23 Sports Documentaries to Watch After 'The Last Dance'

In a way, no subject lends itself better to the documentarian’s touch than sports. The field, the court, the pitch—they are natural settings with their own built-in narratives (the comeback, the underdog, the impossible season, the town that did the unthinkable). Its players are the characters, its seasons the storylines, its games the moments of conflict. For many, that's why The Last Dance, which centered on NBA great Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls of the 1990s, was such a perfect watch.

And in this way, the sports story isn’t really a story about sports at all. It’s about people and places, attitudes, ideas, and drives. Sports is our fear of failure and obscurity. It’s our hope for redemption and recognition. Its the site of our transformations and the rituals of passage. In a way, the games mean nothing; they are only games after all. But at the same time they mean everything — the difference between a college scholarship and forgoing higher education; the economic security of a town; literal life and death on a racetrack.

While we're sure we missed a couple of your favorites, these are the ones that still get us hyped. Some are classics, some are new streaming entries. In no particular order, here are the best sports documentaries of all time.