Kick off football season with these flicks on Philo

A comfort creature is shown sitting in a living room with sports objects hovering around.

The end of summer is nigh.

We recently helped you get ready for back to school season, now the weather is cooling and one of our favorite pastimes has arrived. Get out the grill, fire up your favorite tailgating treats, start memorizing the 2-deep, and clear your weekend plans: Football season is here!

Whether you’re a college football fanatic or an NFL aficionado, or maybe those fabled high school Friday Night Lights games are more your style, we know that every football fan loves gridiron TV shows and movies. While you might not be able to watch football on Philo, except for a few games each year that air on Nick (including this year on Christmas!), we’ve got plenty of movies and shows to get you warmed up before a trip to the local sports bar, friend’s house, or stadium.

Getting close to the goal line but just can’t decide what to watch? Before the coin tosses, kick back and game plan around these football series and flicks to watch on Philo:

ALL-STATE, ALL-AMERICAN AND ALL-PRO FILMS BASED ON TRUE STORIES

Friday Night Lights (2004)

This classic film needs little introduction. Based on the 1990 nonfiction book Friday Night Lights: a Town, a Team and a Dream, FNL put Odessa, Texas, firmly on the field of pop culture. Everything’s bigger in Texas, including obsession over the local high school football team, which suffers a devastating setback when star running back Boobie Miles is injured in the opening game. It’s up to coach Gary Gaines to inspire a restless community rife with its own problems.

Note: Gaines recently passed away at the age of 73.

Only available via STARZ add-on*

The Express (2008)

The story of the first African-American to win the Heisman Trophy is one of the most important in football’s history. Overcoming his extraordinary circumstances, Ernie Davis found a way to play for Syracuse University. With some guidance from his coach, Davis became one of the school’s best players of all time, breaking records set by NFL Hall of Famer Jim Brown.

Only available via STARZ add-on*

Concussion (2015)

While we love the inherent collisions that decorate football fields, it’s important to also consider the ramifications. Will Smith plays Doctor Bennet Omalu, whose discovery of brain deterioration forever altered the way we think about football. The Dr. stands up to billionaires and poses questions that cause a cultural shift throughout all of football. This is an important watch for any football fan!

Only available via STARZ add-on*

Rudy (1993)

Rudy… Rudy… Rudy…

Rudy taught us that no matter your size, your skill, your background or your circumstance, you can be great just by the amount of effort and heart you put into anything. The film saw Sean Astin play the Notre Dame walk-on, Daniel “Rudy” Ruettiger, who fights for a spot on the roster, does double duty as a janitor, and more than anything wants to make his community proud. The movie holds a special place in Notre Dame lore – and its greater cultural significance rings true to this day.

Only available via STARZ add-on*

We Are Marshall (2006)

Tragedy struck Marshall University and Huntington, West Virginia, in 1970. A plane carrying 75 members of the football team and boosters of the program crashed and left no survivors. We Are Marshall focuses on new coach Jack Lengyel the following season, trying to rebuild the Thundering Herd and help a community settle its grief.

Airing Monday, Sept. 5 on CMT at 7 AM. (Don’t forget to set your DVR ahead of time)

LOOSE LACES

Jerry Maguire (1996)

Professional football is a big business. And Jerry Maguire famously showed us the money! Desperate to retain his top-dollar client after launching his own business, greasy sports agent Jerry Maguire begins to see there’s more to life than paydays.

Airing Wednesday, Aug. 31 at 5 AM. (Don’t forget to set your DVR ahead of time!)

The Replacements (2000)

It’s late in the season; the playoffs are fast approaching; and the Washington Sentinels have just gone on strike. Scrambling for a solution, the Sentinels’ owner Edward O’Neil hatches a plan to bring in legendary coach Jimmy McGinty to recruit a team of replacement players in exactly one week. For fans and owners alike, the strike is a disaster. But for Shane Falco and a mismatched crew of outsiders, it is the second chance they’ve waited their whole lives for.

Airing Friday, Sept. 1 at 4PM on VH1 (Set your DVR and don’t miss a minute!)

The Longest Yard (2005)

Former pro quarterback Paul Crewe’s very public arrest lands him in jail where he’s forced to entertain the warden with a football game against the prison’s security personnel. Crewe’s crew is a ragtag bunch, with limited resources to train for a game against much more prepared and better trained competition.

Airing Saturday, August 26 at 8:25 PM (Set your DVR and have it for the whole year!)

Bonus: The original 1974 film is also available via the EPIX add-on.

Here are a few more choices that we didn’t feature more in-depth. Final cuts from the roster: Blide Side (2009), Draft Day (2014), Any Given Sunday (1999), Gridiron Gang (2006), Varsity Blues (1999), The Waterboy (1998), Heaven Can Wait (1978), and Unnecessary Roughness (1991). Pro-Tip: While some of these movies might not currently have upcoming airings on Philo, save them to your DVR and they’ll record when they air in the future

The point after: Looking for more football? Season 2 of NFL Icons premieres on EPIX on September 10. Click the link to find out how to add-on to your current Philo package.

And for more family-friendly NFL highlights, check out Nickelodeon’s NFL Slimetime. The show pairs former NFL veteran Nate Burleson with Nick star Young Dylan Grimer together to break down the top highlights from each week of NFL action – all with some green goo to top it all off!

Let us know which movies had you ready to run through a brick wall for your coach on Twitter and Facebook!


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