Top 10 fictional sports in movies

The world has enough sports, but Hollywood can’t stop making more.
What follows is my list of the top 10 fictional sports from movies.

Rollerball

In a futuristic society where corporations have replaced countries, the violent game of Rollerball is used to control the populace by demonstrating the futility of individuality. The original movie is set in the year 2018.
“Rollerball” (1975) has a Rotten Tomatoes score of 69% positive reviews. The 2002 remake earned a dismal 3% score. (A film is certified as “fresh” if it gets 60% or greater positive reviews.)

The Running Man

In a dystopian future in 2019, a television show called “The Running Man” entertains and pacifies the populace. On the reality show, convicted criminal “runners” must escape death at the hands of professional killers called “stalkers.”
“The Running Man” (1987) has a Rotten Tomatoes score of 61%.

The Hunger Games

In a dystopian future, the nation of Panem holds an annual televised fight to the death featuring young men and women from the 12 districts as punishment for a past rebellion.
The original film in the franchise, released in 2012, has a Rotten Tomatoes score of 84%.

Quidditch

The game of Quidditch in the “Harry Potter” fantasy movies is played with flying brooms and enchanted gold balls. But that hasn’t stopped fans of the books and movies from trying to turn Quidditch into a real-life sport, usually on college campuses. (See Wikipedia entry on Quidditch and website for the International Quidditch Association. Photo from IQA Facebook page.)

Robot boxing

The science-fiction action movie “Real Steel” (2011) is set in 2020 when human boxers have been replaced by robots.
There have been real robot-fighting competitions, most notably Battlebots and Robot Combat League.
“Real Steel” has a Rotten Tomatoes score of 60%.

Transcontinental Road Race

The 1975 cult action movie “Death Race 2000” takes place in a dystopian American society in the year 2000, where a murderous cross-country road race is a national form of entertainment. In the annual Transcontinental Road Race, points are scored not just for speed, but for innocent pedestrians killed during the race.
“Death Race 2000” has a Rotten Tomatoes score of 85%.

Light cycle racing

Light cycle racing is one of the deadly games depicted in the computer world of “Tron” (1982) and its sequel “Tron: Legacy” (2010).
“Tron” has a Rotten Tomatoes score of 70%, while its sequel scores 51%.

Skeet surfing

The 1984 comedy film “Top Secret!” featured a sequence showing the sport of skeet surfing, which combines skeet shooting and surfing.
“Top Secret!” has a Rotten Tomatoes rating of 76%.

Baseketball

The comedy “BASEketball” (1998) was about the creation of a new sport called Baseketball that combined baseball and basketball.
“BASEketball” received 42% positive reviews on Rotten Tomatoes.

Thunderdome

In “Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome” (1985), the post-apocalyptic town of Bartertown holds gladiatorial fights in a cage called the Thunderdome.
The third in the Mad Max series of films scored 81% positive reviews on Rotten Tomatoes.

Other online lists on the subject:

The 10 Greatest Fictional Sports Ever Invented (Cracked; April 17, 2010)

25 Best Fictional Sports (College Humor)

The 10 Greatest Fictional Sports and Games (Topless Robot; Nov. 22, 2010)

Top 10 Science Fictional Sports (Cillian McGillycuddy; May 17, 2014)

10 Fictional Games that Lunatics Have Recreated in Real Life (io9; Aug. 10, 2011)