15 Sports Documentaries You Can Stream On Netflix Right Now
There's nothing that compares to watching a live sporting event in real-time, an experience that can be full of action, emotion, and unpredictability for the viewer. A sports documentary may not be the same as watching live, but can actually offer even more, capturing that excitement while also adding perspective and nuance that can deepen any fan's appreciation of pretty much any sport.
But what makes a sports documentary great? That's a question for which there's not a single easy answer, given that different documentaries offer different pleasures depending on their focus, agenda, and, to a certain extent, the way in which they're put together. With that in mind, it shouldn't be surprising that Netflix is a phenomenal source for documentaries and docuseries set in the world of sports, spanning pretty much every sport imaginable. Some of these feature some of the biggest names in sports, while others highlight fascinating athletes that most people may have never heard of. To find out more, keep on reading for a look at 15 sports documentaries you can stream on Netflix right now.
Team Foxcatcher (2016)
Certain sports documentaries venture into the true crime genre, and that's certainly the case with the 2016 doc "Team Foxcatcher." The central figure in the story is John du Pont, billionaire heir to the Du Pont family fortune, and his obsession with wrestling. So taken was du Pont with the sport that he sunk millions into creating a state-of-the-art facility on his Pennsylvania farm, with Olympic-calibre wrestlers traveling from all over the country in order to train there.
The documentary recounts how brothers Mark and Dave Schultz — both Olympic gold medalists — came to train, and eventually live and work on du Pont's property, even as their benefactor became increasingly paranoid. From there, "Team Foxcatcher" — the directorial debut of filmmaker Jon Greenhalgh — explores how du Pont's descent into madness was written off as mere eccentricity due to his wealth.
Sadly, it all culminated in murder, when du Pont shot and killed Dave Schultz in front of two eyewitnesses in 1996. The following year, du Pont was tried and convicted of third-degree murder and spent the rest of his life behind bars until dying in prison in 2010 at the age of 72. The bizarre story not only inspired this doc but also the 2014 feature film "Foxcatcher," with Steve Carell starring as du Pont.
Undefeated (2011)
Everybody loves an underdog story, and that's a big part of the appeal of this inspiring doc from directors Daniel Lindsay and T.J. Martin. "Undefeated" shines the spotlight on the Manassas Tigers, a woefully underfunded football team from an inner-city Memphis high school, during their 2009 season. While the focus is on a few exceptionally talented players, the heart and soul of the documentary is coach Bill Courtney. A volunteer coach whose actual business is selling lumber, Courtney is as unlikely a hero as they get: a gruff, foul-mouthed, middle-aged white guy who also possesses a rare gift for inspiring his teenage players — all of whom are Black.
While the film, at point, seems to be a profile of Courtney, the second half of "Undefeated" takes viewers on a transcendent journey when a star player's torn ACL inadvertently sets off an unexpected chain of events, both heart-wrenching inspirational, that winds up with a football season as surprising as it was exciting.
Sharing something of a spiritual kinship to documentaries such as "Hoop Dreams," and even the beloved TV series (and the movie and book that spawned it) "Friday Night Lights," the core message of "Undefeated" can be gleaned from Courtney's mantra: "Football doesn't build character, it reveals character." Ultimately, "Undefeated" isn't so much a documentary about high school football as it is a look at how unleashing the goodness within us can unleash lead to great and unexpected things.
The Battered Bastards of Baseball (2014)
Fans of sports movies such as "Slap Shot" and "Bad News Bears" will find plenty to enjoy in "The Battered Bastards of Baseball," a 2014 documentary that tells the unbelievable-but-true story of the Portland Mavericks. The now-defunct minor league team, based in Portland, Oregon, only played for five seasons (1973-1977) but captivated fans with their hardscrabble playing style and the outsized personalities of the players and its owner, Hollywood transplant Bing Russell (who gave his son, future Hollywood star Kurt Russell, a spot in the Mavericks lineup). As the doc makes clear, the elder Russell brought his flair for showmanship to Portland, building a team like a director would cast a movie, picking players whose personalities typically outshone their baseball skills.
In addition to the Russells, the big standout in the documentary is Jim Bouton — a one-time pitcher for the New York Yankees but well past his best-buy date when he was picked up by the Mavericks — and who, not for nothing, had been blackballed in the majors after the publication of his 1970 tell-all memoir "Ball Four," which lifted the lid on MLB pros' drug-taking, womanizing, and blackout-drunken antics. Reviewer Duane Byrge summed up "The Battered Bastards of Baseball's" appeal in his review for The Hollywood Reporter, writing that the film "is not just about baseball. It transcends the game and is a charming anti-establishment yarn that should delight audiences who don't even know an RBI from a balk."
Losers (2019)
It's a given that most sports documentaries focus on those who win. The 2019 docuseries "Losers" flips that notion on its head by profiling athletes who lost — and did so spectacularly that their respective failures have become legendary in the annal of sports. In the eight-episode series, director Mickey Duzyj interviews athletes who have not only experienced crushing defeat but have managed to come back from the kind of humiliation that would level most people and actually thrive from their respective fails.
Among those profiled is boxer Michael Bentt, who only boxed because his domineering father insisted on it. After racking up an impressive series of wins as an amateur, Bentt was pushed by his dad to turn pro by taking on then-WBO champion Tommy Morrison. In a "Rocky"-like victory, Bentt knocked out Morrison in the first round to become heavyweight champ. His second pro bout, however, didn't go nearly so well: his opponent hit him so hard that he wound up in a coma. Bentt's boxing days were over after that, leading him to become a consultant on boxing for movies and TV shows — a gig he far prefers over actual boxing.
Other "losers" profiled include French golfer Jean van de Velde, who notoriously snatched defeat from the jaws of victory when he was one hole away from winning the 1999 British Open before blowing it in one of the sport's all-time great chokes. He ultimately retired from golf to become a UNICEF ambassador.
The Last Dance (2020)
Ever since its release in 2020, "The Last Dance" has been regarded as the gold standard in sports documentaries, and it's easy to see why given that it covers what is undeniably one of basketball's most dynamic players during his most impressive season. "The Last Dance" focuses on the Chicago Bulls' incendiary 1997-1998 season, led by star player Michael Jordan. Jordan, in fact, was the big get for producer Michael Tollen, who embarked on a somewhat quixotic but ultimately successful quest to get Jordan onboard.
"He was ready to tell his story his way," Tollen told Insider. And while Jordan is unsurprisingly the focus of the 10-episode documentary miniseries, "The Last Dance" is about so much more, highlighting how Jordan couldn't have achieved such greatness without the support of some wildly talented teammates (a long list that includes Scottie Pippen, who has publicly criticized the series for its seeming deification of Jordan), how playing alongside a sports god affected the rest of the team, the guidance of coach Phil Jackson and, from a wider purview, the business of basketball, where players' careers can be made or broken by the whims of billionaire team owners.
Including a wealth of thrilling archival footage (the Bulls reportedly allowed unprecedented media access that season), "The Last Dance" also benefits from candid interviews with numerous figures that shed light on what took place on and off the court during a championship season like no other.
Rising Phoenix (2020)
For more than a half-century, the Paralympic Games have thrilled sports fans while also redefining both the parameters and public perception of what it means to have a disability. "Rising Phoenix" tells the story of the Paralympic Games, from its origins as a competition for paraplegic World War II veterans being treated at a British hospital to its current status as the third-largest sporting event in the world.
In addition, the doc also profiles 12 Paralympians from 11 different nations: Italian wheelchair fencer Bebe Vio; Australian swimmer and wheelchair basketball player Ellie Cole; French sprinter and long-jumper Jean-Baptiste Alaize; American archer Matt Stutzman, who was born without arms; British amputee sprinter Jonnie Peacock; China's Cui Zhe, who overcame polio to become one of the world's top powerlifters; Australian wheelchair rugby superstar Ryley Batt; South African track and field sensation Ntando Mahlangu; and American wheelchair racer Tatyana McFadden, winner of a staggering 20 Paralympic medals.
What makes "Rising Phoenix" all the more unique is that while viewers learn the personal stories of each, the focus is less on those stories than it is on their athletic achievements. According to the International Paralympic Committee, a follow-up is in the works, with "Rising Phoenix" director Matt Whitecross focusing on the journeys of several athletes as they prepared for the 2020 Paralympic Games in Tokyo.
Icarus (2017)
In the world of sports, it had long been rumored that Russian athletes, at the behest of their government, relied on illegal substances to give them the edge to win Olympic gold. Those allegations form the core of "Icarus," which initially follows filmmaker Bryan Fogel as he explores the option of attempting some Lance Armstrong-style doping for an amateur cycling competition, with the goal of explaining to viewers how easy it is for anyone to cheat. His efforts, however, bring him to Grigory Rodchenkov, the former head of Russia's national anti-doping laboratory. In a major shocker, Rodchenkov confirmed suspicions of Russian doping when he told The New York Times about his creation of a multi-drug "cocktail" that, when mixed with alcohol, proved undetectable. The fact that Rodchenkov's revelation came during the course of Fogel's filming makes "Icarus" a profoundly powerful and timely film.
Starting off as a somewhat-earnest look at performance-enhancing drugs before unexpectedly morphing into an international espionage thriller, "Icarus" simultaneously won an Oscar for Best Documentary Feature while being decried by the Russian government (Russia's Minister of Sport dismissed the film as "fantasy"). When Russia was subsequently banned from Olympic competition due to Rodchenkov's revelations, he was forced to enter the witness protection program when it was clear that his blowing the whistle on his homeland's Olympic chicanery placed him in the crosshairs of Russian assassins.
Screwball (2018)
Russia isn't the only nation with a history of athletes using performance-enhancing drugs (PEDs). Documentary filmmaker Bill Corben takes a somewhat lighthearted approach to deal with that topic in "Screwball," which lifts the lid on Major League Baseball's so-called Biogenesis scandal when several top players were accused of using PEDs they'd managed to obtain from a Florida anti-aging and rejuvenation clinic. At the center of the story is Tony Bosch, the founder of the Biogenesis of America. With a sketchy background and lust for wealth, he was able to attract such MLB stars as Manny Ramirez, Ryan Braun, and Alex Rodriguez.
What takes "Screwball" to the next level is Corben's out-there notion to have scenes featuring Bosch, A-Rod, and other players in this real-life drama re-enacted by children, adding a whimsical hilarity that nevertheless underscores the sheer lunacy of the real events that actually took place. Ultimately, viewers experience an over-the-top, totally true tale full of wild characters and unlikely plot twists, the kind of story that would be perfect fodder for a Coen Brothers flick.
Athlete A (2020)
Gymnastics remains one of the most-watched Olympic sports, with viewers entranced by the physical grace, strength, and artistry of the young athletes who literally give up their childhoods in order to undertake the relentless training required to compete at the Olympic level. What those viewers didn't realize, however, was that Larry Nassar — team doctor of the United States women's national gymnastics team — had been sexually abusing the girls under his care, including some who would go on to become Olympic gold medalists.
While Nassar is currently behind bars (his appeal was denied by no less than the Supreme Court), "Athlete A" looks at how Nassar's heinous activity went undetected for nearly two decades. The film shines the spotlight on the four brave young women who courageously came forward to blow the whistle after a withering exposé in the Indianapolis Star about predatory gymnastic coaches who were relocated by the USA Gymnastics.
The horrific recollections of those four — Maggie Nichols, Rachael Denhollander, Jamie Dantzscher, and Jessica Howard — kicked off an investigation, with the dogged efforts of police detective Lt. Andrea Munford and prosecuting attorney Angela Povilaitis ultimately resulted in Nassar being accused of sexually assaulting more than 500 underage girls. Tried and convicted, Nassar was sentenced to 40 years in prison, and "Athlete A" offers a harrowing account of one of the 21st century's biggest sports scandals.
If you or anyone you know has been a victim of sexual assault, help is available. Visit the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network website or contact RAINN's National Helpline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673).
Last Chance U (2016-2020)
While colleges such as Notre Dame, the University of Alabama, and Ohio State may be renowned for their football programs, what happens to talented football players whose difficult backgrounds land them at far less prestigious educational institutions? That's the concept behind "Last Chance U," the hit Netflix documentary series that began by profiling the football team at East Mississippi Community College. Players who have had troubles with authority and structure are shown blossoming under the tutelage of tempestuous head coach Buddy Stephens, with the first season of "Last Chance U" demonstrating how the discipline he doled out proved to be life-changing.
Meanwhile, another key figure in the series had nothing to do with football: Brittany Wagner, the college's academic adviser, who deftly helped the players build the skills they would need in order to make it through those parts of college that don't take place on the football field.
Subsequent seasons (the fifth and final season aired in 2020) were set in different colleges, with the series proving so successful that it spawned a spinoff, "Last Chance U: Basketball." In 2020, Deadline reported that Courteney Cox had signed on to develop and star in a TV drama based on the docuseries, with the former "Friends" star set to play Wagner.
Naomi Osaka (2021)
Tennis has had no shortage of controversial superstar players, and Japanese phenom Naomi Osaka firmly falls into that category. What sets apart Osaka from the likes of hot-headed John McEnroe, for example, is that her controversy comes not from on-court tantrums but issues surrounding her mental health, such as her admission that she withdrew from the 2021 French Open due to her anxiety. In fact, those issues have tended to overshadow Osaka's athletic achievements in the press, somewhat unfair given that she's not only the first-ever Japanese-born woman to win the Grand Slam. She's also the highest-paid female athlete in the world, reportedly raking in more than $55 million in endorsements and prize money during 2020 alone.
Directed by filmmaker Garrett Bradley, the three-part documentary series "Naomi Osaka" follows the athlete from the 2019 French Open until the start of 2021. In what's become something of a trend among documentaries, Bradley asked Osaka to film herself during the height of the pandemic in order to maintain the continuity in her life when conventional filming wasn't viable. As Bradley explained in an interview with Variety, the series is intended not as a definitive biography of Osaka, but as more of a snapshot during a finite period of time. "But there was a desire to show her journey," he said, "and what that journey was ultimately going to look like and be, none of us knew."
The Redeem Team (2022)
The U.S. men's basketball team has dominated the Olympics forever — until 2004, that is, when many of the sport's biggest stars withdrew from competition for the Olympic games in Athens, resulting in a disappointing/embarrassing bronze medal. For the next summer games in Beijing, the U.S. team pulled out all the stops to ensure redemption, with future L.A. Lakers superstar Kobe Bryant named team captain of what was dubbed the Redeem Team. The gambit paid off, with America winning the gold and reasserting the country's dominance in basketball.
At that time, Bryant was still on his way to becoming the legend he would eventually grow into, but the combination of talent and work ethic he brought wound up infiltrating the entire team. "It's encapsulated in the story of him being up at [4:35] in the morning and working out as these guys were coming back from the club," explained "The Redeem Team" director Jon Weinbach in an interview with The Guardian. "It was an undeniable example. And it just set off a whole different kind of mojo in motion."
Formula 1: Drive to Survive (2019-present)
Given that this ongoing documentary series was envisioned as a collaboration between Netflix and Formula 1, it's understandable if viewers were wary that "Formula 1: Drive to Survive" would be something of an infomercial for the global racing competition. That said, it's arguable that the series handily achieved its goal of driving interest in Formula 1 racing, with each season culminating with the annual World Championship.
In fact, the idea — to bring viewers inside the action by allowing them to get to know the drivers, and experience both the thrill and danger of Formula 1 racing — worked brilliantly, resulting in a fast-paced and visceral docuseries that satisfied existing fans while creating new ones by showcasing the personalities of the folks behind the wheel.
Decider's John Serba summed up the show's appeal in his review, describing "Formula 1: Drive to Survive" as "a nice, slick production with plenty of appeal for the uninitiated. It never really deviates from sports-docuseries formula, but is nonetheless entertaining."
Killer Inside: The Mind of Aaron Hernandez (2020)
Aaron Hernandez was once one of the NFL's hottest rising stars after the tight end signed a $40-million contract extension with the New England Patriots in 2012. The following year, Hernandez jumped from the sports page to the front page when he was arrested for the murder of Odin Lloyd and dropped by the Patriots the same day. In 2015, Hernandez was ultimately tried and convicted, sentenced to life in prison without parole. Two years later, he hung himself in his jail cell.
The tragic story unfolds in the three-part documentary series "Killer Inside: The Mind of Aaron Rodriguez," a true crime documentary set within the world of professional football. While the series delves into speculation (without proof) about Hernandez's sexuality, it does introduce evidence from Rodriguez's autopsy indicating he was suffering from chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), a neurodegenerative disease that can impact the control of impulses — and is caused by the kind of repeated head injuries a football player would experience.
If you or anyone you know is having suicidal thoughts, please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline by dialing 988 or by calling 1-800-273-TALK (8255).
The Dawn Wall (2017)
Free climbing has been documented on film before; 2018's "Free Solo" remains a high point, but an earlier film is equally deserving of attention: "The Dawn Wall." The film follows free climbers Tommy Caldwell and Kevin Jorgeson as they made what seemed to be an impossible attempt to climb the rock face known as the Dawn Wall, a 3,000-foot-high cliff situated in California's Yosemite National Park. As the film documents, the duo not only achieved their goal, they literally lived on the face of the cliff for a period of weeks.
As the documentary makes clear, Caldwell undertook the climb as a way to overcome personal tragedy and heartbreak, with the two spending six years painstakingly planning every minute detail ahead of time. An homage to the indomitable nature of the human spirit, "The Dawn Wall" will inspire and excite anyone who watches, even those whose knowledge and/or interest in rock climbing is minimal.