After a devastating—albeit unsurprising—loss to Ohio State last week, the Badgers take on the Iowa Hawkeyes at Camp Randall tomorrow. Given last year's precipitous drop-off following their first loss, the team needs to win this game to show the nation it is a contender in the Big Ten title picture. Last week, Athletic Director Barry Alvarez gave the team a pep talk, hoping to spark enough excitement to pull off an upset at the Horseshoe. This week, I offer my own motivational technique in hopes of spurring the Badgers to a truly happy Homecoming weekend.
Some of the most inspirational movies of all time are football films, and while there are some notorious exceptions (no one will be begging Dwayne ""The Rock"" Johnson to make a sequel to ""The Game Plan"" or ""Gridiron Gang""), they're usually a good motivational technique. Here are three football movies, all based on true stories, that will hopefully inspire Wisconsin to victory.
1. ""Rudy""
Your father gets emotional when even thinking about this movie, your high school football coach watched it to learn motivational speeches for your team, and now the story of a classic underdog who gets a shot at the big time for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish can inspire the Badgers to play every down like it's their only shot at glory. ""Rudy"" features a pre-hobbit Sean Astin as he tries to overcome his diminuitive stature, mediocre grades and a general lack of athletic ability to earn a spot on the greatest college football program in the nation (other than the Badgers, of course). If you don't tear up even a little bit when the crowd chants Rudy's name as he takes the field, you officially have no soul.
2. ""Remember the Titans""
""Remember the Titans"" is not only an inspirational film in its portrayal of a town breaking through race barriers, but also in its depiction of a high school football team becoming much more than a team under the tutelage of embattled coach Herman Boone (Denzel Washington). Featuring breakout performances by Donald Faison (""Scrubs""), Ethan Suplee (""My Name is Earl"") and Ryan Gosling (""The Notebook""), ""Remember the Titans"" inspires action while also tugging at their heartstrings. It's no wonder NFL teams often show the film to players to give them an idea of the hardworking, team-first attitude they're looking for.
3. ""Brian's Song""
Like ""Rudy"" and ""Remember the Titans,"" ""Brian's Song"" is based on the true story of the relationship between Chicago Bears running backs Brian Piccolo (James Caan) and Gale Sayers (Billy Dee Williams). Brian is a well-liked, white veteran running back, while Gale is an upstart, physically gifted black running back trying to take Brian's job. The two form an unlikely relationship, first as roommates, then as teammates trying to drive each other to be the best they can be. When Brian finds out he is dying of cancer, Gale is heartbroken, but steely in his resolve to play in ""Pick's"" memory. ""Brian's Song"" might be the sappiest film on this list (and considering how sappy ""Rudy"" and ""Remember the Titans"" are, that's saying something), but it's about as inspirational as they come. The film's climactic scene has Gale tearfully telling an audience, ""I love Brian Piccolo... and tonight, I want you to love him too."" And chances are, after watching ""Brian's Song,"" you will, in fact, going to love him too.
