Gay for Play: The Best Queer Sports Movies of All Time

When someone says “queer sports movies” what titles come to mind? Bend It Like Beckham? A League of Their Own? Love and Basketball? Bring It On?

If your first thought is subtext, you’re not alone. These films still hold a grasp on our collective hearts unlike any queer sports movies where the queerness is explicit. Despite queer people’s major involvement in sports — especially in women’s sports — Hollywood has long neglected our stories.

That’s finally starting to change.

Today NYAD, the true story of lesbian swimmer Diana Nyad, was released on Netflix and it joins a series of other recent sports movies that aim to fill in this long-held gap. In Hollywood and beyond, more queer sports movies are being made every year, but there still aren’t enough. You’ll notice this list is lacking in trans movies — something I’ve personally tried to change with my trans girl soccer movie but after two failed development processes, no luck. You’ll also notice, despite the very queer WNBA, there isn’t a single movie here about women’s basketball — something my far more successful friends have tried to change, also no luck.

Nevertheless, as we ask for more, let’s celebrate what does exist. This list has queer women testing their physical limits, queer men confronting their toxic masculinity, and even a few cute and sporty gay romances. The definition of sports is nebulous, but I decided not to include movies about dance or skateboarding and only one movie from the canon of queer cheerleading. There are also quite a few queer sports movies not available or not yet released in the U.S. that I wasn’t able to watch!

Brush off your cleats, pump up your balls, and join us in celebrating the very best explicitly queer sports movies of all time.

Queer Sports Movies Not Yet Released In the U.S.:
Golden Delicious (dir. Jason Karman, 2022)
Marinette (dir. Virginie Verrier, 2023)
Summer with Hope (dir. Sadaf Foroughi, 2022)

Queer Sports Movies Not Currently Available In the U.S.:
Ciao Bella (dir. Mani Maserrat-Agah, 2007)
Guys and Balls (dir. Sherry Hormann, 2004)
Like It Is (dir. Paul Oremland, 1998)
The Shiny Shrimps (dir. Maxime Govare and Cédric Le Gallo, 2019)
Zen In the Ice Rift (dir. Margherita Ferri, 2018)

Queer Movies That Feature Sports But Don’t Center Sports:
Absent (dir. Marco Berger, 2011)
Blue Jean (dir. Georgia Oakley, 2022)
Breakfast with Scot (dir. Laurie Lynd, 2007)
The Broken Hearts Club: A Romantic Comedy (dir. Greg Berlanti, 2000)
Crush (dir. Sammi Cohen, 2022)
The Half Of It (dir. Alice Wu, 2020)

Queer Sports Movies That Didn’t Make the Cut:
1:54 (dir. Yan England, 2016)
Beautiful Boxer (dir. Ekachai Uekrongtham, 2003)
Breaking the Surface: The Greg Louganis Story (dir. Steven Hilliard Stern, 1997)
Bruised (dir. Halle Berry, 2020)
Boys (dir. Mischa Kamp, 2014)
Eleven Men Out (dir. Róbert I. Douglas, 2005)
Like a Virgin (dir. Lee Hae-Jun and Lee Hae-young, 2006)
Morgan (dir. Michael D. Akers, 2012)
The Pass (dir. Ben A. Williams, 2016)
Summer Storm (dir. Marco Kreuzpaintner, 2004)

The Top 12 Queer Sports Movies of All Time

12. Handsome Devil (2016)

dir. John Butler

If you liked “can you play basketball and do the school play,” you’ll love “can you play rugby and be gay.” This Irish charmer may hit familiar beats but it’s noteworthy for being the rare coming-out-age movie to center friendship and mentorship over romance. It also features a wonderful performance from Andrew Scott in the classic role of gay English teacher.

11. Play It to The Bone (1999)

dir. Ron Shelton

Universally panned upon its release, and still disliked by most today, Ron Shelton’s least known sports movie isn’t exactly an undiscovered masterpiece. That said, I do think it’s deserving of a better reputation — especially since its 90s sexism and homophobia have aged into something that feels more like commentary than offense. Antonio Banderas and Woody Harrelson play best friends and has-been boxers who get the chance to fight each other for a title shot. The movie follows the two of them on their road trip to Vegas for the fight, alongside their shared ex-girlfriend, played by Lolita Davidovich, and a horny stranger played by Lucy Liu. At one point, Banderas’ character admits that in the past he’s tried being “a fag.” Maybe intended as a homophobic joke — and certainly crass — Banderas, who got his start portraying queer characters in Almodóvar films, grounds the moment in reality. His character reads now simply as a bisexual man — a bisexual man trapped in the toxic world of boxing.

10. Cassandro (2023)

dir. Roger Ross Williams

Based on the true story of Saúl Armendáriz a.k.a. Cassandro, this crowdpleaser set in the world of lucha libre wrestling is an unabashed celebration of flamboyance. Gael García Bernal plays the title role, an exótico who finds strength in his overt queerness, and through that embrace of self achieves success. Bernal is joined by a fantastic supporting cast that includes Raúl Castillo, Bad Bunny, and queer icon Roberta Colindrez. Most male-led queer sports movies center masc athletes who keep their queerness hidden; Cassandro is a femme icon who chose to be loud and proud.

9. Battle of the Sexes (2017)

dir. Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris

Speaking of icons, Billie Jean King is a queer icon, a tennis icon, and an icon of the sports world at large. This movie does her legacy justice with pathos and charm. Focusing on her much-publicized match against Bobby Riggs, the film acts as both a portrait of King and a rallying cry for women’s sports. It also features a very sultry haircut scene between Emma Stone as King and Andrea Riseborough as her hairdresser and lover Marilyn Barnett. This Hollywood tale may brush over the pricklier aspects of King’s story — especially with Barnett— but it’s still a rousing story of lesbians, tennis, and putting an annoying straight man in his place.

8. Punch (2022)

dir. Welby Ings

This recent New Zealand film hits many familiar beats of both queer coming-of-age movies and boxing movies. It also happens to hit them with the skill of a champion fighter. By focusing on specificity of character, the film grounds its clichés. This is a beautifully crafted film that’s emotional yet never maudlin. It also touches upon the specific challenge of today’s queer youth who are exposed to celebrations of Gay Pride while still facing discrimination — overt and subtle — from within their communities.

7. Signature Move (2017)

dir. Jennifer Reeder

Before Jennifer Reeder was making idiosyncratic horror features and Fawzia Mirza was embracing full auteur status, they teamed up for this late-in-life coming-of-age lucha libre romance. Mirza plays Zaynab, a Pakistani lesbian lawyer who is training as a wrestler on the side. Her life is complicated when she begins a romance with a woman played by Sari Sanchez who challenges her to fully embrace herself. One-third romcom, one-third family dramedy, and one-third queer sports movie, all the pieces click for an entertaining, nuanced, and heartfelt experience.

6. Sarah Prefers to Run (2013)

dir. Chloé Robichaud

Days of Happiness director Chloé Robichaud’s debut feature follows another ambitious woman at a different stage in her life. As Sarah cautiously steps into young adulthood, all she wants to do is run. She gets offered a position on the track team at McGill, and, in order to shoulder the financial cost, enters into a questionable, and possibly dangerous, financial agreement with an older male roommate. The film lives in Sarah’s point-of-view, never providing easy answers while still making Sarah’s queer feelings obvious even as they elude Sarah herself. Grounded in a melancholy realism, Robichaud’s film is a quiet and painful tribute to the complex simplicities of youth. It also has an all-time great queer karaoke scene.

5. Backspot (2023)

dir. D.W. Waterson

This film hasn’t been released yet, but I was lucky enough to see it at TIFF! When putting together this list, I couldn’t decide whether to include cheer. I would never question the athleticism required, but I also wouldn’t question the athleticism required for dance and I decided I had to leave that off. Well, D.W. Waterson’s debut starring Devery Jacobs, Kudakwashe Rutendo, and Evan Rachel Wood, made the inclusion of cheer undeniable. This is an excellent film about a young athlete pushing her body, her mind, and her personal life to the limits and should be in any future conversations of the best queer sports movies. (Full disclosure: I know D.W. and Devery but, even with my bias, I really think you’re all going to love this when it comes out next year.)

4. Mario (2018)

dir. Marcel Gisler

While a lot of films on this list embody that classic sports movie triumph, this Swiss drama takes a harsher look at homophobia in professional sports. New player Leon immediately catches the eye of star player Mario, but their budding romance quickly gets in the way of their chances at advancing to professional soccer careers. The film wisely avoids melodrama, focusing instead on the painful day-to-day experience of having to lie about who you are in order to play the sport you love.

3. NYAD (2023)

dir. Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin

When I saw this film at TIFF, I used it as an excuse to examine transphobia in sports. But now that the real-life Diana Nyad has changed her stance on trans women inclusion in athletics, I just want to celebrate it as a remarkable entry in the canon of queer sports movies. Annette Bening as Nyad and Jodie Foster as Bonnie, Nyad’s best friend and coach, have a crackling friendship chemistry. It’s the sort of relationship between two older queer women rarely shown on-screen. And the swimming sequences are as exceptional as the character development. The film’s directors have a history in extreme sport documentary and use those skills to immerse us in Nyad’s mission. It’s an exhilarating experience and wonderful portrait of a woman who tested the limits of not only her own body but the human body.

2. Personal Best (1982)

dir. Robert Towne

This is the classic queer sports movie and it’s a classic for a reason. Starring Mariel Hemingway and Patrice Donnelly as track and field competitors to lovers, Robert Towne’s film is a sweaty, sexy, groundbreaking masterpiece of athletics and lesbianism. While not without its moments of casual 80s bigotry, overall the movie holds up as a portrait of two women who bond over their desire to be the very best. This movie is Capricorn4Capricorn representation and, as a queer woman Capricorn myself, I love it dearly.

1. The Novice (2021)

dir. Lauren Hadaway

Pulsing with raw energy, Lauren Hadaway’s feature directorial debut was inspired by her own experience rowing crew. This is a movie made by an athlete, made by an artist, who approaches her craft as a filmmaker with the same attention to detail as her ambitious protagonist approaches her sport. Isabelle Fuhrman plays Alex, a college freshman we learn little about beyond her compulsive need to be the best novice on the crew team. By stripping down the story to bare essentials, Hadaway trusts in her cinematography, sound design, and stunning lead performance. This is the best queer sports movie of all time, because it commits to an athlete’s point of view. Everything but the goal of being the best is mere distraction. We are with Alex as she trains, as she pushes, as she destroys herself for a singular purpose. It’s a frightening portrait of athletic determination and a stunning cinematic achievement.

What are your favorite queer sports movies of all time?

Is Tennis Full of Lesbians?

It’s that time of year when we all tune in to ESPN and watch our favorite live gaming event of the year, The French Open! And just in time, retired Australian tennis player Margaret Court has filled the entire world in on tennis’ greatest secret: tennis is full of lesbians!

A young Margaret Court, who is not a tennis lesbian.

I for one, was shocked—shocked—by this breaking news. Tennis? Full of lesbians? Absolutely not. Dana Fairbanks was the first tennis lesbian I’d ever heard of! Despite my love for field hockey in high school, though, I’m not the sportiest of queers, so I knew it was possible I was just ignorant about tennis lesbianism. As a Gemini, I felt it my duty to correct this lack of knowledge, and so I went digging.

Dana Fairbanks: professional tennis lesbian full of feelings

In an interview with 20Twenty Vision Christian Radio, Court is quoted saying, “I mean, tennis is full of lesbians[!]” As a younger tennis player, she remembers there being “only a couple there” but that they had tons of parties, and always brought the newer, younger tennis lesbians with them to parties so that they could be around their heroes. How thoughtful. Thanks older lesbian tennis players!

Martina Navratilova with perfect tennis face

Court also stated that more children are LBGTQ+ because of “communism”, saying that “there’s a whole plot in our nation, and in the nations of the world, to get the minds of the children.” I don’t disagree. Communism is a great way to reach children. Resource sharing? Into it. (Unfortunately, it’s actually not Communists or queers attempting to penetrate children’s minds, it’s folks with far more devious motives.)

Billie Jean King: power tennis lesbian who KaeLyn once saw speak at a YWCA luncheon last year where she hit signed tennis balls directly into the audience

As a serious investigative journalist, I knew I needed to do further research. After all, there’s only so much you can learn from a Buzzfeed news article and a 45 minute interview. Is tennis full of lesbians? The internet, and by “the internet” I mean my co-workers on Slack, had a lot more to say about this than I expected. Riese Bernard, Autostraddle’s CEO had this to say, “Tennis has been a longstanding situation for lesbians. Dana Fairbanks was based on a true story. Power lesbian tennis players cavorted secretly in Palm Springs in the 80s and 90s. These are all true facts I cannot provide sources for, but I’m confident about them. Also, Some of the first out lesbians ever, Billie Jean King and Martina Navratilova, were tennis players.” Kayla K, a Staff Writer, said that “Tennis is def full of lesbians!!” citing that, “There was sooooo much lesbian drama on my HS tennis team. My doubles partner was in a secret relationship with another girl on the team it was a whole thing.” Fascinating.

Can’t argue with sound logic and personal anecdotes, right? Some naysayers disagree. Molly Priddy, Autostraddle’s own Feelings Rookie said, “Sometimes I think the mandatory skirts deterred a good many of our more masc[uline] of center athletes,” while Erin Sullivan believes, “Tennis is not full of lesbians but I welcome an upswing!!” Perhaps tennis is full of lesbians who haven’t come out yet? Only time will tell.

Gaby Sabatini may or may not be a lesbian, but she is flagging for fisting.

I also conducted a very official poll on Twitter, seeking the public’s opinion on this vital matter, and just like the staff of Autostraddle, they’re split! As of the writing of this, 46% of poll takers believe that yes, tennis is full of lesbians, while 54% answered either “no” or “just Dana Fairbanks”. Still no straight (pun intended) answer.

https://twitter.com/firecrackerroot/status/869977137809379340

According to one specific forum thread from the tennis side of the internet, which has apparently sat dormant since around 2002, while tennis may not be full of lesbians, there are definitely some out there. And according to Wikipedia’s dynamic list of LGBT Sportspeople there are or have been at least twelve non-fictional tennis lesbians in all of time. I’ve organized them all in a list for you.

Tennis Lesbians

• Dana Fairbanks (fictional, but real in my heart)
• Billie Jean King
• Martina Navitalova
• Casey Dellacqua
• Amelie Mauresmo
• Gaby Sabatini???
• Beatriz “Gigi” Fernandez
• Helen Jacobs
• Ilana Kloss
• Hana Mandlíková
• Lisa Raymond
• Renée Richards
• Rennae Stubbs

Hana Mandlíková: the soft butch who just made me interested in tennis.

One of these lesbian tennis players, the legendary Martina Navratilova, has a very solid theory regarding Court’s statements: “It is now clear exactly who Court is: an amazing tennis player, and a racist and a homophobe.” Good point.

So, is tennis full of lesbians? The jury’s still out (another pun!).  If I’m being honest, I don’t actually know how many women tennis players there are right now, period. Can’t be more than like, what, 40? If my estimates are correct, then that means that at least 25% of women tennis players are lesbians right now at this minute. Maybe even more! And this is just the tip of the iceberg, and according to Margaret Court, “you know, what you get at the top is often what you’ll get right through that sport.” Seems clear enough to me.

The US Open and Other Sporting Events That May Consume Your Life

Hello people who may or may not care about tennis. Do you care about America? Still a maybe? That’s fine. It’s only relevant because the US Open is coming to a close and it’s in America I’m pretty sure. Generally I like this major more than the rest because I’m not a communist and also because there are an abundant amount of familiar faces. It’s like an alternate Cheers where I may not know everyone’s name but at least I can pronounce most of them. I assume even tennis stars have been effected by the economic downturn and they too are extremely happy about not having to board international flights, rackets and wristbands in tow.

Phillip Hall/USTA

The finals for the Women’s Singles are Sunday and will see Serena Williams USA (28) take on Samantha Stosur AUS (9). The men face off Monday and have Novak Djokovic SRB (1) facing Rafael Nadal ESP (2). Both should be fantastic matches. Lots of grunting. Balls going speeds I’m not comfortable with. The usual.

The US Open is the last tennis major of the year and unfortunately overlaps with the start of college and professional football. I only said that because I hope some of you are excited about this fact. My number one feeling about football right now is Maryland’s uniforms.

Football too slow moving for you? Then how about rugby! Our men’s side, the Eagles, have a match vs. Ireland Sunday on NBC to start their journey in the mother effing Rugby World Cup. If you’ve never watched rugby before, tune in because as we learned from our handy dandy college guide, women’s rugby is super duper gay. What better way to impress that cute flanker than complimenting her on how quick she gets off? That’s actual rugby terminology but it sounds dirty. So learn up so you too can make sexual advances disguised as sporting observations.

Are you surprised by the US Open’s results? What do you think of Maryland’s jerseys? Will you watch the Rugby World Cup?

Wimbledon 2011 Preview: The Tennis Girls of Summer

Summertime. The land of no college basketball, no football and no hot chocolate. Although the sweltering summer brings joy to many people for many reasons, the sports/television arena loses a bit of momentum. It’s almost like you have to go outside and be a person. Almost.

If the sun is of no interest to you, my grandma’s favorite sport is having this tournament called Wimbledon. Maybe you’ve heard of it, neighborface.

This super fancy tennis tournament started June 20th and runs until July 3rd so it’d be pretty easy to find time to catch a match or two. Wimbledon is one of the four major tennis tournaments called the Grand Slams. These tournaments remind me of Denny’s. If they wanted to express to me that these events are a big deal, they would have called them Lumberjack Slams. But you live and you learn, you know.

Tennis is fun because every match is like a failed relationship. There are emotional ups and downs, lots of grunting, and when it’s all said and done after things have gone on for way too long, someone wins and someone loses. The top four women’s single seeds have a single Grand Slam win betwixt all of them which makes it terribly unclear who will win this year. My money is on a female tennis player but then again, I’m not a betting woman. Kim Clijsters and Dinara Safina, who have both found success in Grand Slams, are out with injuries. Let’s take a look at some of the remaining contenders, shall we?

+

Maria Sharapova (5)

The Russian player took Wimbledon back in 2004. Since then, she’s become a professional good-looking person and one of the highest paid female athletes in the world. Though her looks might get her a win in your book, she’s going to have to employ her trademark scrappiness and power game to take the title.

+

Venus Williams (23)

She does her own style, at her own time.

Venus is one of the two players who got bumped up from her Women’s Tennis Association ranking. Guess who the other is. If you said her sister, you are correct. Here’s an internet cookie. (That works on so many levels.) The Williams are The Mowry sisters of the tennis world. Even if you can’t tell them apart, you know they’re both awesome. She’s won Wimbledon singles 5 times, the last being in 2008. Though she’s only played in two tournaments this year, no one is counting her out just yet.

+

Serena Williams (7)

Sharapova would love to win as a means to finally overcome her last two injury-plagued years. I’m sure Serena wants to win as well but I don’t think it’s going to erase the memory of that time she almost died. If Williams pulls off a win, it will be her third win in a row at Wimbledon. Serena has reached the 200 mark for Grand Slam singles wins in her career. Things I have 200 of include Q-Tips.

+

Caroline Wozniacki (1)

The Dane has no women’s Grand Slam titles. She’s probably pretty bummed about this since she’s seeded first in the tournament and number one in the world. Now folks expect her to do things like win Wimbledon. People and their expectations, right? Wozniacki is only 20 so I’m not ready to call her Kournikova Jr. just yet.

+

Marion Bartoli (9)

Why is Bartoli on this list? 1. In the French Open she advanced to the semi-finals. 2. She’s played well at Wimbledon the last four years 3. She recently won her first grass court title at the Eastbourne Warm-Up. I think that’s enough but if you need further convincing, I can make something up. 4. She eats Nutella by the spoonful between games for good luck.

That serves as my Wimbledon warm-up. Thanks for coming by. Here’s something to show how much I care. A picture of Bethanie Mattek-Sands’ tennis ball dress. She sported this gem to the WTA Pre-Wimbledon Party. It was designed by Alex Noble whom you may know from his work with one Lady Gaga.

Who do you think will take Wimbledon this year? What is your grandmother’s favorite sport? Should Mattek-Sands have said yes to the dress?