Champions is the remake of a popular Spanish movie named Campeons. The sports comedy movie follows the journey of Marcus who wants to achieve the position of head coach for an NBA team. But he gets into major trouble when he loses his temper during a match. Marcus’s dream is crashed as the court orders him to coach a team of disabled players.
A hopeless and disappointed Marcus goes on a life-changing journey as he begins coaching the team. Ups and downs follow his path and finally, the team that he once dubbed as his life’s worst punishment ends up getting a spot in the Special Olympics. The movie boasts an impressive cast including Cheech Marin, Woody Harrelson, Ernie Hudson etc.
The inspirational movie was loved by many. The locations added to the charm of the movie making the audience wonder about the places where the movie was filmed. The filming didn’t take much time. It commenced in November 2021 and ended the next month. So we have got it all covered below.
Champions Filming Locations
The movie wasn’t filmed in too many locations. The primary requirement was a basketball court that would be capturing most of the moments of the movie. Now Champions was shot in the Manitoba region of Canada. The crew selected Winnipeg and Selkirk to be the primary filming spots.
Winnipeg, Manitoba
Champions movie was primarily based around Winnipeg. Winnipeg is Manitoba’s capital city and is known for its architecture. The region is known for its lush, green spaces, festivals and culture. The cast and crew spent a good time around the locations of Winnipeg.
The places that feature in the Champions movie include Manitoba Legislative Building, Canada Life Centre, RBC Convention Centre, Duckworth Centre etc. The centres are located on various Avenues like Portage Avenue, York Avenue, Spence Street etc. Another place that is frequently shown in the movie happens to be a popular neighbourhood of Winnipeg. It’s the West Alexander neighbourhood.
Cheech Marin, one of the cast members says that the most difficult part of the shooting was handling the harsh weather of Winnipeg. Now Winnipeg is known for its harsh winters and it snows frequently. So the cast and crew had a tough time managing the cold weather. But at the same time, it helped them gain quite an engaging and memorable experience.
Winnipeg’s Connections With Basketball
The reason why Winnipeg was chosen by the crew of Champions is because of the city’s basketball culture. The city is home to several basketball teams that play at NBA levels. The basketball tournaments hosted in Winnipeg attract millions of visitors.
So the crew was elated to shoot their sports movie in such a place that’s renowned for its basketball connection. The Canada Life Centre that is featured in the movie is popular among many basketball teams. They also took the help of locals to understand the perfect filming location for the sports scenes.
Selkirk, Manitoba
The second location where the filming of Champions took place was Selkirk. This place is located close to Winnipeg and is known for its hockey culture. Drive a few miles ahead of Winnipeg and you reach Selkirk.
Though Champions is based on a basketball theme, the crew felt that they could take advantage of the sports connection of Selkirk. The crew filmed a few key scenes at Selkirk, Manitoba. They wrapped the shooting in the Selkirk region in 10-15 days and then moves back to Winnipeg for filming the last remaining scenes.
What Is The Plot Of Champions?
Marcus wants to make it big in the basketball coaching world. But he is full of arrogance and ego. It leads to his ouster from the team’s head coach position. He is told to coach a team of disabled guys. Initially frustrated and furious at this punishment Marcus decides to leave the coaching world forever.
But later he decides to become the coach of the team. The film then takes the course of any typical sports inspirational movie. We see a powerful locker speech by Marcus. The team’s efforts and Marcus’ dedication and expertise work well as towards the end the team the disabled manages to do well in the Special Olympics.
