Sports Documentaries are becoming a growing trend in modern sports. It aims to provide knowledge about the backstories of an athlete or an event through interviews, footage, and various narrations to give viewers a unique experience about their favorite stars.
Let us have a look at the top 5 sports documentaries to watch.
The Last Dance
The Last Dance is an American sports documentary. It is directed by Jason Hehir and is co-produced by Netflix and ESPN. Last Dance revolves around the NBA and gives insights about the basketball legend Micheal Jordan, emphasizing Jordan’s final season in Chicago Bulls in 1997-98.
The documentary was released on April 19, 2020, in the US and on May 17 2020 worldwide. Although praised by the fans, the documentary received backlash from various key players for portraying their image negatively.
The documentary can be viewed on ESPN in the USA and on Netflix internationally.
Break Point
Break Point is a tennis documentary produced by Netflix, ATP, and WTA. It aims to provide fans with a closer look at the backstage events of some of the players and tournaments in the 2022 and 2023 seasons. The first part of the documentary was released on 13 January with the second part released on 21 June 2023. The second season was released on 10 January 2024.
The two seasons cover events such as the Australian Open, Wimbledon, Indian Wells, WTA finals, and much more. The documentary features players like Casper Ruud, Alexandar Zverev, Aryna Sabalenka, and many more. Break Point has been a success as it received an 81% approval rating from the players and fans.
Sprint
Sprint is a TV sports series produced by Netflix and World Athletics that covers backstage events of various athletes. It covers events such as the Diamond League, World Athletic Championships, and Olympic Games. The debut season aired on 2 July 2024 with the second season set to be released after the Paris Olympics.
The documentary received mixed responses from the fans with some accusing that the series has focused mainly on Noah Lyles as compared to other athletes. It has a rating of 7.6 and is expected to increase after the release of Season 2.
F1: Drive to Survive
Drive to Survive, which is arguably one of the best sports documentaries, is produced by F1 and Netflix. It gives a behind-the-scenes look at the F1 drivers and teams. The first season of the documentary was released in 2019 with a new season releasing every year. James Gay-Rees and Paul Martin are the directors of the series.
F1 fans around the world have heaped praise on the documentary. However, the same cannot be said about the reigning F1 World Champion Max Verstappen. The Dutchman has accused the documentary of showing false rivalries in the series. He even refused to give interviews for Season 3 and Season 4. Following an agreement between Verstappen and Netflix ‘to keep it real’ Verstappen confirmed his participation from Season 5.
Simone Biles: Rising
Simone Biles: Rising will take the viewers behind the scenes over the gymnast’s journey of the past four years. The documentary will be released in four parts and will focus on the competitiveness of her sport and the pressure of a female gymnast in the public eye. The documentary has been directed by Katie Walsh with Gotham Chopra, Ameeth Sankaran, Giselle Parets, and Janey Miller as executive producers.
It includes interviews with Biles and other people close to her. Her husband Jonathan Owens also features in the documentary. The episodes will cover everything from training sessions, the build-up to the Olympics to some warmer moments of her outside life.
Simone Biles Rising – Part 1 was released on Netflix on July 17.
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Mohd Faisal Hakak is a sports author from Kashmir. He likes to keep tabs on the sporting world with a keen interest in football, motorsports, NBA, and other marquee sports. He is a science graduate from Islamia College Srinagar.
