The 25 Best Sports Documentaries
by z_ingle | created - 27 Aug 2012 | updated - 27 Aug 2012 | PublicThe term "sports" is very loosely understood. Basically, it is a documentary about anything that could air on ESPN or get coverage in Sports Illustrated.
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1. Hoop Dreams (1994)
PG-13 | 170 min | Documentary, Drama, Sport
A film following the lives of two inner-city Chicago boys who struggle to become college basketball players on the road to going professional.
Director: Steve James | Stars: William Gates, Arthur Agee, Emma Gates, Curtis Gates
Votes: 27,995 | Gross: $7.83M
2. Olympia Part One: Festival of the Nations (1938)
Not Rated | 111 min | Documentary, Sport
The document of the 1936 Olympics at Berlin.
Director: Leni Riefenstahl | Stars: David Albritton, Arvo Askola, Jack Beresford, Erwin Blask
Votes: 5,236
3. Olympia Part Two: Festival of Beauty (1938)
Not Rated | 90 min | Documentary, Sport
The document of the 1936 Olympics at Berlin, orchestrated as Nazi propaganda.
Director: Leni Riefenstahl | Stars: Sheigo Arai, Jack Beresford, Ralf Berzsenyi, Ferenc Csík
Votes: 4,321
4. Baseball (1994–2010)
TV-PG | 104 min | Documentary, History, Sport
A documentary on the history of the sport with major topics including Afro-American players, player/team owner relations and the resilience of the game.
Stars: Daniel Okrent, George F. Will, John Chancellor, Doris Kearns Goodwin
Votes: 4,734
5. Tokyo Olympiad (1965)
Not Rated | 170 min | Documentary, Sport
Kon Ichikawa examines the beauty and rich drama on display at the 1964 Summer Games in Tokyo, creating a record of observations that range from the expansive to the intimate.
Director: Kon Ichikawa | Stars: Antonio Ambu, Gary Anderson, Gerry Ashworth, Polina Astakhova
Votes: 2,196
6. The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters (2007)
PG-13 | 79 min | Documentary, Biography, Sport
Die-hard gamers compete to break world records on classic arcade games.
Director: Seth Gordon | Stars: Steve Wiebe, Billy Mitchell, Mark Alpiger, Adam Wood
Votes: 37,562 | Gross: $0.68M
7. When We Were Kings (1996)
PG | 88 min | Documentary, Sport
Boxing documentary on the 1974 world heavyweight championship bout between defending champion, George Foreman, and the underdog challenger, Muhammad Ali.
Director: Leon Gast | Stars: Muhammad Ali, George Foreman, Don King, James Brown
Votes: 19,124 | Gross: $2.79M
8. Murderball (2005)
R | 88 min | Documentary, Sport
Quadriplegics, who play full-contact rugby in wheelchairs, overcome unimaginable obstacles to compete in the Paralympic Games in Athens, Greece.
Directors: Henry Alex Rubin, Dana Adam Shapiro | Stars: Joe Soares, Keith Cavill, Mark Zupan, Robert Soares
Votes: 10,455 | Gross: $1.52M
9. The Life and Times of Hank Greenberg (1998)
PG | 90 min | Documentary, Biography, Sport
The life and career of Hank Greenberg, the first major Jewish baseball star in the Major Leagues.
Director: Aviva Kempner | Stars: Reeve Brenner, Hank Greenberg, Walter Matthau, Alan Dershowitz
Votes: 816 | Gross: $1.70M
10. Touching the Void (2003)
R | 106 min | Documentary, Adventure, Drama
The true story of two climbers and their perilous journey up the west face of Siula Grande in the Peruvian Andes in 1985.
Director: Kevin Macdonald | Stars: Simon Yates, Joe Simpson, Brendan Mackey, Nicholas Aaron
Votes: 38,078 | Gross: $4.59M
11. One Day in September (1999)
R | 94 min | Documentary, History, Sport
The Palestinian terrorist group Black September holds Israeli athletes hostage at the 1972 Summer Olympic Games in Munich.
Director: Kevin Macdonald | Stars: Michael Douglas, Ankie Spitzer, Jamal Al Gashey, Gerald Seymour
Votes: 6,239 | Gross: $0.16M
12. Bigger Stronger Faster* (2008)
PG-13 | 105 min | Documentary, Sport
An examination of America's win-at-all-cost culture from the perspective of bodybuilding and performance enhancing drugs, as it focuses on a pair of siblings chasing their dream.
Director: Chris Bell | Stars: Chris Bell, Mike Bell, Mark Bell, Hank Aaron
Votes: 13,815 | Gross: $0.31M
13. Spellbound (2002)
G | 97 min | Documentary, Comedy, Thriller
Spellbound follows eight teenagers on their quest to win the 1999 National Spelling Bee.
Director: Jeffrey Blitz | Stars: Angela Arenivar, Ubaldo Arenivar, Jorge Arenivar, Scott McGarraugh
Votes: 12,460 | Gross: $5.73M
14. The Endless Summer (1966)
Not Rated | 95 min | Documentary, Sport
The crown jewel to ten years of Bruce Brown surfing documentaries. Brown follows two young surfers around the world in search of the perfect wave, and ends up finding quite a few in addition to some colorful local characters.
Director: Bruce Brown | Stars: Robert August, Michael Hynson, Lord James Blears, Bruce Brown
Votes: 6,214
15. Pumping Iron (1977)
PG | 86 min | Documentary, Sport
Arnold Schwarzenegger and Lou Ferrigno face off in a no-holds-barred competition for the title of Mr. Olympia in this critically-acclaimed film that made Schwarzenegger a household name.
Directors: George Butler, Robert Fiore | Stars: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Lou Ferrigno, Matty Ferrigno, Victoria Ferrigno
Votes: 24,870
16. Beyond the Mat (1999)
R | 102 min | Documentary, Biography, Sport
A heartfelt documentary focusing on the day-to-day lives of professional wrestlers, some on the rise, some on the wane, and others fighting for their lives.
Director: Barry W. Blaustein | Stars: Terry Funk, Mick Foley, Jake Roberts, Barry W. Blaustein
Votes: 9,469 | Gross: $2.05M
17. Dogtown and Z-Boys (2001)
PG-13 | 91 min | Documentary, Sport
Documentary about the pioneering 1970s Zephyr skating team.
Director: Stacy Peralta | Stars: Sean Penn, Jay Adams, Tony Alva, Jeff Ament
Votes: 13,350 | Gross: $1.29M
18. Riding Giants (2004)
PG-13 | 105 min | Documentary, Biography, History
Documentary detailing the origins and history of surf culture.
Director: Stacy Peralta | Stars: Laird Hamilton, Darrick Doerner, Dave Kalama, Jeff Clark
Votes: 4,669 | Gross: $2.28M
19. Tyson (2008)
R | 90 min | Documentary, Biography, Sport
A mixture of original interviews, archival footage, and photographs sheds light on the life experiences of Mike Tyson.
Director: James Toback | Stars: Mike Tyson, Mills Lane, Trevor Berbick, Cus D'Amato
Votes: 12,927 | Gross: $0.89M
20. Step Into Liquid (2003)
PG | 88 min | Documentary, Sport
Surfers and secret spots from around the world are profiled in this documentary.
Director: Dana Brown | Stars: Laird Hamilton, Layne Beachley, Dan Malloy, Robert August
Votes: 2,780 | Gross: $3.67M
21. More Than a Game (2008)
PG | 105 min | Documentary, Biography, Sport
This documentary follows NBA superstar LeBron James and four of his talented teammates through the trials and tribulations of high school basketball in Ohio and James' journey to fame.
Director: Kristopher Belman | Stars: LeBron James, Dru Joyce, Romeo Travis, Sian Cotton
Votes: 5,661 | Gross: $0.94M
22. A State of Mind (2004)
Not Rated | 93 min | Documentary
A British documentary that follows two young North Korean girls as they prepare for the Mass Games, the world's largest choreographed gymnastics performance.
Director: Daniel Gordon | Stars: Daniel Gordon, Hyon Sun Pak, Song Yun Kim, Jong-Il Kim
Votes: 1,058 | Gross: $0.04M
23. Go Tigers! (2001)
R | 103 min | Documentary, Sport
"Go Tigers!" is a rare behind-the-scenes chronicling of a remarkable season for the Massillon Tigers high school football team, played out in a small rustbelt town that draws its identity ... See full summary »
Director: Kenneth A. Carlson | Stars: Dave Irwin, Ellery Moore, Joe Paterno, Danny Studer
Votes: 841 | Gross: $0.15M
24. Senna (2010)
PG-13 | 106 min | Documentary, Biography, Sport
A documentary on Brazilian Formula One racing driver Ayrton Senna, who won the F1 world championship three times before his death at age 34.
Director: Asif Kapadia | Stars: Ayrton Senna, Reginaldo Leme, John Bisignano, Neyde Senna
Votes: 75,698 | Gross: $1.61M
25. A League of Ordinary Gentlemen (2004)
R | 93 min | Documentary, Sport
Filmmaker Christopher Browne documents the mission of a group of middle-aged bowlers as they attempt to revitalize the sport and get the television-watching public interested in it again.
Director: Christopher Browne | Stars: Walter Ray Williams, Charles Barkley, Chris Barnes, Timothy Busfield
Votes: 425 | Gross: $0.02M
26. Unforgivable Blackness: The Rise and Fall of Jack Johnson (2004)
TV-PG | 214 min | Documentary, Biography, Sport
The story of Jack Johnson, the first African-American Heavyweight boxing champion.
Director: Ken Burns | Stars: Jack Johnson, Keith David, Samuel L. Jackson, Adam Arkin
Votes: 1,691
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