UTPB grad set to release new book on sports movies

While many sports movies are based on or inspired by a true story, there are also plenty of fictional sports movies as well that fans have enjoyed over the years.

Writer and University of Texas Permian Basin graduate Kyle Bandujo explores some of his favorite fictional sports movies in his upcoming book “Movies With Balls: The Greatest Sports Movies of All Time Analyzed and Illustrated.”

The book is set to release on Sept. 24 wherever books are sold.

Packed with illustrations from Rick Bryson of fictional ticket stubs, trading cards, play maps and more, the book will transport readers to their favorite cinematic moments from movies such as “Field of Dreams,” “Bend It Like Beckham,” “Creed,” “The Karate Kid,” and other iconic sports films.

Bandujo describes the book as a “love letter to sports movies.”

“We break down 26 of the greatest fictional sports movies ever,” Bandujo said. “… We break it down and talk about why we love them. We have some great illustrations and what tickets would’ve looked like for each of the games. These are 26 movies that we love and talk about why we love them and dig deeper into them.”

The book only talks about fictional sports movies so do not expect “Miracle” or “Friday Night Lights” to be mentioned.

The book helps bring to life the iconic moments and characters that audiences know and love.

“Movies With Balls” is divided into four sections including “Glory Lasts Forever,” “The Best There Never Was,” “Blood, Sweat and Tears” and “A Deep Bench.”

“Glory Lasts Forever” covers films such as “Bull Durham,” “The Sandlot,” “White Men Can’t Jump” and “Bend it Like Beckham” that revolutionized the sports movie and showed viewers that it’s not always about the big game but rather about the journey.

In “The Best There Never Was” section, Bandujo and Bryson put readers in the uniforms of some of cinema’s most prolific fictional athletes, featuring films such as “Blue Chips,” “Teen Wolf,” Happy Gilmore” and “She’s the Man.”

In “Blood Sweat and Tears,” Bandujo talks about movie characters that give everything they’ve got to the game, including “Dodgeball,” “A Knight’s Tale,” “Hot Rod” and “Creed” among others.

The “Deep Bench” category includes movies that didn’t make the cut and features ticket stubs for and commentary about the second-string films that didn’t advance to the next round.

The book has been in the works since 2021.

“It went through a couple of different changes, a couple of different iterations,” Bandujo said. “It started off as a coffee table book and we built off that and grew it to what it is now. It all came together in full speed the last two years. In 2022, we got our book deal and then started grinding away. It seemed like a long time, but it’s also gone by very quick at the same time.”

Bandujo is also the host and producer of “Big Screen Sports: The Sports Movie Podcast.”

He talked about how the idea for “Movies With Balls” came about.

“I have been doing a sports movie podcast since 2019,” Bandujo said. “I’ve been a big fan of sports movies. The original genesis of the idea was … one day Rick, who is a graphic design artist, he was designing what the tickets of the Rocky matches would look like. He made the ticket and thought it would make a cool book or a cool coffee table book. He reached out to me and asked if I was interested in doing some writing for it. It all took off from there.”

Bandujo, who currently lives in San Antonio, graduated from UTPB in 2014 and played baseball for the Falcons under former head coach Brian Reinke.

“I was there for five years,” Bandujo said. “I redshirted my freshman year. I loved every second of it. I was never the most talented guy but Reinke gave me a chance. He did a great job of running the program and was willing to give someone a chance to play. That’s why I would play for him any day. Playing there was some of the most fun I’ve ever had. I’ve never regretted going to Odessa for college.”

As for his book, Bandujo is excited to see it soon hit the shelves.

“It’s very cool,” Bandujo said. “It’s very nerve-wrecking to let other people look at it. But I’m proud of the accomplishment. Every time I open the book, I see something that I would change but I think that’s just part of writing. I’m proud of the accomplishment and nervous about getting it out there. I’m excited to hold it in my hands.”