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Sports documentaries are arguably the most inspiring category of documentary-style films and shows. While sports films like Raging Bull and Moneyball are some of Hollywood's biggest hits and the most inspiring stories that have been told over the decades, sports centric documentaries generally go unnoticed.
With streaming platforms being more accommodative of all kinds of quality content, sports documentaries have now become a popularly viewed group of content. The year 2022 had a diverse mix of sports documentaries that explored the mechanics of sports in detail. While some emphasized the business part of the activity, others focused on the players and the actual sport.
With their increasing popularity, major studios are now involved in making sports documentaries that would cater to mainstream audiences and sports fans alike. Here are 2022's most popular sports documentaries.
The most inspiring sports documentaries of 2022
1) Welcome to Wrexham
In 2020, Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney announced that they would be purchasing Wrexham A.F.C., a Welsh football club that was struggling to keep its space at the time. It is the oldest club in Wales and one of the very first professional clubs in the world. Reynolds and McElhenney attempted to revive the club and bring it back to the top of their game in this FX documentary.
With the two of them having no experience in managing a sports team, the documentary follows their journey through the purchase and everything they do to raise Wrexham's national ranking. Considering Reynolds' appeal and perceived charm, the show is all the more interesting with its 30-minute long episodes.
Welcome to Wrexham received some very positive reviews and was widely watched owing to Ryan Reynolds' involvement in the project. It is currently streaming on Hulu.
2) The Redeem Team
When it comes to telling stories about sports, hardly anything beats a good comeback story. The inspiration and hope they bring with them is incredible and almost cathartic. The Redeem Team tells one of the most inspiring comeback stories of the US Olympic Men's Basketball Team, also known as the redeem team.
After an unsatisfactory performance in Athens, the team tried to build itself and put up a tough competition at the 2008 Olympics where they did everything to get to the final. The story's rootedness and connection to real events makes it all the more inspiring and keeps the audience rooting for the team.
The Redeem Team uses Olympic videos as well as enlightening interviews with the coaches and players who were all part of the effort to redeem the team following a string of tragic incidents. The Redeem Team is currently streaming on Netflix.
3) Tales from the Territories
Unlike the past two documentaries, Tales from the Territories doesn't follow a singular story of a team or their journey through an event. Rather, it explores several different stories of wrestlers from a time when wrestling organizations were divided based on territories.
Tales from the Territories tell some truly outrageous and astonishing stories of wrestling. These stories provides a great insight into the sport and its professional and economic implications.
The show premiered to stellar reviews and was praised for how authentic its sports commentary was. Like most sports documentaries, Tales from the Territories is a limited series with ten episodes and each episode is about 45-minutes long. It is currently streaming on Prime Video.
4) Save our Squad
Save our Squad is one of the most popular sports documentaries of the year because it features David Beckham, who returns to the East London football pitches where he grew up playing the sport. He returns with the purpose of mentoring some grassroots locals who are trying to survive and flourish in the sector.
Considering the massive football star that David Beckham already is, Save our Squad was widely popular among fans of the player and of the sport in general. Moreover, the story of such a successful player wanting to train young talent struck a chord with his fans.
Save our Squad had a wide viewership and also received some very positive reviews. The show was fairly successful and the making as well as the format was appreciated by many. The documentary is streaming on Disney+.
5) Captains
In this fascinating documentary, six captains from six different confederations compete to qualify for the FIFA World Cup in Qatar. To be chosen, leaders must work tirelessly with their teammates and try their best to get through. With the story being very relevant and real at this point in time, Captains is a great watch for anyone who is into football or any kind of sport.
Captains received mixed reviews but was found greatly interesting by a wide audience which is evident in its viewership. Captains is currently streaming on Netflix.
Sports documentaries have been a popular genre in 2022. After the pandemic, the number of documentaries has increased while the diversity in genres is widening and audiences are open to a much wider variety of content. The year 2023 is also likely to see a number of inspiring sports documentaries releasing online.
