Why Don’t Sports Games Make Top 100 lists?

Recently, an online gaming publication released a top-100 games of all time list. In a shocking turn of events, I was angered by some games left off the list. The list itself is fine. I will never disparage an objective thing, like a list. The 100 games this site picked were all great. I am more dismayed at the trend this list continued of not respecting sports games at all. Gaming is a very young medium so it’s easier to trace it’s history than other mediums (like music). I feel very confident in saying that sports video games are some of the most important games in the medium and have shaped the industry in many ways. Beyond the historical importance of the sports genre, there are some critically acclaimed, timeless gems in the genre (NBA Jam, NHL ’94, Rocket League) and the best selling games every year are sports titles.

Gaming publications avoiding sports games is similar to me having a music site that supposedly covers the industry but because I don’t think country music is a “real” genre we don’t include any country songs on our lists or main coverage. Country music is genre spanning and industry defining at this point. In reality, sports games are the pop music of the video game industry. Immensely important to the industry but disparaged as a commodity and not art. I think that is problematic and does a disservice to some of the greatest games of all time.

Making games is an art. It’s very difficult to make a game and even the most barebones commodity of a game still took some artistry and magic to make happen. Unless a game is a true asset-flip from the Unity store, it’s a work of art. When I listen to Mark Turmell and some of the Midway veterans discuss the making of NBA Jam and other arcade hits, they are talking about making art around strict limitations. It isn’t factory work, they aren’t creating assembly lines. The yearly release schedule of some sports franchises may seem like factory work but even within that yearly framework each year has a lot of changes to balance and smaller details that longtime players notice.

The Ringer did an amazing video on the making of NBA Street Vol. 2 and they aren’t just making a sequel to a basketball game they are making a cultural masterpiece. I would argue NBA Street Homecourt and Def Jam ICON capture a cultural snapshot of basketball and Hip Hop culture in ways no other medium can. Those are both sports games (fighting and basketball) but they do more than just replicate an existing game on a console. Speaking of culture, NBA 2K is such a large part of the culture right now. I worked at an HBCU for years and it felt almost all of my students played 2K, were aware of 2K, or were tired of their roommate grinding in 2K. A lot of these students wouldn’t call themselves “gamers” because they only play NBA 2K. What other video game is having that impact? Fortnite?

Some of the most popular mobile games on the planet are sports games. NBA Live still exist and prints money in the mobile space. Madden Mobile is huge, and NBA 2K has a foothold in that space too. Rocket League just released a 2D mobile version of their hit. Mobile golf games have been popular for years. These games shouldn’t be ignored when making these list. (Side note- I feel the same with games like Angry Birds. Mobile games get ignored all the time. My Dad played Angry birds. He doesn’t game. That is a BIG cultural crossover for him to even know it exist much less play it. That is a top 100 game all day.)

If I was making a Top 100 games list here are some of the sports games that I think should have strong consideration;

Mario Kart (series)- Racing is a sport. Mario Kart is hugely iconic and racing is a transcendent sport in general. From a sales standpoint, Mario Kart dominates the chart on every console it graces and the series even took the arcade by storm too.

Rocket League- Rocket League is a sequel to Supersonic Acrobatic Rocket-Powered Battle Cars, this game is soccer played with cars (it’s more than that but that’s the gist). Rocket League is played and loved by all ages and has a Fortnite-like cultural presence with it’s licensing deals and popularity.

NHL ‘94- This is simply the best hockey game ever made. It’s one of the best sports games ever. It’s accessible enough for anyone to enjoy but complex enough for hockey to deep dive into.

NBA Jam TE- NBA Jam is one of the most lucrative arcade cabinets of all time. Tim Kitzrow’s voice and phrases define basketball highlights even to this day.

Mario Golf (GBC)- This is both a great golf game and RPG. I think disappointment with recent entries into this franchise are because this game set the bar so high.

NBA Street Vol. 2- I discussed this game above but it’s fantastic. This game is a love letter tot he history of the NBA and street basketball. It’s colorful, beautiful, fun to play and culturally authentic in ways no game had been up to that point.

FIFA (series)- I don’t play FIFA but I am sure one of them transcends the genre of Soccer and if not Pro Evo Soccer or Sensible Soccer have important releases too.

Hot Shots Golf 2- The entire Hot Shots Golf series (Everybody’s Golf) is fun, popular and easy to play. The second entry felt like the series hitting it’s stride and finding it’s identity.

Gran Turismo- Gran Turismo is one of the most important gaming franchises that exist. It turned a generation of kids into “car guys” and this series set the standard for what racing games would become. Gran Turismo games were critically acclaimed and were always some of the highest selling games for their respective PlayStation releases.

Wii Sports- If you lived during the release of the Nintendo Wii, you know understand of this game. It’s still in nursing homes today.

Mutant League Football- This game was so big they tried to make a cartoon out of it. It’s fun and they are still remaking this series today. Even if you didn’t like football, the monsters and personality of this title drew you in.

Golden Tee (Arcade)- It’s everywhere and immensely popular. This is one of those games that has it’s own community. People play it religiously but also don’t see themselves as “gamers.” Golden Tee isn’t a video game, it’s Golden Tee.

Tiger Woods Golf- Immensely popular series, that at it’s peak felt like Madden levels of popular.

NFL Blitz- Similar to NBA Jam, this game reached people who both didn’t care about football and those that were obsessed. It was a quarter devouring monster and the console releases for Blitz were also huge.

Tecmo Super Bowl (NES, Series)- This game is both the most iconic football game ever and probably one of the best NES games of all time. The fan base still updates the roster to this day. Bo Jackson made a career off of his exploits in the game. Bo was already a big deal, but his legend grew exponentially with this game. They recently made a Super Bowl commercial referencing Bo Jackson in this game.

Outrun- Outrun’s music, style and rethinking of the racing genre has had a huge impact. This game is timeless and it’s impact can be felt today. This is more driving game than racing game but you are racing the clock to get to the end of stages.

I can list games all day. Almost every one of these games was critically acclaimed, top of the charts, or made a lot of money in arcades. I know there aren’t “objective” measures that make a game eligible for a list but the impact of sports games is enormous. The early days of the Genesis was built on the backs of Joe Montana Football and Pat Riley Basketball. Madden Football was a pillar of the industry for decades and is baked into real football now. The “hit stick” from Madden is in the lexicon now, just like “He’s on Fire,” from NBA Jam. You can’t tell the story of Video games without talking about sports games, so how does a top-100 list not include any?

All of that to say, sports games matter. They should be represented and highlighted along side the best games in the medium. What sports games would you include in your Top 100 list?