Lesbian sports movies just hit different. Like us, we know so many of you are feral for women’s sports. Did anyone else catch E.R. Fightmaster shock Tobin Heath and Christen Press’s during a podcast by admitting their favorite part of the NWSL is just how hot the players are? Exactly. We see you, we get it. That’s why some of our most-read stories are about the WNBA and PWHL because queer sports obsession is real and unapologetic.
So today, we’re serving up a list of lesbian sports movies and documentaries that range from sapphic-coded classics (Stick It, anyone? That ice bath scene was a gay awakening for a whole generation) to fresh releases like Love Lies Bleeding and Backspot. As women’s sports keep booming, it only makes sense that queer stories on the field, on the mat, and in the pool are finally getting their shine. Personally, I’m still dreaming of a lesbian reboot of Love & Basketball teammates to lovers, or maybe a rivals-to-lovers storyline. Hollywood, call the EveryQueer team!
Lesbian Sports Movies
But I’m a Cheerleader (1999)
It’s camp. It’s iconic. It’s Natasha Lyonne in a cheer uniform falling in love with Clea DuVall at conversion camp. While not “about” sports in the traditional sense, But I’m a Cheerleader is a lesbian classic that turns cheerleading into the backdrop of self-discovery, rebellion, and sapphic joy.
📺 Stream on Prime Video and Apple TV.
Challengers (2024)
Tennis, sweat, bisexual chaos, and Zendaya in the most commanding role of her career. While not explicitly a lesbian sports movie, Challengers is dripping in sapphic energy and queer desire, capturing the physicality of sport and the tangled intensity of love triangles.
📺 Currently in theaters / PVOD.
Love Lies Bleeding (2024)
Kristen Stewart plays Lou, a gym manager who falls for a bodybuilder in this neon-soaked thriller. Equal parts sports romance and pulpy crime drama, this lesbian sports movie revels in muscles, desire, and dangerous attraction. It’s messy, sweaty, and utterly queer.
📺 Stream on Max.
Backspot (2025)
One of the most anticipated lesbian sports movies in years, Backspot follows a competitive cheerleading squad through the eyes of Riley (Devery Jacobs), a young queer athlete balancing ambition and identity. With Evan Rachel Wood as her coach, this film promises drama, sweat, and sapphic longing on the mats.
📺 Coming 2025 — festival circuit first.
Bottoms (2023)
Cheerleaders, football players, and a secret queer fight club—it’s not “sports” exactly, but it might as well be. This outrageous comedy starring Rachel Sennott and Ayo Edebiri taps into every trope of sports teen movies and flips them on their head with pure queer joy.
📺 Stream on Prime Video and Apple TV.
Personal Best (1982)
Decades ahead of its time, this film depicts a tender lesbian romance between Olympic track and field athletes. It’s one of the earliest mainstream lesbian sports movies, and while parts feel dated today, it remains an important milestone in queer film history.
📺 Rent on Apple TV.
A League of Their Own (1992 + 2022 series)
The original film gave us Rosie O’Donnell, Madonna, and baseball camp. But the Amazon Prime series finally gave fans what they’d always known—explicit sapphic storylines, a trans character, and queer athletes carving space in history.
📺 Film on Prime Video, series on Amazon Prime.
Stick It (2006)
Tomboy gymnast Haley Graham (Missy Peregrym) rebels against the sport’s strict structure, and along the way, gave many lesbians their first cinematic gay awakening. Between the attitude, friendships, and the now-famous ice bath scene, this movie is lesbian-coded from top to bottom.
📺 Stream on Disney+.
Battle of the Sexes (2017)
Emma Stone plays Billie Jean King, the legendary tennis player who defeated Bobby Riggs in 1973 while navigating her own coming-out journey. This biopic shows how lesbian sports movies can mix athletic history with queer representation.
📺 Stream on Disney+ and Hulu.
The Novice (2021)
This intense indie follows a college rower spiraling into obsession with her sport. While the queerness is subtle, the film is charged with sapphic undertones of rivalry, desire, and determination.
📺 Stream on Showtime and Kanopy.
Nyad (2023)
Annette Bening stars as long-distance swimmer Diana Nyad, who at age 64 swam from Cuba to Florida with the support of her lifelong best friend and coach Bonnie Stoll (played by Jodie Foster). It’s a powerful lesbian sports movie about resilience, love, and the queer women behind one of the greatest feats of endurance.
📺 Stream on Netflix.
Water Lilies (2007)
Set in the world of synchronized swimming, this French coming-of-age film explores teenage desire, friendship, and the blurred lines between admiration and longing. Tender and queer to its core.
📺 Rent on Apple TV.
Bend It Like Beckham (2002)
Soccer, friendship, and subtext that sparked countless gay awakenings. While the story focuses on Jess and Jules chasing their football dreams, queer audiences have always read this film as one of the ultimate lesbian sports movies.
📺 Stream on Disney+ and Hulu.
Queer & Lesbian Sports Documentaries
Taurasi (2024)
This ESPN docuseries follows WNBA legend Diana Taurasi, highlighting her longevity, resilience, and dominance in basketball. A celebration of women’s sports at their highest level.
📺 Stream on ESPN+.
Sprint: The World’s Fastest Humans (2024)
Featuring Sha’Carri Richardson, this Netflix docuseries dives into the glamour and pressure of elite sprinting. Sha’Carri, openly bisexual and bold, is the undeniable star.
📺 Stream on Netflix.
The Only (2022)
A heartfelt portrait of Brianna Scurry, U.S. Women’s National Team goalkeeper and the first Black and openly gay woman in the National Soccer Hall of Fame. Her legacy goes beyond sport into resilience and representation.
📺 Stream on Paramount+.
Game Face (2023)
Profiles LGBTQ+ athletes competing in professional and amateur sports, spotlighting the struggles and triumphs of being openly queer on the field. A rallying cry for authenticity.
📺 Available on PBS streaming.
A Secret Love (2020)
This Netflix gem chronicles two women who hid their 65-year relationship while playing in the women’s baseball league that inspired A League of Their Own. It’s intimate, emotional, and historic.
📺 Stream on Netflix.
LFG (2021)
This documentary follows Megan Rapinoe and her teammates as they fight for equal pay against U.S. Soccer. Equal parts sports story and feminist battle cry, it’s a must-watch.
📺 Stream on Max.
Under Pressure: The Women’s World Cup Team (2023)
Behind-the-scenes of the U.S. Women’s National Team as they fight for victory—and deal with the intense spotlight. Rapinoe, Morgan, and their teammates shine in this intimate Netflix series.
📺 Stream on Netflix.
In the Clutch (2023)
Sue Bird reflects on her career, her impact on the WNBA, and her life with Megan Rapinoe. A celebration of queer love, legacy, and sport.
📺 Stream on Prime Video.
Who’s on Top? (2021)
This unique doc follows queer climbers—including Taylor Feldman, Shanita King, Stacey Rice, and Ryan Stee—as they ascend Mount Hood. Narrated by George Takei, it’s as much about identity and belonging as it is about climbing.
📺 Rent on Prime Video or Apple TV.
From the sweaty gymnastics mats of Stick It to the raw endurance of Nyad, lesbian sports movies prove that queer athletes have always been main characters—on-screen and in real life. Add in the documentaries spotlighting icons like Rapinoe, Taurasi, and Scurry, and you’ve got proof that queer women have been shaping the culture of sport all along. And if Hollywood wants ideas? We’ll be here, still dreaming about a lesbian Love & Basketball.
