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Christmas and New Years has come and gone so all we really have to look forward to is the College Football National Championship and Super Bowl.

True, die hard sports fans are probably also looking forward to events like the NCAA basketball tournament, the Masters, the NBA playoffs and the start of Major League Baseball season. Whatever sport you love the most, and no matter what time of year it is there will always be sports movies to keep our appetites fed.

During the holiday break each year I spend a good bit of time watching Christmas movies with my family. Sometimes, to break the trend, I’ll pop in a sports movie that I know will entertain me from beginning to end.

Although it’s tough to narrow it down to one single movie, I’d have to say my favorite sports movie is “Friday Night Lights.” In addition to the movie, I’ve also read the book and it continues to be one of my very favorites.

High school football has always held a special place in my heart. “Friday Night Lights,” is one of those movies that I will always stop to watch if it’s on TV. I also own the DVD so if the mood ever strikes, I’ll set aside two hours to watch.

I’ve covered high school football as a reporter for more than five years now. I’ve seen good teams, decent teams and teams that aren’t that good. Regardless, each season is always fun.

This last season covering Butler County football teams may have been the most enjoyable. I had the privilege to watch several extremely talented football players.

I also got to watch two teams – Greenville and Georgiana – compete for state championships. Georgiana came up two games short while Greenville was just one game away. Both teams’ seasons reminded me of “Friday Night Lights.” The ups and downs of season, injuries a team has to deal with and the pressure to win are all things that high school football players live through in a season. I’ve seen it first hand from my position as a reporter. So, I think that’s why I feel such a connection to “Friday Night Lights.” I know I’m not alone in my opinion of that movie. Millions of people all across America love high school football. How could you not?

When I start to think about my favorite sports movies I realize that the majority of them are football related. I’m thinking it may be time for me to expand my knowledge of sports movies, but until then here are my Top 10 favorite sports movies:

10 – Rudy

9 – The Sand Lot

8 – Coach Carter

7 – Hardball

6 – Remember the Titans

5 – Radio

4 – Jerry MacGuire

3 – The Fighter

2 – Cinderella Man

1 – Friday Night Lights