If you need a pep talk to get ready for Sunday’s big Ravens-49ers match-up—or just want something to watch while you save the best seat on the couch—there are a stadium’s worth of football movies out there to fill your time between now and then. And each one comes with its own inspirational pep talk, the scene that is often the emotional center of the film and more important than any touchdown could be.
The advice imparted in those pep talks runs the gamut from “You can do it!” to, well, other versions of “You can do it!“—words that will stand the test of time (or at least of the play clock). Like:
“Win just one for the Gipper.” (Knute Rockne All American, 1940)
“Don’t let him get to you, him or anybody around here. Just keep on keeping on.” (Quarterback Princess, 1983)
“This team is your family.” (The Blind Side, 2009)
“Being perfect is not about that scoreboard out there. It’s not about winning. It’s about you and your relationship to yourself and your family and your friends. Being perfect is about being able to look your friends in the eye and know that you didn’t let them down.” (Friday Night Lights, 2006)
But there are only three football-movie pep talks that, combined, form the ultimate pep talk, guaranteed to motivate you to cheer harder than ever, to lay it on the line for your team, and to eat those wings with all your heart.
(Warning: Some of the language in the scenes that follow isn’t 100% G-rated.)