5 Great Sport Docos on Netflix RN

It’s the next best thing to actually being there

Sports and documentaries go together like beer and burgers. And lately Neflix has been releasing a ton of award winning, gripping sports docos that make us (almost) want to stay home on a Friday night.

Here’s our pick of the best new-to-Netflix docos for when you can’t make it to a match.

The Dawn Wall (2018) – In the wake of Alex Honnold’s Free Solo documentary winning an Academy Award this year, go back to the first nail-biting ascent of El Capitan, in Yosemite National Park, by American free climbers Tommy Caldwell and Kevin Jorgeson. Although they used ropes, the path they took had a much more extreme physicality to it and the doco is gripping.

via Netflix 'Icarus' (2017)

Icarus (2017) – What began as an exploration of doping for an amateur cycling race, lead filmmaker Bryan Fogel into a terrifying, can’t-look-away discovery of the Russian doping scandal that rocked the sporting world. One not to miss.

Iverson (2014) – Called a ‘thug’ and a ‘gangster’ 11-time NBA All-Star Allen Iverso didn’t have an easy life by a long shot. Growing up in poverty, with several stumbles along the way, Iverson rose to play in the NBA league for an impressive 14 seasons, ranking in over $200 million in his career, all while challenging the conservative powers-that-be every step.

All Work All Play (2015) – With the growing trend of e-sports (the NBA has even just got involved in them) this documentary follows pro-video gamers battling it out in League of Legends and Starcraft II across the world. It shines a light on the fact that ESL (the Electronic Sports League) has the same kind of dramatic sports moments as major league sports, and the same kind of fanatical followers.

via Getty Images

And, if you haven’t seen it yet, get your NFL fix by watching Last Chance U (2016-18), which follows a university football team filled with talented dropouts from across the States. It’ll make you want to slap some sense into the players, while rooting for them to win the title at the same time.