daughter will have grown up in better circumstances, he still struggles with trying to raise her differently than how he was raised. \u2014 Dan Santaromita<\/a>, sports betting senior editor\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cLittle Giants\u201d<\/p>\n

Give me a sequel as soon as possible. It\u2019s a classic<\/a> that still holds up. For this installment, Becky \u201cThe Icebox\u201d O\u2019Shea has a child (gender is negotiable) who is living in her shadow and reckoning with her storied career on the field. They experience the highs and lows of trying to find their way in high school football. Get the \u201cStranger Things\u201d casting director to find us a teenage child star, bring back Shawna Waldron and let\u2019s get rolling.<\/p>\n

Actually, please give me a sequel to every single \u201990s\/2000s kids sports movie. \u201cThe Big Green,\u201d \u201cLike Mike,\u201d \u201cAngels in the Outfield,\u201d \u201cLittle Big League,\u201d \u201cRookie of the Year.\u201d Let\u2019s go full \u201cKarate Kid\u201d on these franchises. \u2014 David Ubben<\/a>, college football senior writer\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Sandlot\u201d<\/p>\n

Anything else would be a big miss. Benny is now a manager, and Smalls is now \u201ckilling (us)\u201d as a commentator. Squints and Wendy\u2019s kids are the new Sandlot crew leaders, with the rest of the next-generation names joining them to play ball. Elsewhere,\u00a0Ham\u2019s wrestling career flames out, so he tries to get the Bambino ball from Smalls to sell for some money.<\/p>\n

Wait \u2026 two straight-to-video sequels<\/a> already exist? What?! Surely we\u2019d do it better this time around. \u2014 Jake Ciely<\/a>, senior fantasy sports writer<\/p>\n

\u201cKicking & Screaming\u201d<\/p>\n

The 2005 comedy needs a sequel because it\u2019s absolutely ridiculous. Robert Duvall and Will Ferrell are father and son, but they\u2019re also rival kids soccer coaches, and Ferrell recruits his neighbor (Mike Ditka!) onto the sidelines to try to win the big match. I really enjoyed the \u201cget the ball to the Italians\u201d lure in this movie. There is also a lot of draw here because, as of recently, some people are saying that Ferrell isn\u2019t actually funny \u2014 and I strongly disagree with them. I\u2019d want to see Josh Hutcherson (who plays Ferrell\u2019s half-brother in the original) as the dad in this one, with Bill Belichick (!) as his neighbor. Totally ridiculous film, and is dumb enough to get some laughs! \u2014 Joe Crisalli, senior video producer<\/p>\n

\u201cCool Runnings\u201d<\/p>\n

I\u2019ve always wanted a \u201cCool Runnings 2,\u201d where the original team gets back together in its older age. Having practiced and excelled at shuffleboard, they decide to make an Olympic bid in curling. \u201cJamaica \u2026 we have a curling team!\u201d They are coached by John Candy\u2019s estranged daughter Melissa McCarthy, who is, of course, an Olympic curler in her own right. \u2014 Jonathan MacMillan, games team software engineer\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Color of Money\u201d<\/p>\n

The 1986 Martin Scorsese film was a sequel of its own, as we followed Fast Eddie Felson (Paul Newman) 25 years after he exited Chalkie\u2019s pool hall at the end of \u201cThe Hustler.\u201d Fast Eddie, no longer so fast or young, became a liquor salesman, then saw an avenue back into big-time pool by tutoring the ambitious and naive pool prodigy played by Tom Cruise. Their adventure, along with an excellent Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio, is a love letter to pool and fighting off aging. It also ends with a perfect avenue to another sequel. I\u2019d cast today\u2019s 63-year-old Cruise as the Newman character, and a younger actor or actress (which would make for a more interesting sequel) to play an up-and-coming pool shark. \u2014 Richard Deitsch<\/a>, sports media senior writer<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Mighty Ducks\u201d<\/p>\n

Yes, this movie has spawned two sequels, an animated series and a show starring Lauren Graham that recently ran for two seasons on Disney+. But it\u2019s time for a follow-up flick set in the present day \u2014 and it\u2019s time to bring back Charlie Conway.<\/p>\n

Joshua Jackson nostalgia is strong right now, despite the unjust cancellation of his wildly over-the-top show \u201cDoctor Odyssey.\u201d Just this week, it came out that he\u2019s reteaming with Katie Holmes<\/a> on a movie. And last month, he reunited with Marguerite Moreau<\/a> (Connie in TMD film franchise) to announce the Anaheim Ducks\u2019 first-round pick at the NHL Draft (Roger McQueen, the name of a Hawks player if I\u2019ve ever heard one). In D4, Charlie is a widowed father whose daughter hasn\u2019t picked up a hockey stick since the death of her mother. Charlie reluctantly takes over for the Ducks after their coach leaves for the Hawks and recruits the Ducks\u2019 best players to follow him. Now Charlie has to assemble a ragtag team, reignite his daughter\u2019s love for hockey, and teach a younger generation the all-important lesson that ducks fly together. Quack, quack, quack, quack \u2026 \u2014 Sarah Hardy<\/a>, streaming editor<\/p>\n

\u201cAny Given Sunday\u201d<\/p>\n

Willie Beamen as a beaten, old veteran QB going into his \u201clast dance\u201d season. It deserves a sequel because it\u2019s one of the only movies that captures the brutal nature of the NFL, and it feels appropriate as ever today. Jamie Foxx should be back. Maybe a cameo from Al Pacino, but I don\u2019t think he should play a major role. Let\u2019s go with Robert Downey Jr. as the GM and Ryan Gosling as the young, offensive whiz kid head coach. \u2014 Ted Nguyen<\/a>, NFL staff writer\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cBull Durham\u201d<\/p>\n

Crash, now working at Sears, is approached for a minor league managerial vacancy in Durham, where they\u2019re set to welcome the No. 1 pick for his pro debut. Crash is stunned to learn that the No. 1 pick is the son of Nuke and PLOT TWIST Annie(!), who married Nuke after Crash self-sabotaged their relationship because he remains convinced he\u2019s not allowed to have nice things in this world. But I also feel like \u201cBull Durham\u201d is such a classic there\u2019s no room for improvement.\u00a0 Who knows, though, maybe I\u2019m just a lollygagger! \u2014 Mike Hume<\/a>, senior fantasy managing editor<\/p>\n

Streaming links in this article are provided by partners of The Athletic. Restrictions may apply. The Athletic maintains full editorial independence. Partners have no control over or input into the reporting or editing process and do not review stories before publication.<\/p>\n

(Illustration: Kelsea Petersen \/ The Athletic; Archive photos: Getty, Sundance \/ Getty, Getty Images \/ Getty\u00a0)<\/p>\n