# The 16 Best Sports Documentaries of All Time

> From courtroom-sized epics to white-knuckle survival tales, these films turn real athletes and unlikely underdogs into unforgettable drama. Which one hits hardest?

*By YPB Team · Published June 20, 2026 · https://youpick.best/ranking/the-16-best-sports-documentaries-of-all-time*

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## Current results (3 votes)

1. **O.J.: Made in America** — 66.67% (2 votes · score 1000/1000)
   Ezra Edelman's Oscar-winning five-part study of O.J. Simpson, fame, race and America.
2. **Tyson** — 33.33% (1 votes · score 756/1000)
   James Toback's raw 2008 first-person portrait of boxer Mike Tyson.
3. **Hoop Dreams** — 0% (0 votes · score 665/1000)
   Steve James' 1994 epic following two Chicago teens chasing NBA dreams over five years.
4. **Touching the Void** — 0% (0 votes · score 517/1000)
   Harrowing 2003 reconstruction of a near-fatal mountaineering accident in the Andes.
5. **Fire in Babylon** — 0% (0 votes · score 517/1000)
   The story of the dominant West Indies cricket team that conquered the world in the 1970s and 80s.
6. **Icarus** — 0% (0 votes · score 517/1000)
   Bryan Fogel's Oscar-winning exposé of Russia's state-sponsored doping program.
7. **Diego Maradona** — 0% (0 votes · score 517/1000)
   Asif Kapadia's intimate look at the footballing genius during his turbulent Napoli years.
8. **Murderball** — 0% (0 votes · score 517/1000)
   Visceral 2005 film about the fierce world of full-contact wheelchair rugby.
9. **When We Were Kings** — 0% (0 votes · score 423/1000)
   Oscar-winning chronicle of the 1974 Rumble in the Jungle between Muhammad Ali and George Foreman.
10. **Pumping Iron** — 0% (0 votes · score 423/1000)
   The 1977 cult classic that made Arnold Schwarzenegger a star, chronicling pro bodybuilding.
11. **Dogtown and Z-Boys** — 0% (0 votes · score 423/1000)
   Stacy Peralta's energetic history of the Zephyr skateboarding team that revolutionized the sport.
12. **Undefeated** — 0% (0 votes · score 423/1000)
   Oscar-winning 2011 story of an underdog high-school football team in Memphis.
13. **Senna** — 0% (0 votes · score 310/1000)
   Asif Kapadia's gripping portrait of Formula 1 legend Ayrton Senna told through archive footage.
14. **The Last Dance** — 0% (0 votes · score 310/1000)
   ESPN's ten-part series on Michael Jordan and the 1990s Chicago Bulls dynasty.
15. **Free Solo** — 0% (0 votes · score 310/1000)
   Oscar-winning film following Alex Honnold's ropeless climb of El Capitan.
16. **The Two Escobars** — 0% (0 votes · score 310/1000)
   ESPN 30 for 30 film linking Colombian soccer and Pablo Escobar's drug empire.

Tags: movies, sports, documentary, all-time