10 Most Irritatingly Improbable Sports Movies

6. The Garbage Picking Field Goal Kicking Philadelphia Phenomenon

D2 The Mighty Ducks
Disney

OK first of all, let's get this out of the way at the beginning, that is a horrendous name for a film. What were they thinking? As the title oh-so-cleverly explains, the movie centers around a garbageman (played by Tony Danza) who becomes a kicker for the Philadelphia Eagles.

He gets this gig basically by being in the right place at the right time: he kicks a jug and the Eagles' coach just happens to see it, leading the owner to hire him as a publicity stunt. (This is not a real thing that NFL teams do. You do not become a starter on a professional football team as a publicity stunt.)

And another thing: Tony Danza is not young in this movie. He was like 46 years old when this was filming. So you're saying that the owner of the Philadelphia Eagles, a team that is popular and wealthy enough to hire players the conventional way, decided to pick a garbageman well into middle age off the streets and just give him a contract? No.

Contributor
Contributor

Audrey Fox is an ex-film student, which means that she prefers to spend her days in the dark, watching movies and pondering the director's use of diegetic sound. She currently works as an entertainment writer, joyfully rambling about all things film and television related. Add her on Twitter at @audonamission and check out her film blog at 1001moviesandbeyond.com.