Tom Mayenknecht: September 5 the most important sports movie of the year

September 5 is not only the best sport movie of the year, it is arguably one of the most important sport business movies of all-time. Note that the Munich Games were the first in history to be broadcast live by satellite, and that more than 900 million people watched the tragedy unfold from the Olympic Village. It was a remarkable global audience in the days long before the Internet era that began about 23 years later, ultimately bringing digital, social and streaming to the fore.

Anchored in the multitude of ethics that come into play when sports becomes real-life news — especially in the intersection point between politics and terrorism — the movie puts a premium on leadership and decision-making. And it does so entirely from within the ABC studios adjacent to the Olympic Village in Munich.

Also figuring prominently in The Sport Market Movie Awards for 2024 are the biopic The Fire Inside, the story of Claressa “T-Rex” Shields, the Olympic gold medal-winning boxer played to perfection by Ryan Destiny, and Giannis: The Marvelous Journey, the story of NBA superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo of the Milwaukee Bucks, the best sport documentary of the year.

The Shields biopic reflects the rise of women’s sports in recent years, as does Young Woman and The Sea, the story of Gertrude Eberle, the first woman to cross the English Channel in 1926. Eberle is played poignantly by Daisy Ridley.

Also getting its due is indigenous sports, including Rez Ball, the story of the Chuska Warriors First Nations high school basketball team in New Mexico. There’s also another historical auto racing entry this year, with Race for Glory: Audi vs Lancia, which builds upon the 1903 Rally World Championship.

Some of the other titles to make a note on from the 30 sport movie releases of 2024 are Unstoppable, the story of Anthony Robles, winner of the NCAA Division I wrestling championship in the U.S., despite being born with only one leg; The Beautiful Game, where themes of sport and hard times come together in a Homeless World Cup of Soccer; and Breaking Olympia: The Phil Heath Story starring Dwayne Johnson in the role of the seven-time Mr. Olympia, the kind of bodybuilding.

Unstoppable, which made its debut at the Toronto International Film Festival last June, features a breakout performance by Jharrel Jerome, who is the best actor in The Sport Market Movie Awards for 2024, and a strong performance by Jennifer Lopez, who plays the protagonist’s mother Judy Robles in a film directed by Ben Affleck.

Aside from that celebrity connection, there’s also some millennial star power this year in Challengers, the bromance/love triangle that features Zendaya of the Dune movies and Spiderman.

Yet when it comes to the full package of what makes sport movies so special, there is nothing like September 5. The movie proves yet again that the most timeless stories are real stories, no matter how sad and tragic they are.

Winners in the 18th annual edition of The Sport Market Movie Awards recognizing excellence in the genre of sport movies:

Best picture – September 5 (Olympics-broadcasting)