Oscar voters appreciate a sprawling biopic, an underdog character, a triumphant tale that’s initially marred by obstacles and ultimately resulting in success.

Those themes have marked the sports genre from the very beginning.

In the Academy Awards’ history, 601 movies have been nominated for best picture, of which 96 became winners.

Depending on the definition of what qualifies as “sports movie,” 17 films focusing on various aspects of sports have been nominated for an Oscar and three have actually won.

Boxing movies have always felt like their own separate entity from the standard sports movies. The most audience-friendly and awards successful sport in film, boxing films often follow the same trope, “It’s about the fight both inside and outside the ring.”

However, the Academy has ignored some of the best sports movies.

Notable snubs include the women’s baseball comedy “A League of Their Own” (1992) from Penny Marshall, and Gina Prince-Bythewood’s debut film, “Love & Basketball” (2000).

Even the coming-of-age documentary feature “Hoop Dreams” (1994) from Steve James was infamously overlooked in its category, while the popular “Hoosiers” (1986) went unnoticed.