Louisville Little League is the Villain in a Netflix Movie

An inspirational sports movie on Netflix shares a heartwarming story with a heartbreaking ending thanks to the bad guys from the South End of Louisville.

You Gotta Believe is near the top of the Netflix movie charts. The film stars Greg Kinnear, who coaches a ragtag bunch of Little League kids from Texas who are playing for something bigger. A player’s father, portrayed by Luke Wilson, is fighting an aggressive form of cancer. His fight inspires the kids to come together and do the unthinkable by making it to the Little League World Series.

It’s a heart-warming tear-jerker that features a few laughs. There’s even a role for Patrick Renna, the catcher from Sandlot. I’ll let the trailer give you a better preview of the movie.

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The Louisville Little Leaguers are the Bad Guys

If you were in the city of Louisville in 2002, then you know the story well. It was the biggest sports story that completely consumed the area for the entire summer.

Valley Sports Little League plays the role of The Monstars in You Gotta Believe. When the teams report to Williamsport, it’s the undefeated Kentucky team that everyone is whispering about. The duel between the teams from Louisville and Fort Worth serves as the crescendo for this film, and rightfully so.

The movie does the historic game justice. At the time, the 2002 U.S. Semifinal was the longest game in Little League World Series history. Both pitchers had no-hitters going into the 10th inning when Little League rules forced them to the bench. Forth Worth’s Walker Kelly had 21 strikeouts. Louisville’s Aaron Alvey had 19.

A Zach Osborne solo shot broke the scoreless tie. Alvey added another with a blast on a 3-2 count. Texas got one run back in the bottom of the 11th. The movie only takes a few small liberties before the Louisville Little Leagues leave the diamond with a 2-1 victory. Valley Sports won their next two games to become the World Champs.

Enjoy some clips from the original game with commentary from Brent Musburger and Harold Reynolds. The person who portrayed the former in the movie does a pretty solid job too.

If you’re willing to get emotional watching a sports movie, give You Gotta Believe a shot. It’s a well-made film that touches all of the right notes and doesn’t stray from the “Inspired by a True Story.”