10 Best Netflix Sports Documentaries, According To IMDb

Netflix, along with other streaming services, has helped bring documentary programming to a wider audience. Sports documentaries are no exception, with multiple Netflix shows and movies becoming water cooler topics and award season contenders.

With in-depth looks at the business, politics, and personal lives of athletes, these documentary projects shine a light on sports that have often been overlooked. Covering a wide variety of subjects from Formula One stars to Paralympic athletes, these are the best original sports documentaries on Netflix.

10 Team Foxcatcher – 7.3

John du Pont is the focus of the documentary Team Foxcatcher. A mysterious billionaire and wrestling enthusiast, du Pont invites a group of athletes to Foxcatcher Farm, an extensive training facility he’s built on his property. Among them is Dave Schultz, an Olympic wrestler whom du Pont would eventually murder.

The movie holds a score of 100% on Rotten Tomatoes, with positive reviews from The New York Times and Variety. The events covered in the documentary have also been dramatized in the 2014 film Foxcatcher, starring Mark Ruffalo as Dave Schultz and Steve Carell as du Pont in one of Carell’s best movies.

9 Schumacher – 7.5

The documentary feature Schumacher uses never before seen archive material to tell the story of legendary Formula One driver Michael Schumacher, who won five straight championships for Scuderia Ferrari from 2000 to 2004.

In addition to documenting his career, the movie also provides exclusive interviews with his family and other prominent figures in Formula One, giving a larger portrait of Schumacher’s personal life.

8 Athlete A – 7.6

This documentary follows investigative journalists from the Indianapolis Star as they break the crimes of USAG doctor Larry Nassar. The title Athlete A refers to the then anonymous Maggie Nichols, an American gymnast whose identity was protected while investigations into Nassar were ongoing.

Similar to the Oscar-winning film Spotlight, the story wasn’t over with the article’s publication, as the reporters continued to investigate and found that Steve Penny, CEO of USA Gymnastics, worked to cover up these crimes. The movie holds a score of 100% on Rotten Tomatoes, with 57 fresh reviews.

7 14 Peaks: Nothing Is Impossible – 7.9

In 14 Peaks: Nothing Is Impossible, Nepalese mountaineer Nirmal Purja and his team attempt to climb all 14 eight thousand meter mountains in under 7 months. Faced with perilous mountain conditions, urgent personal matters, and death, Purja perseveres to set a new record.

Similar to mountain climbing documentaries like The Alpinist, 14 Peaks pulls no punches, showing just how dangerous it can be to climb eight-thousanders. The New York Times called it a movie that “expands a genre often focused on the feats of individuals to celebrate lessons about vast dreams and communal bonds.”

6 Icarus – 7.9

For filmmaker Bryan Fogel, Icarus began as a general investigation into sports doping methods. However, it became focused on Russia after he befriended Grigory Rodchenkov, the director of Russia’s national anti-doping laboratory, who revealed to Fogel that the country has a state-sponsored Olympic doping program.

Rodchenkov’s evidence forced the World Anti-Doping Agency and International Olympic Committee to investigate, and caused him to go into protective custody. One of the best documentaries about the Olympics, the movie premiered at Sundance and won an Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature.

5 Rising Phoenix – 8.1

Rising Phoenix charts the journeys of nine Paralympic athletes as they prepare for the Paralympic Games, as well as the history of how the Paralympic Games came to be. Among the athletes covered is Jonnie Peacock, a double gold medalist sprinter who lost his right leg when he was 5.

The documentary was meant to be released the first week of the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games, but the events were delayed until 2021 due to COVID-19. Rising Phoenix was nominated for nine awards, and won Outstanding Long Sports Documentary at the Sports Emmy Awards.

4 Cheer – 8.1

The docuseries Cheer comes from Last Chance U director Greg Whiteley and follows the Navarro College Cheer Team led by coach Monica Aldama. Since there is no professional league for cheerleading, the competing kids only have their college years to prove they’re the best.

The show became an unlikely hit, rocketing its subjects to overnight fame. After a 2-year hiatus, the show returned for a 2nd season in early 2022 which focused on the aftermath of the Daytona nationals, their newfound fame, and disturbing allegations against one of the team’s members.

3 Last Chance U: Basketball – 8.3

A spin-off of Last Chance U, this docuseries focuses on the basketball team of East Los Angeles College. Once fading, the team has risen up to become a title contender, largely thanks to the efforts of head coach John Mosley.

The college team was enjoying their best season ever when it was cut short by COVID-19. Last Chance U: Basketball was successful with both critics and audiences, scoring a 100% on Rotten Tomatoes and a 2nd season renewal within the year.

2 Last Chance U – 8.4

Set in junior colleges across the U.S., Last Chance U tracks the journeys of several former Division I football players who’ve had career setbacks. Now playing at a lower level, they must show they still have what it takes to move into a higher division.

The first 2 seasons follow East Mississippi Community College, 3 and 4 follow Independence Community College of Kansas, and season 5 follows Laney College in Oakland, California. The show won a Sports Emmy in 2020 for Outstanding Serialized Sports Documentary.

1 Formula 1: Drive To Survive – 8.6

Produced in collaboration with Formula One, Formula 1: Drive To Survive breaks down each year’s World Championship with a whole season. Rather than progressing chronologically, each episode focuses on the storylines of 1-2 teams and the posturing, politics, and races they go through over the course of the year.

According to The New York Times, the docuseries is the primary reason new audiences are coming to Formula One, especially in the U.S. Season 4, covering the 2021 World Championship, is expected to arrive on Netflix in March 2022.

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