One of the best documentaries of the year has to be the ten-part, hugely engrossing ESPN basketball series The Last Dance, a fantastic insight into the legendary Chicago Bulls NBA team and its star player, the iconic Michael Jordan. Outside of the U.S. the series has been playing on Netflix and has been wowing audiences everywhere. Here, we take a look at The Last Dance and five other sports documentaries we thought you might want to take a look at also.
Free Solo
We kick off proceedings with one of the most stressful films to watch – possibly of all time. This one revolves around the world of free climbing, notably Alex Honnold and his journey to climb the challenging El Capitan summit in Yosemite National Park, California. Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin have crafted an edge of your seat, unmissable affair that has to be seen to be believed. The documentary is available on the Disney+ streaming service as part of the National Geographic category.
Icarus
To Netflix now and the Oscar-winning Icarus, a feature length documentary revolving around the world of competitive cycling. Made by Bryan Fogel, this engrossing watch follows Fogel as he delves into the world of doping in the sport, connecting to Russian scientists, one of whom works with the filmmaker as he enters an amateur contest. The film premiered at the Sundance Film Festival before being snapped up by Netflix (where you can currently check the film out). It won the Best Documentary Feature award at the 90th Academy Awards.
The Last Dance
This aforementioned ten-part basketball series, produced by ESPN and available on the Netflix platform outside of the US, chronicles the mighty Chicago Bulls and the legendary Michael Jordan in the final year of their huge dominance in the sport. Moving forward and backward in time constantly throughout the ten episodes, The Last Dance is a hugely detailed, entirely interesting look at one of the greatest teams of all time. Unmissable.
Formula 1: Drive To Survive
If motor racing is your thing then why not head on over to Netflix for this excellent two-series long look behind the scenes at the pinnacle of the sport, Formula 1. With unprecedented access to the 2018 and 2019 seasons, the filmmakers go behind the scenes with the teams, the drivers and the hundreds of technicians behind this multi-million pound sport. This is an absolute must for fans of F1 and sport in general – a fascinating insight, warts and all, inside the paddocks.
The Gambler
We move across to Channel 4 in the UK now for this exceptional three-part series where one man took a £12,000 advance from the broadcast and started to gamble it away – on the horseracing, in slot machines,at the casino and on other sports – all in an attempt to see what happened. Starting in the UK where many Free Bets UK website lists can be found, before moving on to both Australia and then, in the final part, America, this gambling related series that touches all parts of the industry, shows a different side to the sports world and the betting culture that comes along with it. The three part series is now available on All4 if you’re located in the UK territory.
Sunderland ‘Til I Die
Also two seasons long tracking two turbulent football seasons for Northern English football team Sunderland AFC. The first season shows their dramatic efforts to return to the top flight of English football after being relegated from the Premier League to the EFL Championship. The filmmakers take viewers behind the scenes with the players, managers, coaching staff and the dozens of staff working for the club as it battles with the pressures of a drop in league standings. The series also follows the passionate fans as they go through the rollercoaster of emotions that every football season brings, and the impact that has on its football-mad community. Both seasons are now available on Netflix.
