Netflix has made significant gains in sports programming in the last few years, but it has an even more impressive lineup of sports documentaries.
One of the reasons why Netflix has so many great sports docs to choose from is that several are on loan from ESPN.
But even the Netflix original documentaries shine when given the chance to revisit players in different sports at the height of their careers.
The Watch With Us team has narrowed our picks down to the five must-watch Netflix sports documentaries. These films and TV shows may also have personal significance for anyone who grew up loving sports.
‘The Last Dance’ (2020)
The Chicago Bulls of the late ’90s had a collection of larger-than-life characters that most movies could only dream about. Coach Phil Jackson, Scottie Pippen, Dennis Rodman and the incomparably iconic Michael Jordan ruled basketball courts like few other teams ever had. This group even had a personal nemesis in Bulls General Manager Jerry Krause, who declared that the 1997–98 season would be their final run together.
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The Last Dance primarily focuses on the Bulls’ final championship campaign, with frequent flashbacks to the history of Jordan, Pippen, Rodman and other players and coaches associated with the team. It’s mesmerizing viewing, especially if you loved watching Jordan put on a show. There may never be another team as riveting as these Chicago Bulls, and their story still resonates three decades later.
The Last Dance is streaming on Netflix.
‘This Was the XFL’ (2016)
Almost any wrestling fan can tell you that former WWE owner Vince McMahon has never succeeded in any venture outside of sports entertainment. But in 2001, McMahon and NBC — which had recently been jilted by the NFL — teamed up to take on America’s favorite pastime with the XFL, a football league that incorporated some of WWE’s over-the-top elements.
This Was the XFL chronicles the disaster that followed, and the XFL’s subsequent demise after only a single season of play. Because this documentary was made in 2016, it doesn’t touch upon McMahon’s second XFL launch in 2020, which was an even bigger bust than the original one. But the story was far more interesting the first time.
This Was the XFL is streaming on Netflix.
‘Facing Nolan’ (2022)
Most MLB pitchers are lucky to spend a handful of years in the league before bringing their careers to an end. Nolan Ryan pitched at an elite level for nearly three decades, and he set records as one of the most dominant players to ever take the field. Ryan even seemed to become a better pitcher with age, and he was widely regarded as a living legend by the time he retired in 1993 after 27 seasons.
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Facing Nolan acknowledges Nolan’s greatness as a player while exploring his identity as a man, a father and a grandfather who left baseball behind years ago. It’s an intimate portrait of Nolan that offers fans a fresh perspective about who he is and what he represents. Generations of fans have fond memories of Nolan playing the game, and seeing his old baseball clips serves as a reminder of just how much fun it was to watch him on the pitcher’s mound.
Facing Nolan is streaming on Netflix.
‘Pelé’ (2021)
If you’ve ever wondered if soccer has an answer to Michael Jordan, it’s Pelé. Few fans in America knew Edson Arantes do Nascimento by his given name, but Pelé achieved international fame for the skills that made him a three-time World Cup winner for his native Brazil.
Pelé takes on the daunting task of attempting to convey just how important its subject is to soccer. It covers a wide period of Pelé’s life, including his childhood and the last chapter of his career working with the New York Cosmos MLS team. Pelé wasn’t just a soccer player; he was an ambassador for the game who transcended sports. If you’ve never seen Pelé handle a ball or score, then you’re in for a treat. The archival footage of his games is a blast.
Pelé is streaming on Netflix.
‘This Magic Moment’ (2016)
Before Shaquille O’Neal came to the Los Angeles Lakers to win three out of his four NBA championships, he was drafted by the Orlando Magic and nearly started a dynasty on the East Coast. In 1993, Shaq was paired with Penny Hardaway, a gifted player who seemed destined for superstar status. Together, they made the Magic one of the most exciting teams of the mid-’90s.
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This Magic Moment takes a look back at Shaq and Hardaway’s time together as teammates and explores the high hopes that everyone had for their shared success. The documentary also revisits the way their partnership dissolved and how the Magic’s dream of a dominant NBA championship run never came to pass.
This Magic Moment is streaming on Netflix.
