My Favourite Sports Documentaries
List activity
578 views
• 1 this weekCreate a new list
List your movie, TV & celebrity picks.
83 titles
- DirectorDonald BrittainWilliam CanningStarsDonald BrittainJack BrickhouseErnie BanksA look into the Chicago Cubs National League baseball team during the 1972-1973 seasons.
- StarsDaniel OkrentGeorge F. WillJohn ChancellorA documentary on the history of the sport with major topics including Afro-American players, player/team owner relations and the resilience of the game.
- StarsSteven ZirnkiltonBronson ArroyoMark BellhornThis is a recap of the 2004 Boston Red Sox season that finished with them breaking a winless drought of 86 years by coming back against the New York Yankees and later sweeping the world series.
- DirectorPaul Doyle Jr.StarsJoe CastiglioneJim ConnorsPaul ConstineA look at the Boston Red Sox's 2003 season, from Spring Training to their meeting with the New York Yankees in the American League Championship Series, and the team's relationship with their fans.
- DirectorCruz AngelesStarsMike BritoStanley M. BrooksAl Campanis"The Natural is supposed to be a blue-eyed boy who teethed on a 36-ounce Louisville Slugger. He should run like the wind and throw boysenberries through brick. He should come from California." Steve Wulf, Sports Illustrated, 1981. So how was it that a pudgy 19-year-old Mexican left-handed pitcher from a remote village in the Sonoran desert, unable to speak a word of English, could sell out stadiums across America and become a rock star overnight? In Fernando Nation, Mexican-born and Los Angeles-raised director Cruz Angeles traces the history of a community that was torn apart when Dodger Stadium was built in Chavez Ravine and then revitalized by one of the most captivating pitching phenoms baseball has ever seen. Nicknamed "El Toro" by his fans, Fernando Valenzuela ignited a fire that spread from LA to New York -- and beyond. He vaulted himself onto the prime-time stage and proved with his signature look to the heavens and killer screwball that the American dream was not reserved for those born on U.S. soil. In this layered look at the myth and the man, Cruz Angeles recalls the euphoria around Fernando's arrival and probes a phenomenon that transcended baseball for many Mexican-Americans. Fernando Valenzuela himself opens up to share his perspective on this very special time. Even 20 years later, "Fernandomania" lives.
- DirectorAlex GibneyStarsAlex GibneyDave KaplanBob CostasAfter the Chicago Cubs blow an opportunity to reach the World Series in 2003, Cubs fans blame the team's misfortune on fellow fan Steve Bartman, who interfered with a foul ball and prevented Moises Alou from making a catch.
- 2009– 1h 17mTV-G8.1 (1.7K)TV EpisodeDirectorMichael BonfiglioStarsJames AndrewsDickie AtchisonHal BairdA close look at Bo Jackson, a sports hero of mythical proportions, and how the "Bo Knows" Nike campaign shaped how the world perceived him. Without winning a Super Bowl or World Series, or even having what some consider a "great" career in either sport, Bo will be forever be known as one of the greatest and most famous athletes of all time. This film will look at the marketing of athletes, impossible expectations and the legend of Bo Jackson.
- DirectorChapman WayMaclain WayStarsLou RussellKurt RussellKen WheelerIn 1973, Hollywood actor Bing Russell starts an independent minor league baseball team in Portland consisting of outcasts and misfits, and turns them into unlikely overnight success.
- DirectorJeffrey RadiceStarsEnos CabellDave CashRoberto Clemente Jr.The life and times of major league pitcher Dock Ellis are explored in this revealing documentary.
- 2012– 23mTV-G6.9 (70)TV EpisodeDirectorPeter SillenUnder the cloak of secrecy, a rookie pitching prospect attended the New York Mets spring training in 1985. His name was Hayden "Sidd" Finch and he had never played baseball before, had dropped out of Harvard to study transcendental meditation, spoke ten languages, wore one hiking boot and the other foot bare when on the mound, and threw a 168mph fastball. He was about to change baseball, as George Plimpton wrote in his article published in Sports Illustrated on April 1st, 1985. This film follows one of the greatest April Fools' Day hoaxes the sports world has ever seen.
- StarsKeith DavidJamie FoxxDocumentary chronicles the personal and professional life of Jackie Robinson from his birth in 1919 to his death in 1972. Robinson's rise from humble beginnings to became an American hero and pivotal figure in American history are detailed.
- DirectorRick ClemensStarsMichael JordanBill WaltonJulius ErvingFollowing the life and career of basketball hall of famer David Thompson
- 2009– 1h 8mTV-G8.0 (2.2K)TV EpisodeDirectorDan KloresStarsReggie MillerCheryl MillerSpike LeeA film that explores the rivalry between the Indiana Pacers and New York as seen through the eyes and actions of Reggie Miller star player of the Indiana Pacers.
- DirectorZatella BeattyStarsAllen IversonTom BrokawLarry BrownIverson is the ultimate legacy of NBA legend Allen Iverson, who rose from a childhood of crushing poverty in Hampton, Virginia, to become an 11-time NBA All-Star and universally recognized icon of his sport. Off the court, his audacious rejection of conservative NBA convention and unapologetic embrace of hip hop culture sent shockwaves throughout the league and influenced an entire generation. Told largely in Iverson's own words, the film charts the career highs and lows of one of the most distinctive and accomplished figures the sport of basketball has ever seen.
- DirectorRory KarpfStarsRob LoweChristian LaettnerDick VitaleHe made perhaps the most dramatic shot in the history of the NCAA basketball tournament. He's the only player to start in four consecutive Final Fours, and was instrumental in Duke winning two national championships. He had looks, smarts and game. So why has Christian Laettner been disliked so intensely by so many for so long? Maybe it was the time he stomped on the chest of a downed player, or the battles he had with his teammates, or a perceived sense of entitlement. But sometimes, perception isn't reality. "I Hate Christian Laettner" will go beyond the polarizing persona to reveal the complete story behind this lightning rod of college basketball. Featuring extensive access to Laettner, previously unseen footage and perspectives from all sides, this film will be a "gloves-off" examination of the man who has been seen by many as the "Blue Devil Himself."
- DirectorStanley KubrickStarsDouglas EdwardsNat FleischerWalter CartierAfter a short study of boxing's history, narrated by newscaster Douglas Edwards, we follow a day in the life of a middleweight Irish boxer named Walter Cartier.
- StarsJoe FrazierMuhammad AliLiev SchreiberA look at the events leading up to and including the legendary March 1971 bout between Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier. The film also looks at the political and social factors that helped to make this fight more than just an ordinary boxing match between two of the greatest heavyweight champions that ever lived as Ali was a symbol for liberals, militant blacks and hippies and Frazier was a symbol for the more conservative elements for society.
- DirectorJohn DowerStarsJoe FrazierMarvis FrazierThomas HauserA detailed examination of the intense rivalry between the two heavyweight boxing champions, Joe Frazier and Muhammad Ali.
- DirectorJames TobackStarsMike TysonMills LaneTrevor BerbickA mixture of original interviews, archival footage, and photographs sheds light on the life experiences of Mike Tyson.
- DirectorBradley KaplanAlbert MayslesStarsMuhammad AliLarry HolmesAngelo DundeeWe follow the preparations for Ali's final attempt to win back the World Heavyweight title. Even during the lead up to the fight grave concerns were held for Ali's health and the man who stepped into the ring was frail imitation of his former self.
- DirectorJeff FeuerzeigStarsChuck WepnerSylvester StalloneJerry IzenbergThe story of Chuck Wepner, an underdog boxer who went the distance against Muhammad Ali and inspired the creation of Rocky.
- DirectorJosé Morales GonzálezStarsDewey BozellaRoss FirsenbaumShauna FriedmanESPN Films tells the inspirational story of Dewey Bozella and follows him through his quest to fight one professional fight as a free man. A promising young boxer from a troubled family, Bozella was wrongfully convicted of murder in 1983 and spent more than 26 years in New York¿s Sing Sing prison.
- DirectorBill SiegelStarsEamonn AndrewsMuhammad AliDavid SusskindThe legal battles of the great American boxer against being conscripted into the US military during the Vietnam War.
- DirectorEric DrathStarsChristie BrinkleyMike TysonJane PauleyIn the midst of boxing's contemporary golden age -Â the 1980's -Â stood two fighters who established a captivating rivalry; Sugar Ray Leonard and Roberto Duran.
- DirectorClare LewinsStarsMuhammad AliGene KilroyRahman AliUnprecedented access to Muhammad Ali's personal archive of "audio journals" as well as interviews and testimonials from his inner circle of family and friends are used to tell the legend's life story.