Josh St. Clair, Evan Romano

Icarus (2017) Like all great documentaries, Icarus isnt about what it was supposed to be about. Bryan Fogel set out to investigate (read: test out) the use of steroids in professional cycling. What he found instead was the man behind one of the largest doping scandals in the history of world athletics. Inside the real life and death stakes of going for Olympic gold. <a href="https://www.netflix.com/signup/planform" id="1ae32315-c3f9-3266-a9fb-ecdf0fd53318"> Stream It Here </a> <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qXoRdSTrR-4" id="d75fb14d-ff42-3bae-a73b-e9d5d8e70623"> See the original post on Youtube </a> Netflix@Youtube

Senna (2011) Using only archival footage, this documentary profiles Formula One champion Ayrton Sennahis life as a Brazilian superstar, his ascent into sporting fame, and the most tragic day in racing history. No documentary ever felt so cinematic. <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Senna-Ayrton/dp/B006MGDVFM/ref=sr_1_2?dchild=1&amp;keywords=senna&amp;qid=1589831018&amp;s=instant-video&amp;sr=1-2" id="3c9b10ab-3859-3f6b-a858-28d6a777abdc"> Stream It Here </a> <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QOQLeqRcgKc" id="e29581f9-bc16-356c-af9b-a97171ace62e"> See the original post on Youtube </a> Universal Pictures UK@Youtube

Undefeated (2011) Having never won a playoff game, the Manassas Tigers and the senior class hope to turn around their schools image as quitters and losers. Maybe the best football documentary ever filmed. <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Undefeated-Montrail-Money-Brown/dp/B00AY1BWTI/ref=sr_1_2?dchild=1&amp;keywords=undefeated&amp;qid=1589831042&amp;s=instant-video&amp;sr=1-2" id="776ec163-612e-35a7-ac61-4de392bdafa4"> Stream It Here </a> <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JN-jxNMsTPw" id="5c29a05b-d7ca-391c-ab00-e32febbc9149"> See the original post on Youtube </a> Movieclips Trailers@Youtube

Free Solo (2018) Climber Alex Honnold attempts a free solo ascent of Yosemite National Parks El Capitan. Friend and filmmaker Jimmy Chin follows along, capturing one of the greatest stories of human discipline and achievement. You know how it ends, but your palms still get super sweaty watching. <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Free-Solo-Dierdre-Wolownick/dp/B07HMHH52Z/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&amp;keywords=Free+Solo&amp;qid=1589831063&amp;s=instant-video&amp;sr=1-1" id="1cc6bea7-5fc4-3d75-a488-765bb383845d"> Stream It Here </a> <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=urRVZ4SW7WU" id="9cc215b5-8656-3f8d-a059-382efddb16c4"> See the original post on Youtube </a> National Geographic@Youtube

Hoop Dreams (1994) A five-year journey chronicling two Chicago boys as they make a run at basketball stardom, this documentary is simply legendary. Its not a quick afternoon watch (the film clocks in at close to three hours), but boy is it one of the best ever. <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Hoop-Dreams-William-Gates/dp/B07G5QGW3L/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&amp;keywords=Hoop+Dreams&amp;qid=1589831091&amp;s=instant-video&amp;sr=1-1" id="b3b11600-0536-3de7-ad73-ad7c9a52ae35"> Stream It Here </a> <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-TRIx7oD3lo" id="8312d1fc-f080-3002-ad5c-8e9a05c01ea9"> See the original post on Youtube </a> ro*co films@Youtube

Pumping Iron (1977) Pumping Iron was arguably the film that turned Arnold from niche athlete and D-list actor to one of the most recognizable faces, accents, and pair of biceps on the planet. It centers on the 1975 Mr. Olympia competition. <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Pumping-Iron-Arnold-Schwarzenegger/dp/B00PGWI6QC/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&amp;keywords=Pumping+Iron&amp;qid=1589831108&amp;s=instant-video&amp;sr=1-1" id="6fa391e8-ddfa-306a-ae23-d79d726e05cf"> Stream It Here </a> <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e1vprTwGQ4M" id="9416ee54-db79-30ae-a9ad-ef32c989f01c"> See the original post on Youtube </a> LionsgateUKMovies@Youtube

O.J.: Made in America (2016) Is it a movie? Or is it a show? That was the eternal 2016 question for this 5-part, 10 hour documentary that first aired on ESPN and ABC (it ended up winning the Oscar for Best Documentary Feature). You might think you know the O.J. Simpson story, but you don't truly know it until you check out this incredibly in-depth and well-made documentary that analyzes every single aspect of the man's life and being. Did we add that it's watchable? These will be the fastest 10 hours of your life. <a href="https://www.amazon.com/J-Made-America-Part/dp/B01HIYRNAU/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&amp;keywords=OJ%3A+Made+in+America&amp;qid=1589831133&amp;s=instant-video&amp;sr=1-1" id="675779b4-c1f2-3f3e-adb0-fc8003babc19"> Stream It Here </a> <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HrB3rOcrJxg" id="eedab8c1-5297-3b5c-a35e-ab6b3f2cbfe0"> See the original post on Youtube </a> John Marcus@Youtube

Muderball (2005) Murderballwheelchair rugbyfollows the U.S. and Canadian national teams in the lead up to the 2004 Paralympic Games. Hilarious, intoxicating, wince-inducing and intense, it's a doc you can't miss. <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Murderball-Joe-Soares/dp/B07ZX8F194/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&amp;keywords=murderball&amp;qid=1589831159&amp;s=instant-video&amp;sr=1-1" id="2a1534f9-9a78-3d89-ae2c-586ead132471"> Stream It Here </a> <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_kaT5dDiISw" id="db7948ae-bb42-3bac-abc7-e346bb072dde"> See the original post on Youtube </a> teamtorino@Youtube

The Dawn Wall (2017) No less inspiring than Honnolds El Capitan ascent is that made by climber Tommy Caldwell, the first to free climb El Cap. It was a 19-day journey. <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Dawn-Wall-Tommy-Caldwell/dp/B07K6ZG7P2/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&amp;keywords=The+Dawn+Wall&amp;qid=1589831183&amp;s=instant-video&amp;sr=1-1" id="a95374e4-4d78-3a13-ab99-ed181b5ef4f3"> Stream It Here </a> <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=edfw9ip9sCQ" id="f94b32fc-72fc-33b0-ae2b-d02e53067333"> See the original post on Youtube </a> Red Bull@Youtube

Tyson (2008) Even now, <a href="https://www.menshealth.com/entertainment/a32331499/mike-tyson-boxing-training-comeback/" id="767b85f0-ce60-36e4-a35c-f1322c60dac6"> Mike Tyson </a> remains one of the most controversial figures in sports. In 2008, the then-retired and convicted Tyson reflected on his life in and outside the ring. The result: one hell of a character study. <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Tyson-Mike/dp/B002R9JPIK/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&amp;keywords=Tyson&amp;qid=1589831204&amp;s=instant-video&amp;sr=1-1" id="b93a5d05-4e54-3922-a2ff-969e28a9c08a"> Stream It Here </a> <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WFapKPPSo7A" id="928c3bf9-295d-3296-a01a-c45ab903ba5c"> See the original post on Youtube </a> YouTube Movies@Youtube

Sunday in Hell (1977) The Paris-Bourbaix race is famous for its dangerous, cobbled track, and in 1976, one film crew chronicled the race from its start to its exciting finish. <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pvK9GjTyyWw" id="e09e37ee-e59d-3d9d-acb9-52db6f7c6269"> Stream It Here </a> <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K8YJ7YpZ4wc" id="233c8467-90a7-3aef-abb7-3f2d37832a4f"> See the original post on Youtube </a> Oleg Nesterov@Youtube

The Endless Summer (1966) Maybe the greatest surfing movie of all time, The Endless Summer is cool as can be and the first of a very long line of breezy surfer docs. Fun, beautiful, and unlike any documentary before it. <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Endless-Summer-Robert-August/dp/B00UESRNYO/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&amp;keywords=The+Endless+Summer&amp;qid=1589831279&amp;s=instant-video&amp;sr=1-1" id="e388e5e1-6b65-350d-aff4-c90a2d4ac1b3"> Stream It Here </a> <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=46NsCsTYUi0" id="98c1c7a0-9c8b-3094-a64e-a76bd2ab592d"> See the original post on Youtube </a> YouTube Movies@Youtube

Sunderland 'Til I Die (2017 - present) After the 2016-2017 season, Sunderland FC was relegated from the Premiere League to the Championship League, one of the biggest defeats for any top-tier English soccer club. But they would spend the next season battling against an even worse defeat. A story more about a city than a club, Sunderland follows one of soccers most fervent fanbases. Consider this series the Friday Night Lights of English football. <a href="https://www.netflix.com/signup/planform" id="1ae32315-c3f9-3266-a9fb-ecdf0fd53318"> Stream It Here </a> <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tIqatfxGB0M" id="cb5c0530-34e1-35e7-a557-17cdaad1dcf5"> See the original post on Youtube </a> Netflix UK &amp; Ireland@Youtube

Last Chance U (2016 - present) When college players flunk out or face legal trouble, theyre sent to Mississippi and a junior college program in which they can either succeed and continue their shot at college athletics and the NFL or else fail once more and disappear into obscurity. The stakes never felt so high. <a href="https://www.netflix.com/signup/planform" id="1ae32315-c3f9-3266-a9fb-ecdf0fd53318"> Stream It Here </a> <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rFzvBYFrhOc" id="3a7289b4-3e28-347f-a3f9-63479f682009"> See the original post on Youtube </a> Netflix@Youtube

Cheer (2020) The most competitive cheer team in the country isnt a D1 NCAA college. Its found in a small community college in Texas. Cheer takes the activity often seen as the sideshow to professional sporting events, and shows the reality: the cheer routine as the main show. <a href="https://www.netflix.com/signup/planform" id="1ae32315-c3f9-3266-a9fb-ecdf0fd53318"> Stream It Here </a> <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dhXRx_lva18" id="48ab1f6a-9af4-3d4f-aac9-49c02b595c35"> See the original post on Youtube </a> Netflix@Youtube

Touching the Void (2003) Based on the 1988 book by Joe Simpson about his and Simon Yates near-disastrous climb of Siula Grande, Touching the Void dramatizes one of the most intense climbing accounts anyone has ever lived to tell. <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Touching-Void-Simon-Yates/dp/B006O38EJG/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&amp;keywords=Touching+the+Void&amp;qid=1589831331&amp;s=instant-video&amp;sr=1-1" id="660addbc-2fa4-31f5-aac2-e6acc31be7ec"> Stream It Here </a> <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jtnqVZEktyg" id="79daf624-c176-36d4-a992-3423c2e67e9b"> See the original post on Youtube </a> Movieclips Classic Trailers@Youtube

Deep Water (2006) From the same documentarian as Touching the Void, Deep Water reconstructs the 1968 yachting race known as the Sunday Times Golden Globe Race. Yachting has never been more intense. <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Deep-Water-Simon-Crowhurst/dp/B004EC8IMM/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&amp;keywords=Deep+Water&amp;qid=1589831358&amp;s=instant-video&amp;sr=1-1" id="59e04c49-69ad-3a0d-a9ce-a64b0b53f3da"> Stream It Here </a> <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CqP1RCPeqrU" id="c0a03c96-5886-317e-a0f8-9ce77b2c131e"> See the original post on Youtube </a> TheDocumentaryBlog@Youtube

June 17, 1994 (2010) Of all the documentaries in ESPN's ever-popular 30 for 30 series, June 17, 1994 might just be the most ambitious. 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. Because that day was unlike any other day; it was the day when the New York Rangers were celebrating their Stanley Cup Victory, and the New York Knicks were going for an NBA championship. It was the day of Arnold Palmer's final PGA round. And it was the day that OJ Simpson took off in his white Ford Bronco. You think you need talking heads? You don't need talking heads. <a href="https://www.amazon.com/ESPN-Films-30-June-1994/dp/B003BEE28S/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&amp;keywords=June+17%2C+1994&amp;qid=1589831389&amp;s=instant-video&amp;sr=1-1-catcorr" id="01d0373d-a8bd-3bd3-a498-1e60b0d18a92"> Stream It Here </a> <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kMr6LzRsLds" id="3af30034-17af-32e6-aca3-dd7031f53902"> See the original post on Youtube </a> maoritelevision@Youtube

You Don't Know Bo (2012) Are you impressed with Kyler Murray? The current Arizona Cardinals QB and #1 NFL Draft Pick is the most recent example of a true two-sport talent, having finally chosen a career in the NFL over one in the MLB. People like Murray and Deion Sanders, though, had their paths blazed by the one and only Bo Jackson, an incredible physical specimen who dominated the NFL and MLB simultaneously at one point in his career. Still to this day, Jackson's athleticism is rarely touched; in his prime, he was a literal superhero. <a href="https://www.amazon.com/You-Dont-Know-Bo/dp/B009OVT4P8/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&amp;keywords=You+Don%27t+Know+Bo&amp;qid=1589831412&amp;s=instant-video&amp;sr=1-1" id="663cd57e-36d9-328f-a5c2-c11d36699581"> Stream It Here </a> <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZmoCLo3WOk0" id="2eead31a-2ee3-3b2c-a145-28233bbef6a6"> See the original post on Youtube </a> Lord Aska@Youtube

Winning Time: Reggie Miller vs. the New York Knicks (2010) What happens when an uber-popular director/die-hard basketball fan (Spike Lee) begins a rivalry with an NBA superstar (Reggie Miller)? Bad news for Knicks fans, that's what. This early 30 for 30 entry focuses on the time Miller scored 8 points in 8.9 seconds to close out a pivotal playoff game. The pacing is unmatched in this one. <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Winning-Time-Reggie-Miller-Knicks/dp/B00IO64DUA/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&amp;keywords=Winning+Time%3A+Reggie+Miller+vs.+the+New+York+Knicks&amp;qid=1589831446&amp;s=instant-video&amp;sr=1-1" id="310b79f6-2867-3d78-a38c-83c8842e838f"> Stream It Here </a> <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PLRUt8ItZyc" id="d8e36d71-e1d5-353a-a5db-af72030ae74a"> See the original post on Youtube </a> Jacob Kinzbach@Youtube

No No: A Documentary (2014) A no-hitter is one of the most difficult achievements in sports, and on June 12, 1970, Dock Ellis accomplished the featwhile tripping on acid. Its a zany tale, but with a lot of insight. Into Dock. Into baseball. And into the uproarious age of the 60s and 70s. <a href="https://www.amazon.com/No-Dockumentary-Dock-Ellis/dp/B00N8M9E22" id="276de50a-b55c-3513-a579-685c3ec688c4"> Stream It Here </a> <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yCH4fAHtKBo" id="83456ca8-f10f-3850-a609-9709b951d288"> See the original post on Youtube </a> Moviefone@Youtube

Losers (2019) This docuseries turns competition on its head and chronicles the failures, the almost-greats, the ones who came up short. Each episode takes on a different sport, a different athlete, and a different failure. The series is the essence of Victory in Defeat. <a href="https://www.netflix.com/signup/planform" id="1ae32315-c3f9-3266-a9fb-ecdf0fd53318"> Stream It Here </a> <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=909qosDbalU" id="cc4920c5-fc79-3057-ad0c-1fe8e1440541"> See the original post on Youtube </a> Netflix@Youtube

Late Life: The Chien-Ming Wang Story (2018) Late Life is a quieter, lonelier look at Americas pastime, which, for Taiwanese pitcher Chien-Ming Wang was more of a national dream. The most famous player to come from the Taiwan baseball league, Wang carried the weight of a country. The documentaryabout his return from injuryis more about pride than victory. And isnt that the heart of all sports stories? <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Late-Life-Chien-Ming-Story/dp/B07NG82T75/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&amp;keywords=Late+Life%3A+The+Chien-Ming+Wang+Story&amp;qid=1589831543&amp;s=instant-video&amp;sr=1-1" id="a0ed713c-17aa-366f-aab9-cb8a2d313eba"> Stream It Here </a> <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ko-AxGU_D5s" id="955da4c7-f739-3fb4-a6f1-97aad307234e"> See the original post on Youtube </a> Wyc Motions@Youtube

The Best Sports Documentaries of All Time (Now That You're Done With The Last Dance)

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Pulse Kenya is the most followed news and entertainment platform in Kenya. It informs and engages young Kenyans around the clock and provides updates by the hour.

Josh St. Clair, Evan Romano

Articles written by the author

The Best Sports Documentaries of All Time (Now That You're Done With The Last Dance)