Feel inspired by the greatest players in history or learn just how corrupt sports can be, you’re bound to find something to interest you in my list of best sports documentaries on Netflix. In this list you’ll find sports documentaries on football, basketball, golf, cycling, ice hockey, losers and controversies.
And you might be interested in my list of best football podcasts, football documentaries and documentaries on Netflix
Mark Cavendish: Never Enough
Mark Cavendish is closing in on Eddy Merkxx most Tour de France stage wine record. Until a serious crash happens.
Never Enough details the brutal journey through self doubt and health problems during recovery. It’s worth watching through to the end, I promise.
Quarterbacks
Peyton Manning said being a quarterback is the most difficult sporting position. Described as getting into a car crash every weekend, Quarterbacks makes a case.
The documentary follows NFL stars Patrick Mahomes, Marcus Mariota and Kirk Cousins both on and off the field. Everything from the physical sacrifices (watching Mahomes train is wild) they make week in week out, the pressures of being the focal point of the team and family life.
There are a ton of great insights into what goes through their mind during critical plays in games and how they come up with all of the plays, funny names and how they memorise them. Quarterbacks also features the biggest comeback in NFL history.
Tour de France: Unchained
If you’ve never watched a cycling race like the Tour de France, this is a great place to start. It really captures how tight races are, how intense it is to compete, the tactics at play and the roles of each cyclist within the team. It’s no wonder why the Tour de France is the most watched sporting event in the world.
Full Swing
From the creators of Drive To Survive, Full Swing follows several PGA Tour golfers at various stages of their careers. The introduction of the LIV Tour drama of course is a big discussion, but Full Swing mostly centres on ambition and the mental side is the game.
The first episode is probably the least interesting of the whole series so don’t get put off by it. There are more interesting characters and stories from Collin Morikawa, Brooks Koepka, Scottie Scheffler, Ian Poulter and Dustin Johnson.
The Redeem Team
With all those states in the NBA it’s hard to believe the US basketball team was not the dominate force in the world.
It was those egos which were holding back the ‘team’.
The Redeem Team is a story of how stars like LeBron James and Kobe Bryant sought to change that.
The Last Dance
Follow the journey one of the greatest basketball teams (Chicago Bulls) and player (Michael Jordan) as they go for the double three-peat.
With all that huge talent comes huge egos and The Last Dance interviews all those to get first hand accounts of what really went on in the dressing room.
Losers
Everyone remembers who finishes in first place, but what about the people who finish second?
Find out what happened then and now in every sport from figure skating to curling…
Untold Series
There are nine episodes each featuring an incredible story from the world of sport. All are worth watching, but the following two are my favourites.
Untold: Crime and Penalties
Like a real life Sopranos, find out what happened when a hockey team has mob conenctions.
Untold: Malice at the Palace
Sporting spectators need to chill. Remember when someone flung a pigs head at Luis Figo during a Barcelona vs Real Madrid match?
But what happens when a team retaliates? If you though Eric Cantona fly kicking a Crystal Palace fan was shocking, what till you see what the The Pacers did.
Icarus
How do athletes who dope go undetected? Bryan Fogel stumbles upon the man who created the system and reveals just how elaborate the plan had to be.
Bad Sport
If you love true crime, you’ll love Bad Sport. The things people do to reach the top are insane.
But no one stays at the top for ever.
Sunderland Till I Die
Covering two dramatic seasons, go behind the scenes of Sunderland Football Club and all the changes from managers to players to the owners.
Drive To Survive
Formula 1 may have the biggest egos of all sports. There may be teams of two, but everyone is out for themselves and Drive To Survive reveals all the inner team fractions and fights. And there are many of them. Plus there’s fighting between the teams too of course.
Bonus: Buzzfeed Unsolved (Sports Edition)
I love Buzzfeed Unsolved and I love sports conspiracies. Here’s an interesting conspiracy abou Michael Jordan retiring from basketball the first time.
