Welcome to Balls on Film - a newsletter all about sports movies!
Thanks for stopping by! 👋🏻
‘Balls on Film’ is a publication all about sports movies.
Who doesn’t love a good sports movie or sports-themed television show? Ask a bunch of people what their favourite sports movie is, and you’re almost guaranteed to get a different answer from everyone. Sports movies are inspirational and they are feel-good. They’ve brought us some of the greatest and most beloved characters in cinema and, for me, sports movies are simply comfort. It’s the genre I’ll turn to when I’m having a bad day and I want to get lost in a movie, or when I want to watch something together with friends. Perhaps it’s the tried and tested underdog story, which the sports genre does so well, or perhaps it’s simply because I love both film and American sports, but I always gravitate towards sports movies and I love discussing them with others and discovering new ones - both good and bad. That’s how ‘Balls on Film’ was born.
Who are you?
Before we go any further, let me introduce myself and tell you a bit more about me: I’m James, and I love sports movies. For as far back as I can remember, I’ve always loved sports movies and I love to talk about them with anyone who will listen. Two of my biggest passions are cinema and American sports and I’m excited to bring those together here. I’m from the UK and live in Scotland. I never really took to any sports that are popular over here, and by that I mean football/soccer. I always gravitated towards American sports - probably because I became obsessed with professional wrestling and all things Americana from an early age.
I’ve also had a pretty eclectic writing career. Previously, I’ve written for BBC Good Food Magazine, Fighter’s Only Magazine and worked at ScreenTimes.net on features and reviews. I’ve also written for several local Scottish publications, both in-print and online, and even ran my own website for eight years, which focused on trying to find Glasgow’s Best Burger. ‘James vs. Burger’ was something that I started initially as a side hobby, born out of a very random conversation with my wife one rainy evening as we searched for somewhere to eat, and wondered where we could find the best burger in the city. We jokingly decided to search for the best one and document it, not thinking that anyone would actually read or care about it. Bars and restaurants around the city quickly found out about our reviews and rankings though, and the whole thing exploded overnight. It created a burger boom in the city, as every bar and restaurant began to compete for the title of best burger and the website even featured in the national press and several local publications.
When do you publish?
Every Friday, I’ll be diving into a different sports movie and it’ll be delivered straight to your inbox if you become a subscriber. Over time, I’ll look to add bonus content and other features but the Friday edition of Balls on Film will always be free, and offer a fun deep dive into a different title every week.
Will you only be writing about sports movies?
I’m looking forward to writing about and reviewing as many sports movies as possible - both good and bad, popular titles and really obscure ones too. If it contains the ‘sport’ tag on IMDb, then it’ll be covered here. From time to time, you’ll also find some sports-adjacent films and subjects covered here as well and some general life and pop-culture stuff too, wherever it connects to the world of sports cinema.
I’m also hoping that we can build a lively and welcoming community here, where we can talk about our love of the genre and any other topics of discussion that may arise. I’m looking forward to meeting you all in the comments, getting to know everyone and finding out what your favourite sports movies are.
Over time, my hope for this space is that it can become a place where ‘sports and art combine’, as Coach Ted Lasso famously said.
Some housekeeping…
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When commenting on posts or taking part in the chat, please always be respectful. Debating is encouraged but any trolling or abusive behaviour towards others will not be tolerated.
Thanks again, and please tell any friends who also love sports movies, and consider subscribing too.
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Thanks for reading!
~ James
