This is an excellent list indeed. I would add two great basketball docs: "Once Brothers: Yugoslavia 1987-1992" and "The Announcement" (2012).
By the way, "Super Eagles 96" was a surprise package and deserves a mention.
Unfortunately, non-English language documentaries are often overlooked. For instance, "Les Yeux Dans Les Bleus" made during the 1998 World Cup is still one the best of its kind.
Thanks for sharing this - Senna was a really special documentary. I’ve also found it’s the sports documentary that people with absolutely no interest in F1 still find brilliant - which I think is one of the biggest compliments a documentary can get.
His clear love of looking at sport from both a "nerdy" stats-driven perspective, while also not forgetting that the *real* fun of sport is the human stories it tells us, chimes deeply with why I love sport. Plus, the jello story from episode one of the Mariners doc is one of the funniest things I've ever heard.
The first couple of seasons of 30 for 30 are unparalled for their brilliance.
The Last Dance, while a great watch, is the beginning of a bad new trend of documentaries being made with the formal approval of the subject and editing in a way to make that subject look good. It's an amazing nostalgia trip but it's not a full reflection of who Jordan was/is. A lot of recent docs take the same route and are in effect autobiography rather than biography or storytelling with all the implicit bias that entails.
The High School football documentary, Undefeated (2011) is worth a mention. The team and the circumstances are far from glorious, but the individual stories and the team ethic is relevant across sport and across the globe.
This is an excellent list indeed. I would add two great basketball docs: "Once Brothers: Yugoslavia 1987-1992" and "The Announcement" (2012).
By the way, "Super Eagles 96" was a surprise package and deserves a mention.
Unfortunately, non-English language documentaries are often overlooked. For instance, "Les Yeux Dans Les Bleus" made during the 1998 World Cup is still one the best of its kind.
Good list, I'll be checking out the ones I haven't seen.
I watched this last year and thought it was probably the best sporting doc I'd ever seen:
Cricket’s Greatest Game: www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/m001q7lf
Great list! Feel I need to plug cricket’s ‘Fire in Babylon’ about the mighty West Indies team. Stirring stuff.
Thanks for sharing this - Senna was a really special documentary. I’ve also found it’s the sports documentary that people with absolutely no interest in F1 still find brilliant - which I think is one of the biggest compliments a documentary can get.
Definitely checking your list out
I have a huge soft spot for Jon Bois documentaries on Secret Base, with "The History of the Seattle Mariners (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6pkVu6Kw00M&list=PLUXSZMIiUfFQua1LlKNMg1IOqAn15RkUT)" and "Captain Ahab: The Story of Dave Stieb (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZlviajJlctQ&list=PLUXSZMIiUfFTxGgtC_DSPolFqD7KlcZ17)" being personal highlights.
His clear love of looking at sport from both a "nerdy" stats-driven perspective, while also not forgetting that the *real* fun of sport is the human stories it tells us, chimes deeply with why I love sport. Plus, the jello story from episode one of the Mariners doc is one of the funniest things I've ever heard.
The first couple of seasons of 30 for 30 are unparalled for their brilliance.
The Last Dance, while a great watch, is the beginning of a bad new trend of documentaries being made with the formal approval of the subject and editing in a way to make that subject look good. It's an amazing nostalgia trip but it's not a full reflection of who Jordan was/is. A lot of recent docs take the same route and are in effect autobiography rather than biography or storytelling with all the implicit bias that entails.
The High School football documentary, Undefeated (2011) is worth a mention. The team and the circumstances are far from glorious, but the individual stories and the team ethic is relevant across sport and across the globe.