10 Great Sports Documentaries You Can Stream Right Now

Edson Arantes do Nascimento, better known as Pelé, in the Netflix documentary Pelé (2021).
Edson Arantes do Nascimento, better known as Pelé, in the Netflix documentary Pelé (2021). | Netflix

You might not always have time to catch live sports events, but that doesn’t mean you can’t witness some amazing athletic feats and stories. A number of sports documentaries are currently available that cover everything from baseball to climbing to bodybuilding. Take a look at 10 great sports documentaries you can watch right now.

1. Born to Play (2020)

Follow the trials and tribulations of the Boston Renegades, a semi-professional all-women's football team, in this winning documentary.

Find It: Hulu

2. In Search of Greatness (2019)

Sports legends like Wayne Gretzky and Jerry Rice discuss what made them excel in their athletic pursuits in this insightful look inside the mind of driven superstars.

Find It: Hulu

3. Screwball (2018)

Director Billy Corben (Cocaine Cowboys) turns his lens to the steroid epidemic in baseball and the eclectic cast of characters in and around Miami that helped fuel it. While no cameras were around to capture those illicit deals and stars like Alex Rodriguez were understandably unwilling to participate, Corben uses kid actors to dramatize the scandal.

Find It: Netflix 

4. The Battered Bastards of Baseball (2014)

In the 1970s, Bing Russell—father of actor Kurt Russell—assembled a ragtag band of baseball players in Portland, Oregon, to create a barnstorming independent team dubbed the Mavericks. Debauchery and underdog victories followed. (And yes, Kurt played for the team.)

Find It: Netflix

5. Free Solo (2018)

Few sports documentaries earn an Academy Award for Best Documentary, but one look at the eye-popping Free Solo demonstrates why the recognition was well-deserved. The film chronicles the life of free solo climber Alex Honnold as he prepares to ascend Yosemite's 3200-foot El Capitan without ropes or equipment. Unlike virtually any other sport on the planet, just one mistake could cost Honnold his life. 

Find It: Disney+

6. Take Every Wave: The Life of Laird Hamilton (2017)

Pro surfer Laird Hamilton reveals his love for the wave in this profile of the legendary athlete.

Find It: Hulu

7. Pelé (2021)

You don't have to know soccer to know the name Pelé, who became a cultural icon in the 1970s thanks to his prowess on the field and his charisma off of it.

Find It: Netflix

8. Team Foxcatcher (2016)

Millionaire John du Pont had an obsession with amateur wrestling, going so far as to invite the best athletes in the country to train at his elaborate facility in Pennsylvania to prepare for Olympic competition in the 1990s. But the eccentric du Pont blurred the line between benefactor and dictator, leading to tragic results for one of America’s best wrestlers.

Find It: Netflix

9. Tough Guy: The Bob Probert Story (2019)

Famed hockey enforcer Bob Probert lived a wild life both on and off the ice. This documentary looks at the NHL’s wildest brawler through the eyes of friends and family members, who reflect on Probert's career and the effect it might have had on him passing away at age 45 in 2010.

Find It: Amazon Prime

10. Ronnie Coleman: The King (2018)

With his freakish proportions, Ronnie Coleman dominated the professional bodybuilding scene for years. But the mental and physical demands of competition start to take their toll as Coleman grows older, and his body finally realizes the effects of moving massive amounts of weight.

Find It: Netflix

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