Netflix Sports Documentaries | Graphic by Bethany Althauser | The Wright State Guardian
As summer comes to a close, it is important to have a list of shows to watch during the fall season. Sports documentaries have always consumed my free time. This year, Netflix has stepped up and produced several sports documentaries that are worth giving a watch. Below are three shows in particular that I found enjoyable to watch, and I hope you do too.
“Swamp Kings”
“Swamp Kings” is a new sports documentary that was released on Aug. 22 on Netflix. The four-part documentary highlights the Florida Gators during the Urban Meyer era from 2005 to 2010. The program quickly rose from rags to riches through coach Meyer’s heavy militaristic approach in his coaching style.
The documentary also highlights Tim Tebow, a former Heisman Trophy winner and two-time National Champion with the program.
With all the success the Gators produced, the program also encountered legal issues and scandals off the field. The documentary highlights the issues the program endured, displaying the stress the team went through during this triumphant period.
The documentary, however, leaves out several key players that were involved with the program, including Aaron Hernandez, who was later charged with first-degree murder in his stint with the New England Patriots.
Despite leaving out some key components to the team, the documentary is still very good and provides an inside look to the team that dominated college football in the mid 2000s.
The documentary is currently listed as the fourth best show on Netflix.
“McGregor Forever”
For those who love Mixed Martial Arts and Conor McGregor, one documentary is just not good enough. McGregor starred in the 2017 documentary “Notorious,” where the film highlights how McGregor rose from a plumber in Dublin to a MMA superstar.
“McGregor Forever” is focused around the last four fights he competed in, with three of them resulting in losses. The documentary focuses on his comeback to MMA and some of the injuries and rivalries he later encountered.
McGregor formed a rival with the undefeated Khabib Nurmagomedov that resulted in McGregor lashing out and attacking Nurmagomedov’s team bus; McGregor was charged with three counts of assault and one count of criminal mischief. The film highlights this period in time for McGregor and shows the progressions he made through community service.
McGregor also suffered a broken leg during his fight against Dustin Poirier, where McGregor feared his career would come to an end.
This film is very fun to watch, especially for those who admire McGregor and his unparalleled rise to becoming the first dual-weight champion in the UFC.
“Quarterback”
With Peyton Manning as the executive producer, this documentary series highlights the life of a National Football League quarterback. The first season features Patrick Mahomes, Kirk Cousins and Marcus Mariota.
The series is quite intriguing, as each of these quarterbacks experience different dilemmas.
Mahomes is a two-time Super Bowl champion and is making a case in being one of the greatest quarterbacks to walk on the field. Cousins is a quarterback with great veteran presence but lacks postseason success.
Mariota has bounced around from a couple teams and has struggled to find stability in the NFL. In his role in the documentary, he competes for a starting position with the new rookie out of Cincinnati, Desmond Ridder.
The film goes behind the scenes and shows the lives of these quarterbacks on and off the field, displaying some of the things they go through on a daily basis.
The eight-part documentary shows the progressions of these three quarterbacks throughout the entire experience and offers a different perspective for a fan who only watches games.
The documentary was ranked as the best show on Netflix for a brief period after its release on July 12. Fans are hoping for a second season of the series to follow up this summer’s release.
Final takeaways
Each of these documentaries were enjoyable and offered different perspectives from athletes while displaying the dynamics that many athletes encounter while competing.
