18 Best Sports Documentaries on Netflix For When You Want to Be a Team Player

No matter what teams you follow, your sports viewing doesn’t have to end when the season does. Whether you’re a dedicated and passionate fan who wants to go deeper with your favorite franchise, want to get to know the legendary athletes at the top of their game, or you’re curious to learn more about a sport you don’t already follow, then we’ve assembled the ultimate team of sports documentaries for you to rally around.

AMERICA’S SWEETHEARTS: Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders

If you’re a fan of sports docs, there’s a very good chance you’re familiar with the work of Emmy winner Greg Whiteley, the prolific master behind series like Last Chance U, Wrestlers, and Cheer. Whiteley’s America’s Sweethearts: Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders looks at what it takes to make it in the the high-profile position of a Cowboys Cheerleader. America’s Sweethearts gives a peek inside what it takes to be a member of the squad: “The women are impressive when you see them all in a kick line — they’re in a row and they’re beautiful, athletic, and strong — they seem impenetrable,” he told Tudum. “I think that is made even more impressive when you realize that there’s a living, breathing human being underneath that facade.” 

Beckham

This four-part documentary series from Academy Award–winning director Fisher Stevens (Palmer, And We Go Green, The Cove) and Emmy Award–winning producer John Battsek (One Day in September, Searching for Sugar Man, Winter on Fire) gives fans never-before-seen insight into who David Beckham actually is. It includes an up-close look at his family, friends, teammates, and — yes — his shopping and cleaning habits. The result is an unprecedented look at an icon who, despite spending 30 years in the public eye, just might surprise you.

Carlos Alcaraz: My Way

This docuseries following Spanish tennis superstar Carlos Alcaraz’s 2024 season gives fans a close-up, both on and off the court, of the youngest No. 1 player ever in international men’s tennis. Carlos Alcaraz: My Way offers a unique opportunity to get to know the prodigy as he balances the pressures of being a champion with his desire to live an ordinary life with friends and family. “People are going to get to know everything you don’t see on a tennis court,” Alcaraz told Netflix. “I think it’s something very different.”

The Clubhouse: A Year with the Red Sox

Spend time in the dugout with the Boston Red Sox, one of the most iconic franchises in MLB history. Also from Whiteley, The Clubhouse: A Year with the Red Sox follows both the personal and professional lives of the Red Sox through the 2024 season, as players open up about the physical and mental demands of the sport. Over eight episodes, the series offers an unvarnished look at the team’s 81-81 season and all the highs and lows as they play out in real time. Whether you’re a Sox fan or someone who just appreciates legendary moments in sports history, you’ll also want to tune into The Comeback: 2004 Boston Red Sox, a docuseries about one of the greatest sports comebacks ever. 

Court of Gold

Court of Gold takes you behind the scenes at the 2024 Paris Olympics with some of the NBA’s biggest stars. The six-part series follows Kevin Durant, LeBron James, and Stephen Curry, who play for Team USA; Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who plays for Canada; Serbia’s Nikola Jokić; and French star Victor Wembanyama, as they play to win an Olympic medal. Court of Gold gives you an intimate look at what it takes to come out on top, from training sessions and team dinners to the competition on the court, and includes interviews with players, coaches, and experts. Once you finish Court of Gold, jump into The Redeem Team, which follows Team USA to the 2008 Olympics in Beijing with an all-star team led by James, Dwyane Wade, Carmelo Anthony, Chris Paul, and Kobe Bryant.

Formula 1: Drive to Survive

The world’s hottest sport was barely on the radar of most Americans — and then Drive to Survive arrived. Since premiering in 2019, the docuseries has been credited for the staggering rise in popularity of the European racing association, Formula 1. Over seven seasons, Drive has taken die-hard and casual fans inside every team (the storied Ferrari and Mercedes got on the bandwagon in Season 2) and showcased the lives and preparation of the owners, managers, and drivers, including superstars Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen, whose headline-making race for the 2021 title was at the center of Season 4. 

Full Swing

This series delivers a behind-the-scenes look at the lives of pro golfers as they endure the challenges of the PGA Tour, including all four of golf’s major championships. Full Swing takes golf fans across the course and into the players’ lives, documenting how careers can be made or broken in a single swing. 

Last Chance U

Taking inspiration from HBO’s Hard Knocks, which goes inside an NFL team during the preseason, Last Chance U explores the inner workings of junior college football. Over five seasons, the series made stops at East Mississippi Community College, Kansas’ Independence Community College, and Oakland, California’s Laney College. No matter the location, Whiteley and his team found charismatic — if sometimes problematic — head coaches, passionate academic advisors, and promising athletes with the hopes of making it to the pros, even if all the odds were stacked against them. You’ll cheer when they earn a scholarship to a major school, but you’ll also be heartbroken when, for whatever reason, they fumble their last chance. Following the end of Last Chance U, the spin-off Last Chance U: Basketball premiered in 2021, with a second season arriving the following year.

The Last Dance

Early in the pandemic, there were no new sporting events to watch, but the 10-part docuseries about Michael Jordan and the ’90s Chicago Bulls became as big an event as a playoff game or Monday Night Football would have been. The Emmy-winning project featured previously unseen behind-the-scenes footage from the Bulls’ 1997–98 season, Jordan’s last year on the team, the one in which they’d win a sixth NBA title in eight years. Among those interviewed were Scottie Pippen, Dennis Rodman, Phil Jackson, Kobe Bryant, Larry Bird, Charles Barkley, and Barack Obama, who was credited solely as “former Chicago resident.” But The Last Dance belongs to Jordan. It’s old primarily through his lens, and Jordan doesn’t mince words. 

Naomi Osaka

From Oscar-nominated documentary filmmaker Garrett Bradley and executive producer LeBron James, this three-episode series chronicles two years in the life of another charismatic champion: trailblazing Japanese tennis star Naomi Osaka. Filmed from 2019 to 2021, the project follows Osaka as her popularity exploded following her memorable victory over Serena Williams at the 2018 US Open, and her subsequent emergence as the sport’s next household name. But as fame comes, so does the weight of international attention and expectations. The series shows Osaka dealing with her own mental health, and grappling with how to use her voice in the wake of the murder of George Floyd and the resulting reckoning in the US and worldwide.

Open Heart

Directed by 30 for 30 veteran Jonathan Hock, Open Heart features former New York Ranger Henrik Lundqvist, one of the most distinguished goalies in NHL history, opening up like never before. The film looks at his illustrious career, which was suddenly interrupted by a debilitating heart condition and ensuing heart surgery. After living and breathing the sport he loved for his entire life, Open Heart finds Lundqvist trying to figure out “Without hockey, what am I?”

Quarterback

Being a professional quarterback is arguably the toughest job in football — maybe in any sport, period. The first season of Quarterback, from NFL Films, 2PM Productions, and Omaha Productions, follows three of the biggest quarterbacks in the game throughout the 2022 season, giving an unprecedented look at what it takes for Patrick Mahomes, Kirk Cousins, and Marcus Mariota to succeed when all eyes are on them. Once you’re done, gear up for Season 2, which will feature a new roster of quarterbacks, in addition to returning starter Kirk Cousins. 

Receiver

If you loved Quarterback, then you’re going to want to catch Receiver. Hailing from the same creative team as its predecessor, this eight-episode docuseries moves from following the signal-callers (who, let’s admit, already get enough glory) to the guys on the receiving end of their passes. No offense to Quarterback stars Patrick Mahomes, Marcus Mariota, and Kirk Cousins, but receivers are famously more animated, flashy, and swagger-filled than any other position on the field. So there’s plenty of entertainment in watching the Las Vegas Raiders’ Davante Adams (now of the Los Angeles Rams), Minnesota Vikings’ Justin Jefferson, Detroit Lions’ Amon-Ra St. Brown, and San Francisco 49ers’ George Kittle and Deebo Samuel (who now plays for the Washington Commanders). 

Simone Biles Rising

You won’t want to miss this intimate documentary about Simone Biles’ journey to the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris. The four-episode series goes behind the scenes as Biles — who withdrew from events at the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo amid struggles with her mental health — returns to gymnastics and prepares to resume her position at the top of the sport. 

SPRINT

Don’t waste a single second hitting play on this docuseries about the world’s fastest athletes. SPRINT, from the team behind Drive to Survive, hits the track with elite-level runners, following their journey from the 2023 World Championships to the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris. Athletes Sha’Carri Richardson, Noah Lyles, and Shericka Jackson are featured, as well as other competitors from the US, Jamaica, the UK, Ivory Coast, Kenya, and Italy. It’s also worth watching for stories from the sprinters’ families — and fresh insight from track and field legends Michael Johnson and Usain Bolt.

Under Pressure: The U.S. Women’s World Cup Team

In sports like basketball, football, or baseball, each year you have a new season to turn the page to, no matter the result of the previous outing. But, with soccer, it’s all building to a few-week span every four years. Under Pressure lives up to its title while documenting the U.S. women’s national team as they pursue their third consecutive title at the 2023 FIFA World Cup. Featuring a new coach, more than a dozen untested international players, and returning superstars, the squad struggles through adversity and expectations, hoping to ultimately overcome the pressure. 

Untold: Jake Paul the Problem Child

Netflix’s Untold series of sports documentary films has chronicled some of the wildest stories from the last two decades, from the epic 2004 brawl between the Detroit Pistons and Indiana Pacers to the shocking turn in the story of Manti Te’o and his dead girlfriend. One of the buzziest recent entries is Untold: Jake Paul the Problem Child, which tracks Paul’s unlikely transition from controversial internet personality to polarizing sports figure and rising boxing star. If you’re ready for another round with Paul after watching him enter the ring with Mike Tyson, this doc pulls no punches.

Wrestlers

After exploring the worlds of cheerleading (Cheer), football (Last Chance U), and basketball (Last Chance U: Basketball), Greg Whiteley jumped into the ring for Wrestlers. The seven-episode docuseries is an intimate and emotional look behind the scenes at the less glamorous circumstances wrestling companies that aren’t the all-powerful WWE. Wrestlers highlights legendary wrestler Al Snow as he battles to keep Ohio Valley Wrestling (OVW) alive through financial hardships and competing interests. This is one that will have you pinned down to your couch.