Favorite sports documentary?

[BengalsJunkie]

I've recently watched one of the 30 for 30's on Reggie Miller and the New York Knicks. One of my absolute favorites, it seems like I can watch through it every time.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z1O6pT0DHCU

[Cosmic]

It's one of those categories where it's hard to pick a clear #1, but "The Battered Bastards of Baseball" from Netflix is a good candidate.

[FiddySicks]

My absolute favorite sports documentary is the ESPN 30 for 30 film called Once Brothers. It chronicles the relationship between Serbian born basketball player Vlade Divac and Croation born basketball player Drazen Petrovic, and how the Yugoslav Wars basically destroyed their friendship.

It was downright fascinating, and really helped to open my eyes up to the real magnitude of those conflicts. I had always heard about Kosovo and the likes as a kid, but I had no idea just how severe the conflict was. This documentary is actually one of the many things that sparked my initial interest in Eastern European/Soviet/Russian history, and led to me actually making that area of the world the focus of my history degree.

[Germanshepherd]

The Bad Boys Pistons one from ESPN gets my vote. Most of the 30 for 30's could fit in here that series is one of the best things espn has done.

[DnBronc]

The Bad Boys Pistons one from ESPN gets my vote. Most of the 30 for 30's could fit in here that series is one of the best things espn has done.

I liked that one as well. I also liked the one about The U.

[Cosmic]

My absolute favorite sports documentary is the ESPN 30 for 30 film called Once Brothers. It chronicles the relationship between Serbian born basketball player Vlade Divac and Croation born basketball player Drazen Petrovic, and how the Yugoslav Wars basically destroyed their friendship.

It was downright fascinating, and really helped to open my eyes up to the real magnitude of those conflicts. I had always heard about Kosovo and the likes as a kid, but I had no idea just how severe the conflict was. This documentary is actually one of the many things that sparked my initial interest in Eastern European/Soviet/Russian history, and led to me actually making that area of the world the focus of my history degree.

In a similar (but less depressing) vein... "The Other Dream Team" about the 1992 Lithuanian men's Olympic basketball team.

[dfwabel]

My favorite three are the ones I took time out to see them in a theater: "Hoop Dreams", "Beyond The Mat*", and "Senna".

I like and appreciate what ESPN has done in the last few years, however I prefer the HBO sports docs as a whole such as: "Marathon Boy","McEnroe/Borg: Fire & Ice," and “Joe Louis: America's Hero...Betrayed”.

Discovery has aired a few independent Formula 1 docs in the last years which are outstanding:

“Grand Prix: The Killer Years” and “Deadliest Crash: The 1955 Le Mans Disaster”

*-If rasslin' counts.

[BlackBolt3]

30 for 30: The U. I'll watch it anytime it's on.

[Xist2inspire]

My absolute favorite sports documentary is the ESPN 30 for 30 film called Once Brothers. It chronicles the relationship between Serbian born basketball player Vlade Divac and Croation born basketball player Drazen Petrovic, and how the Yugoslav Wars basically destroyed their friendship.

It was downright fascinating, and really helped to open my eyes up to the real magnitude of those conflicts. I had always heard about Kosovo and the likes as a kid, but I had no idea just how severe the conflict was. This documentary is actually one of the many things that sparked my initial interest in Eastern European/Soviet/Russian history, and led to me actually making that area of the world the focus of my history degree.

In a similar (but less depressing) vein... "The Other Dream Team" about the 1992 Lithuanian men's Olympic basketball team.

I have both of these saved on my laptop. Both are wonderful, fascinating documentaries, I've watched them many times.

[Sanic]

I don't usually watch 30 for 30 when it's on, but my favourite is probably Requiem For The Big East. 2nd one is probably the one with John Spano and the Mike Keenan documentary on Sportsnet.

Oh, and I've seen that Once Brothers episode, don't remember anything.

[MrRangersFan]

30 for 30:Catching Hell. Being a Cubs fan,I get goosebumps seeing Steve Bartman.

[48erhater]

I like the Marinovich Project. How his dad just made him eat drink and sleep football. He was good but it all fell apart. I thought it was terrible how his dad raised him as his science project pretty much.

[MadmanLA]

There are so fascinating documentaries out there that I can't really narrow down to one, but I think I'll break it down like this...

ESPN Films Presents/30 for 30:

The U

Pony Excess

Bad Boys

Unguarded

SEC Storied: Herschel Walker

You Don't Know Bo (by the way, his autobiography from the early 90s that he co-wrote with Dick Schaap, is a GREAT book--I recommend it)

Kings Ransom

Small Potatoes: Who Killed the USFL

Straight Outta L.A.

The Fab Five (it would have been better if Webber put aside his ego and participated)

The Announcement

Broke

Requiem for the Big East

HBO Sports:

Lombardi

Namath

Glickman

Brooklyn Dodgers: The Ghosts of Flatbush

Battle of Tobacco Road: Duke vs. North Carolina

Breaking the Huddle: The Intergration of College Football

City on Fire: the '68 Detroit Tigers

Mantle

Michigan vs. Ohio State: The Rivalry

Runnin' Rebels of UNLV

Others:

Full Color Football: History of the AFL (Showtime/NFL Network)

The Doctor (NBA TV)

The Dream Team (NBA TV)

A Football Life series (NFL Network)

[MichiganPackers]

Homer pick as a Pistons fan: 30 for 30 about the Bad Boy Pistons

More objective pick: 30 for 30 Pony Excess about SMU paying players and the ensuing death penalty

[infrared41]

Good question. There are so many good sports documentaries to choose from. If I had to pick one favorite, I'd probably go with Small Potatoes - Who Killed the USFL?

Speaking of sports documentaries...there is a pretty good one that recently popped up on Netflix called "Battered Bastards of Baseball." It's about a 70's independent baseball team called the Portland Mavericks. Well worth watching. I highly recommend it.

[infrared41]

Double post.

[Epiphanic]

Since the fantastic "Battered Bastards of Baseball" has been mentioned already, I'll submit "Ride the Divide". It follows three people as they attempt to complete the Great Divide Mountain Bike Race. They follow the Rocky Mountain continental divide from Baniff, Alberta to Antelope Wells, New Mexico.

[WinMINTwins]

My two favorites are definitely Hillsborough and Pony Excess, for very different reasons. Hillsborough, which I probably like more, is the most emotionally stirring sports documentary I've ever seen, and the story is told excellently. Pony Excess is just entertaining. It feels like the ultimate scandal while you're watching it. Regardless of whether or not the rules are justified or if they were the only ones breaking them (which they probably weren't), SMU was so wildly irreverent in the extent that they broke them, you can hardly believe it. Also, as someone who lives in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex, it's always interesting to get a glimpse of this area's history, even if it's just in regard to college sports.

Also deserving mention: The Two Escobars, The Last Gladiators, Unguarded, Catching Hell, Silly Little Game, Baseball (despite Ken Burns' occasional pompousness)

[chrysleraspen08]

I haven't seen many of the 30 for 30 documentaries, but my favourites of the ones that I have seen have been Straight Outta L.A. and June 17, 1994.

[cappital92]

As someone fascinated by the ABA, Free Spirits was an awesome look into the Spirits of St. Louis.