The 25 Greatest Sports Documentaries of All Time
Most actors (with the exception of Air Bud) are terrible athletes. That's why recreating the intensity and excitement of history's greatest sporting events on the big screen is usually a fail. And that's also why sports documentaries have always styled on glossy Hollywood portrayals—the documentary Dogtown and Z-Boys versus the feature film Lords of Dogtown is the perfect example of such styling. The 2013 Oscars are tonight at 8:30 p.m. and last year Undefeated, the story of the 2009 Manassas Tigers won Best Documentary. So before you get all hype for tonight's big event, check out the 25 Greatest Sports Documentaries of All Time.
25. Doin' It in the Park
Year: 2013
Director(s): Kevin Couliau, Bobbito Garcia
Synopsis: Bobbito and his team visit 180 New York courts to document pick-up hoops in the Mecca of basketball.
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Co-directors Kevin Couliau and Bobbito made a first-of-its-kind film documenting pick-up basketball where it started: New York City. They traveled to every borough and talked to numerous NYC blacktop legends such as Pee Wee Kirkland, Fly Williams, and Corey "Homicide" Williams, among others. They even took a trip to Riker's Island, showing that the game of basketball brings people from different backgrounds together. Doin' It in the Park screened over the 2012 summer to the chorus of rave reviews. The film will be available worldwide on May 1, and digital pre-sales begin March 1. For more info check www.doinitinthepark.com.
24. The Fab Five
Year: 2011
Director(s): Jason Hehir
Synopsis: Five freshmen changed college basketball forever. This is their story.
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The Fab Five tells the story of five freshman that did the unthinkable. Jalen Rose, Chris Webber, Juwan Howard, Jimmy King, and Ray Jackson became the first freshman starting five to make it to the NCAA National Championship game. With bald heads, black socks, and baggy shorts the Fab Five played with attitude and their cultural impact can still be felt 'til this very day.
23. Through the Fire
Year: 2005
Director(s): Jonathan Hock
Synopsis: Adidas follows Sebastian Telfair's senior year at Brooklyn's Lincoln High School as he prepares to go straight to the league.
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Winner of a bunch of awards from various film festivals when it dropped, Through the Fire is the story of Sebastian "Bassy" Telfair's journey from Coney Island to the 2004 NBA Draft. The film documents his ups and downs, high expectations, early morning workouts, and his family situation. The filmmakers did a great job making you root for Bassy.
22. The U
Year: 2009
Director(s): Billy Corben
Synopsis: The story of how the University of Miami became a football powerhouse.
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The Miami Hurricanes started this gangsta shit. The U documents the Miami college football teams that won a bunch of national titles between 1983 and 1991. Director Billy Corben talks to head coaches Howard Schnellenberger, Jimmy Johnson, and Dennis Erickson as they try to explain their approach to winning and how their recruiting techniques changed college football forever.
21. Tyson
Year: 2008
Director(s): James Toback
Synopsis: The former heavyweight champ chronicles the story of his life, from his meteoric rise to his tragic fall.
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From his most badass moments to his self-imposed ones, we love us some Iron Mike. In this film he candidly talks about the ups and downs of his life in a way that might make you cry. Tyson is a man defeated, but he doesn't let the "what ifs" keep him down as he continues to redefine himself.
20. Murderball
Year: 2005
Director(s): Henry Alex Rubin, Dana Adam Shapiro
Synopsis: The film follows quadriplegics on the U.S. national wheelchair rugby team as it prepares for the 2004 Paralympic Games.
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The filmmakers earned a Oscar nomination by wisely depicting the players as legit athletes rather than victims as they face extraordinary struggles. Need a reason to get up, get out, and do something? Watch this movie.
19. 9 Innings to Ground Zero
Year: 2004
Director(s): Ouisie Shapiro
Synopsis: Documents the 2001 World Series between the Yankees and the Diamondbacks, a month after 9-11.
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This short, well-made documentary captured how the Yankees provided relief from the uncertainty that people felt about how to proceed with their lives. It's extremely hard not to get goose bumps while watching this heart-felt documentary that hits home for many Americans and especially New Yorkers. The Yankees came to symbolize and re-strengthen everything that was, and is, New York and America.
18. Soul in the Hole
Year: 1997
Director(s): Danielle Gardner
Synopsis: Booger Smith and his team gear up to play in the championship tournament "Soul in the Hole."
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Featuring a stellar soundtrack, the film crew shadows 18-year-old streetball phenom Ed "Booger" Smith and his team "Kenny's Kings" during the summer of 1994. They put an emphasis on their off-the-court lives, interviewing family members and friends of various players.
17. Bones Brigade: An Autobiography
Year: 2012
Director(s): Stacy Peralta
Synopsis: The tale of the skateboarding team that changed the game.
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Modern skateboarding wouldn't—couldn't—exist without the Bones Brigade. Dogtown may have been where it all started, but the team Stacy Peralta assembled after he retired from competition is his true legacy. The vintage clips are amazing, the current interviews are even better.
16. Benji
Year: 2012
Director(s): Coodie and Chike
Synopsis: The story of Chicago basketball legend Benji Wilson and how his untimely death still resonates in the Windy City.
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This film might make you cry. Chi-town natives Coodie and Chike of Creative Control fame tell the story of Benji Wilson; a high school basketball player with the world at his feet. At the height of his popularity, Benji was shot and killed right before his senior season.
15. Bigger, Stronger, Faster
Year: 2008
Director(s): Christopher Bell
Synopsis: An examination of the usage of performance-enhancing drugs in America.
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This is truly a "take-no-prisoners" flick, aimed at everyone from athletes to the health-supplement industry. We give it two veiny, oversized thumbs up.
14. Undefeated
Year: 2011
Director(s): Daniel Lindsay, T.J. Martin
Synopsis: An all-access look at a Memphis, TN, high school football team's 2009 season, during which they competed against other schools, inner turmoil, and financial woes.
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The winner of last year's Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature, is proof that resonant characters and honest emotions can trump familiarity—even more so if those characters are real-life people.
Directed with non-intrusive, observational clarity by first-time documentarians Daniel Lindsay and T.J. Martin, Undefeated follows the Manassas Tigers, a high school football team in Memphis, TN, coached by a great man named Bill Courtney. Over the course of one particularly dramatic season, the Tigers achieve excellence both on the gridiron and off, despite many negative forces
13. The Endless Summer
Year: 1966
Director(s): Bruce Brown
Synopsis: Two surfers go on a global journey in an attempt to follow all the summers around the world.
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Not only is this the definitive surf movie, but it also changed the doc game by eschewing the the formal, straightforward style in favor of something more casual and personal. Yup, this movie is most def wavy—hold ya head Max.
12. Senna
Year: 2010
Director(s): Asif Kapadia
Synopsis: The story of the greatest Formula One driver to ever live.
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Ayrton Senna revolutionized Formula One. This story told by Asif Kapadia can reach even the most casual of fans. The life of Senna was filled with undulation, such as his relationship with McLaren teammate Alain Prost. It documents his beginnings all the way to his death on the racetrack. This is a must see whether you're a fan of the sport or not.
11. The Two Escobars
Year: 2010
Director(s): Jeff and Michael Zimbalist
Synopsis: A tale of how sports and crime can become intertwined with fatal results.
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The Zimbalist brothers present a fast and furious film that captures the heart and soul of Colombia. During a time of unrest in the region, all the Colombian people had was their national soccer team. It just so happened that they were funded by cocaine kingpin Pablo Escobar. Their best player, Andres Escobar, made a mistake during the 1994 World Cup that turned out to be fatal. After committing an "own goal" in a game against the US, Andres was murdered on the streets of his own country.
10. Riding Giants
Year: 2004
Director(s): Stacy Peralta
Synopsis: An overview of the origins of surfing and a detailed look at the new generation of big-wave riders.
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We know what you're thinking: A film titled Riding Giants starring dudes in wetsuits? FOH. But while The Endless Summer set the blueprint, this documentary takes the surf-movie genre to new heights by adding a depth and insight into the sport that was previously unseen on film.
9. Once In a Lifetime: The Extraordinary Story of the New York Cosmos
Year: 2006
Director(s): Paul Crowder, John Dower
Synopsis: The short-lived NY Cosmos briefly take the sporting world by storm and help bring soccer to mainstream America during the '70s.
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Way before the MLS, America got caught up in the "jogo bonito" through this team of superstars. The documentary captures the players' fast-paced style on the pitch to their equally captivating lives off of it. You already know: Soccer players get it in.
8. Touching the Void
Year: 2001
Director(s): Kevin MacDonald
Synopsis: Two mountain climbers struggle to survive after a disastrous attempt to scale the Siula Grande.
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Think documentaries are boring? Then check out this flick. This true account of survival against all odds is more thrilling and suspenseful than most of what Hollywood has to offer. Yeah, it's about two dudes and a mountain, but trust us, this might be the realest shit you ever seen.
7. Beyond the Mat
Year: 1999
Director(s): Barry Blaustein
Synopsis: Three pro wrestlers deal with the dangers of their profession and the toll it has taken on their families and personal lives.
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While most of us loved pro wrestling during at least one point in our lives, we never knew how much went on behind the scenes to provide entertainment. This doc is so raw and real that Vince McMahon himself refused to promote the film when it was released. The moves might be fake but the pain, sacrifice, and betrayal is all too real. Mickey Rourke in The Wrestler is only half the story...
6. Dogtown and Z-Boys
Year: 2001
Director(s): Stacy Peralta
Synopsis: The Zephyr Skateboard team helps to revolutionize the sport and introduce skateboarding to the masses.
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If you ever wondered about the rise of skating, then avoid the heavily flawed Hollywood account, Lords of Dogtown, and peep the far more entertaining and informative doc that spawned it.
5. Pumping Iron
Year: 1977
Director(s): Robert Fiore, George Butler
Synopsis: Bodybuilding superstars prepare for the Mr. Olympia competition, sharing their personal lives along the way.
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If this doc's brilliant storytelling isn't enough to reel you in, then this epic clip of "Ah-nold" comparing working out to "cumming day and night" should do the trick.
4. Unforgivable Blackness: The Rise and Fall of Jack Johnson
Year: 2004
Director(s): Ken Burns
Synopsis: Jack Johnson becomes the first African-American heavyweight champion in boxing history. But his success and boldness outside the ring make him a target of white America.
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From stylin' on white men in the ring to cavorting with white women outside of it—all during a time when doing so would get most black men lynched—Jack Johnson was the O.G. of flamboyant boxers. Director Ken Burns tells Johnson's story as only he can.
3. Baseball
Year: 1994
Director(s): Ken Burns
Synopsis: Ken Burns documents the history of baseball, from its origins all the way up to the year before the infamous 1994 strike.
No other sports doc before or since has told the story of the game with as much depth and detail. Clocking in at over 18 hours, this documentary series is required viewing for any baseball fanatic.
2. When We Were Kings
Year: 1996
Director(s): Leon Gast
Synopsis: Underdog Muhammad Ali takes on George Foreman during the famous "Rumble in the Jungle."
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Through awesome footage and interviews (and some incredible musical performances), this Academy Award-winning doc perfectly captures the emotions, significance, and hoopla of one of the most memorable boxing matches of all time. Sidebar: Before he was pitching burger grills, George Foreman was one scary muthafucka...
1. Hoop Dreams
Year: 1994
Director(s): Steve James
Synopsis: Two inner-city basketball players try to overcome the obstacles of the hood in hopes of making it to the NBA.
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The gripping story of William Gates and Arthur Agee is as much about race, class, and education as it is about sports. Those qualities make this cinematic masterpiece not just the greatest sports doc, but also arguably one of the best documentaries of any kind in recent memory.