The Fab Five (2011) But at the same time they mean everything — the difference between a college scholarship and forgoing higher education; the economic security of a town; literal life and death on a racetrack. Before Jackie Robinson rocked the world as the first African American to play professional baseball, a Jewish man by the name of Hank Greenberg walked a surprisingly similar path. Cricket ain’t an American sport, but Amazon Prime managed to cater to every aspect in their documentary, which holds drama, thrill, intensity, competitiveness that surely makes it the best sports documentary on the list. Though not a “sport” in the more traditional sense of the world, bodybuilding still requires absurd amounts of physicality, focus, skill, and raw talent. Climber Alex Honnold attempts a free solo ascent of Yosemite National Park’s El Capitan. Did we add that it's watchable? Compiled from 250+ hours of footage, it is quite simply the best sports documentary ever made, and arguably the greatest sports movie period. Rather, it’s a tale of achievement in the face of insurmountable odds, as the Manasses Tigers go from being an underfunded and underprivileged team hired out to practice against bigger and “better” teams to becoming one of the most dominant forces on the gridiron. Using only archival footage, … Length: 1h 28min. This documentary is a musical festival, featuring the America’s top black sportsmen like James Brown and B.B King and so on. Length: 1h 28min. In a way, the games mean nothing; they are only games after all. It’s a bit dated, to be sure, but there is still no other weightlifting-focused documentary that comes close — aside from, perhaps, the whistleblowing Bigger, Faster, Stronger, which looks at bodybuilding from a darker, steroid-fueled angle. Director: Jeffrey Radice HiConsumption was established by gearheads for gearheads as a modern day men’s lifestyle publication, uncovering the greatest products in adventure, tech, gear, automotive, and style. Gay Men Could Help Solve the Blood Shortage Crisis, A Look at Every Upcoming MCU Movie and TV Series, Get Zac Efron’s Comfy New Balance Running Shoes, This content is created and maintained by a third party, and imported onto this page to help users provide their email addresses. This docuseries turns competition on its head and chronicles the failures, the almost-greats, the ones who came up short. You see, in 1974, Muhammed Ali took on and beat George Foreman, the standing heavyweight champion of the world who also happened to be a decade younger than the aging Ali, in the fabled bout known as “The Rumble in the Jungle.” Of course, the match is only a small part of the story, as illustrated in When We Were Kings. Compiled from 250+ hours of footage, it is quite simply the best sports documentary ever made, and arguably the greatest sports movie period. However, there is one problem with live sports: you’re never really getting the whole story. 2011’s Undefeated is one such story, circling an inner-city football team in Memphis, Tennessee, and their volunteer coach dedicated to helping the team beat the odds both on and off the field. A guide to the best sports documentaries on Netflix and Amazon Prime Video – including Icarus, Sunderland 'Til I Die and The Last Dance Bosman is the story of the eponymous hero behind the infamous ruling that redefined the sport. Centered around “Dogtown” — a colloquial name for the surrounding areas of Santa Monica and Venice, California — the doc follows the rise of skateboarding from a casual surfer pastime to an acrobatic sport in its own right. ©2020 Hiconsumption LLC. You know how it ends, but your palms still get super sweaty watching. It centers on the 1975 Mr. Olympia competition. But it does a magnificent job of illustrating that, just because someone can’t walk, that doesn’t mean they can’t be one of the greatest athletes the world has ever seen. Death of a Gentleman (Amazon Prime) And in this way, the sports story isn’t really a story about sports at all. A five-year journey chronicling two Chicago boys as they make a run at basketball stardom, this documentary is simply legendary. However, Riding Giants just barely edged past it for us, perhaps for its unique two-pronged approach, spanning both the sweeping history of surfing itself as well as more intimate looks at the real individuals involved. For thousands of years, humans have found enjoyment and entertainment both in watching and participating in tests of skill and athleticism we’ve come to call sports. Our product picks are editor-tested, expert-approved. In fact, it has been nominated for a whopping 32 awards (and won 6) since it first aired in 2009. Without a doubt one of the most famous sports documentaries of all time, Icarus does a deep dive into the Russian Olympic doping program. This was Muhammad Ali’s recollection of being filmed by documentary-maker Leon Gast, while he... 2 | Senna. The film tells the story … Director: Varying Votes: 15,274 | Gross: $2.67M. The Greatest Sports Documentaries of All Time Diego Maradona (2019). The combination of athleticism, the spirit of competition, and accessibility also all make it a sport full of hope. The following is a quarter-century’s worth of the best sports documentaries of all time. It’s not just a game; it’s an escape; it’s pure possibility. In a way, no subject lends itself better to the documentarian’s touch than sports. In 2008, the then-retired and convicted Tyson reflected on his life in and outside the ring. Free Solo (2018) Sport: Skateboarding I don’t want to divulge too much about this one because it has to be watched to be understood. Yacht racing sounds, at least on the surface, like a casual jaunt, embarked upon by bored rich people on the weekends. Bosman. Director: Henry Alex Rubin, Dana Adam Shapiro In the film, director Bryan Fogel, an amateur biker, decides to try to dose himself with performance enhancing drugs to compete at the highest level. If you want to know more, you’ll just have to sit down and watch this one. Of course, that remarkable and perhaps wacky event is only one part of his story. The documentary—about his return from injury—is more about pride than victory. Sport: Motorcycle Racing Sport. Why: Probably the most anticipated sports documentary of recent years, the Last Dance" focuses on the life and career of Michael Jordan, the greatest player in the history of the NBA, and arguably the most iconic sporting figure in history. Pelé (2021) Looks back at the extraordinary 12-year period in which Pelé, the only man to win three World Cup titles, went from young superstar in 1958 to national hero in 1970; a radical yet turbulent era in Brazil’s history. The documentary offers incredible footage as well as an insight into a legend of the game whose records are comparable to modern stars Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi. Director: E. Chai Vasarhelyi, Jimmy Chin These will be the fastest 10 hours of your life. For those who are unfamiliar, Doc Ellis was an MLB pitcher in the 1970s. Say what you will about how “real” professional wrestling is; you can’t fake falling 20 feet from the top of a steel cage onto the ground below. Length: 1h 46min. And it’s an honor that’s rightly deserved, as he was the first person ever to climb the sheer 3,000-foot face of El Capitan in Yosemite National Park completely without any ropes, anchors, or any other support safety gear. By Brady Langmann. 25. Length: 1h 26min. A documentary of the 1974 heavyweight championship bout in Zaire, "The Rumble in the Jungle," between champion George Foreman and underdog challenger Muhammad Ali. Hosted by Colm Meaney, this is a wonderful retrospective of Jack Charlton's tenure in charge of the Republic of Ireland soccer team. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. These 25 best sports documentaries will make you laugh, cry, and cheer for the athletes. You might think you know the O.J. Of all the documentaries in ESPN's ever-popular 30 for 30 series, June 17, 1994 might just be the most ambitious. Love him or hate him, there’s no denying that Mike Tyson’s story is one worth being told, for better or worse. Sport: Quad Rugby Like all great documentaries, Icarus isn’t about what it was supposed to be about. Director: Steve James HiConsumption is reader-supported. Not every sport-focused story worth telling has been turned into a good documentary. The documentary is ranked one in our list of top 10 best sports documentaries of all time in sports history. The stakes never felt so high. Still, he persevered and became a first baseman for the Detroit Tigers, steadily leading the team to league dominance in the 1930s and becoming a hero around the world, especially to those who suffered prejudice themselves. The following is a quarter-century’s worth of the best sports documentaries of all time. However, one of his most remarkable achievements came when he was at the age of 32 and considered to be well past his prime. This film follows the titular date, June 17, 1994, on what's nearly a minute-by-minute basis, using only news and broadcast footage from the day. Sport: Baseball And these aren't just about one individual or one moment in time. Sports is our fear of failure and obscurity. Unfortunately, we’ll never get to see what he could have achieved had he lived longer. For reference, that race was so disastrous — marked by horrible weather, rough waters, and more — only one of the participants even finished the race. However, the disaster-fraught adventure, to director Kevin McDonald, was one still worth telling. On the 25 November 2020, news broke that Argentinian football legend Diego Maradona – often... Athlete A (2020). Documentary offering unprecedented access to the hidden world of elite gymnasts in Russia. As everyone likely already knows, even the highest levels of achievement come with dark sides. But motivated and confident guys hope for the best outcome. And into the uproarious age of the 60s and 70s. Sure, the main event is the game, match, or whatever else you want to call it. What he found instead was the man behind one of the largest doping scandals in the history of world athletics. 2. The series is the essence of Victory in Defeat. The whole cinematic masterpiece is remarkable, inspiring, and (at times) heartbreaking. The Dawn Wall isn’t Solo, which just won an Oscar for best documentary earlier in 2019. Possibly the greatest sports documentary ever made about possibly the most talented formula one racing driver in the history of the sport. It tells the story of how a skydiver named Carl Boenish took his passion to a whole new level and invented a new adrenalin packed sport which exhibits a more dangerous feat of human flight but also packs more fun for extreme thrill seekers. Using only archival footage, this documentary profiles Formula One champion Ayrton Senna—his life as a Brazilian superstar, his ascent into sporting fame, and the most tragic day in racing history. Watching this is a special experience because it will … Each episode takes on a different sport, a different athlete, and a different failure. Director: Bryan Fogel If you want to learn the full story, you’ll have to watch Deep Water yourself. Just a year or so ago, Alex Honnold became a household name. Whatever the case, this documentary is widely considered amongst the greatest of all time, be that surfing, sporting, or otherwise. Sport: Surfing This documentary features extensive interviews with a number of Clough's former players. Length: 2h 1min. Told from an intimate perspective, each of the entries in this series takes an impressively-deep dive into different sports stories (or stories that touch on the world of sports) from around the world — including (but not limited to) things like the Miami Hurricanes, OJ Simpson’s infamous high-speed chase, a cautionary tale of the SMU football debacle, and so much more. In 1988, Ayrton Senna, a Brazilian racing driver, won his first Formula One world championship. The doc includes interviews and candid footage of big-name wrestlers like Mick Foley, Jake “The Snake” Roberts, Chyna, and even Jesse “The Body” Ventura (as well as clips of others ranging from The Undertaker to Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, to Bret “The Hitman” Hart, and more). And while he played for the New York Yankees, Oakland Athletics, Texas Rangers, and New York Mets, the most fascinating part of his career was his tenure on the Pittsburgh Pirates. Consider this series the Friday Night Lights of English football. This Academy Award winner for Best Documentary is a great example of how sports can be the best way into otherwise cloistered or untellable stories. One of the most controversial figures in the sporting world, Mike Tyson has had a tumultuous career and life. Today's Top Stories. Director: Leon Gast Nominated by FrustratedCentre Half, this is “a documentary about ordinary people, their passion for sport and it’s inexplicable hold over them – and the sound quality is truly astonishing”. A good documentary is a testament to this and there are some great sports documentaries on Netflix right now. Even if you don’t particularly care for basketball as a sport, it’s still 100% worth watching. Director: Louise Osmond, Jerry Rothwell While we're sure we missed a couple of your favorites, these are the ones that still get us hyped. Though it has waned a bit from its overwhelming popularity in the 1990s and 2000s, skateboarding is still one of the most unique and impressive sports around. We may earn a commission through links on our site. Sport: Yacht Racing Narrated by Sean Penn and directed by Stacy Peralta, one of the actual members of the ’70s team, this is widely considered the best skateboarding documentary of all time.