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The Little League World Series is officially underway, which is the one moment every summer when our faith in humanity is collectively restored as we watch kids from different cultures around the world unite over competition and a love for baseball. In keeping with that theme, we’ve curated the best feel-good coming-of-age shows, the books that prove sports teach lessons no classroom ever could, and the underdog movies that need to be on your watchlist.
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Coming-of-Age Shows to Restore Your Faith in Humanity
Nothing will make you optimistic for the future like watching teens overcoming adversity to become the best version of themselves. These are the series that do it best.
The Crossover
Twin basketball phenoms Josh and JB Bell are inseparable until growing up starts pulling them in different directions, on the court and off. Kwame Alexander adapts his own Newbery-winning novel, with Sean Patrick Thomas as their father, a former pro player adjusting to life after the NBA. It’s the rare sports show that’s also an uplifting family watch.
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More Than a Game: Books About What Sports Actually Teach Us
In many of the best sports books, the game itself is almost beside the point. They use the sport as a way in, and what they're really writing about is everything that happens off the field.
The Art of Fielding
by Chad Harbach
Henry Skrimshander is a gifted shortstop who seems destined for big league stardom, until one wild throw shatters his confidence. Chad Harbach spent a decade writing his debut novel, which reads less like a sports book and more like a campus story about ambition, identity, and the fear of losing the one thing you counted on.
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Long Shots: The Best Underdog Sports Movies
Everyone loves watching a team nobody believes in prove the haters wrong. Here are the underdog films you need to add to your watchlist.
The Mighty Ducks
A disgraced lawyer sentenced to community service must coach the worst pee-wee hockey team in Minnesota. Emilio Estevez spends the season turning a group of misfits who can't stay upright on skates into a team that actually believes in itself. It may not be a baseball movie, but it’s the perfect story to pair with the Little League World Series.
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