Anistream: sports documentaries, from Hoop Dreams, The Dawn Wall and Riding Giants to The Redeem Team, Messi's World Cup, Break Point and Simone Biles Rising, and where to watch them

How Anistream looks

Anistream takes its look from the Indonesian anime blog whose name it shares, a classic design from the golden age of fan sites. The page is covered in a grey pattern of comic-book panels, and in the middle sits a white column with a dark banner at its top. On the banner, the name ANISTREAM is written in large white capitals in a classic serif type, with a small grey tagline beneath it, against a dark chequered background with a shadowy figure at one side.

Below the banner runs a grey menu bar with white links, Home, All, Football, Basketball, Olympics and the A-Z list, and a small dark search box at the right. The main column begins with a New Release heading over a thin black rule, with a little square icon at its end, followed by rows of posters. Each poster sits between two dark bars: the title above, in small white serif letters, and the episode count or the year below, exactly as the original site showed its newest episodes. When the pointer passes over a poster, its bars turn a deep teal.

On the right, a sidebar holds a set of simple widgets under underlined headings: a small Fanpages box, a Most Popular list of wide pictures with teal captions, the shelves with their title counts in rows of alternating white and pale grey, each with a small chain-link icon, and the help guides. A dark footer closes the column. On a phone the sidebar moves below the posters, the menu folds behind a button and the posters arrange themselves in rows of three or two.

Using the site

There are several ways into the catalogue. The search box in the menu bar finds any title as you type: try Messi, Jordan, Federer or Everest. The menu links open the whole catalogue and the most popular shelves, and the sidebar lists every shelf with its count. The home page shows the newest releases first, followed by rows for football, basketball, the Olympics and climbing.

Every title page shows the poster, the story, the year, the running time or the full list of seasons and episodes, the athletes and filmmakers where TMDB lists them, and the studio or broadcaster. The Watch now button sits near the top of every page, and Add to My List keeps the title in your browser for later.

Football

Football, the world's most popular sport, has the biggest shelf of team stories on Anistream, with 48 titles. Messi's World Cup: The Rise of a Legend follows Lionel Messi through five World Cups to his long-awaited triumph in Qatar in 2022, and Lionel Messi: Destiny and Messi Meets America continue the story. Ronaldo and Cristiano Ronaldo: World at His Feet follow his great rival, and Ronaldo vs. Messi: Face Off! compares the two. Beckham, a four-part series from 2023, tells David Beckham's story from a London boyhood to world fame, with his own home videos and the people who knew him best.

Some films celebrate great teams. Take the Ball, Pass the Ball tells the story of the Barcelona side coached by Pep Guardiola, often called the greatest club team ever, and The Class of ‘92 follows the six young players who grew up together at Manchester United. I Believe in Miracles tells how Nottingham Forest, a small club, won two European Cups in a row, 89 relives the night Arsenal won the league at Anfield in the final minute of the season, and Untold UK: Liverpool's Miracle of Istanbul remembers Liverpool's famous comeback in the 2005 Champions League final.

Behind-the-scenes series follow modern clubs through whole seasons, including Amazon's long-running club series and Together: Treble Winners, FC Barcelona: A New Era, The End of the Storm and Doubters to Believers Liverpool FC: Klopp's Era. Portraits of great players and managers include Make Us Dream about Steven Gerrard, Kenny about Kenny Dalglish, Rooney, Jamie Vardy, Bobby about the England captain of 1966, Finding Jack Charlton, Johan Cruijff - En un momento dado, MOURINHO and Arsène Wenger: Invincible.

Women's football and football everywhere

Women's football is growing faster than ever, and the catalogue celebrates its pioneers. Copa 71 tells the forgotten story of the 1971 Women's World Cup in Mexico, played in front of huge crowds, Matildas: The World at Our Feet follows Australia's national team, Under Pressure: The U.S. Women's World Cup Team follows the American team at the 2023 World Cup, and Angel City follows the founding of a new professional club in Los Angeles.

Football is also a game for everyone, everywhere. Next Goal Wins follows American Samoa, once the lowest-ranked team in the world, as a new coach helps them chase their first international win, and The Other Final tells the story of the match played between Bhutan and Montserrat, the two lowest-ranked teams in the world, on the day of the 2002 World Cup final. The Referees goes inside the world of the officials, This Is Football explores what the game means to people around the world, and Necaxa follows a Mexican club and its new owners.

Basketball

The Basketball shelf holds 43 titles. Hoop Dreams, made in 1994, is one of the most acclaimed documentaries ever made: it follows two Chicago teenagers, William Gates and Arthur Agee, for five years as they chase their dream of playing professional basketball, and it is as much about family, school and hope as about sport. More than a Game follows the young LeBron James and his high-school teammates in Akron, Ohio, and Doin' It in the Park: Pick-Up Basketball, NYC celebrates the street courts of New York.

The legends are all here. They Call Me Magic and Magic & Bird: A Courtship of Rivals tell the story of Magic Johnson and his friendship with Larry Bird, Bill Russell: Legend celebrates the winner of eleven championships who was also a civil rights hero, and Kareem: Minority of One and Goliath follow Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Wilt Chamberlain. Shaq, Stephen Curry: Underrated, Giannis: The Marvelous Journey and Tony Parker: The Final Shot follow modern stars, and several films, including Michael Jordan: Come Fly with Me and Michael Jordan: Air Time, celebrate the most famous player of all.

The Dream Team tells the story of the American team at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics, perhaps the greatest team ever assembled, The Redeem Team follows the 2008 team that won gold in Beijing, and Court of Gold follows the contenders at the 2024 Olympics in Paris. The Queen of Basketball, an Oscar-winning short film, tells the story of Lusia Harris, the first woman officially drafted by an NBA team.

American football

American football is a sport of tactics and teamwork, and its documentaries are full of character. Quarterback, a Netflix series, follows three NFL quarterbacks through a whole season, from training camp to the final whistle, and Receiver does the same for wide receivers. Man in the Arena: Tom Brady lets the most successful quarterback in history tell the story of his Super Bowl appearances, and Joe Montana: Cool Under Pressure and The Book of Manning follow two famous quarterback families.

The Dynasty: New England Patriots tells the story of the team's twenty-year run at the top, The Kingdom follows the Kansas City Chiefs, America's Team: The Gambler and His Cowboys follows the Dallas Cowboys, and The '85 Bears remembers one of the most colourful champion teams of all. Elway To Marino tells the story of the famous 1983 draft, Bye Bye Barry follows the great running back Barry Sanders, and Kelce follows the Philadelphia Eagles centre Jason Kelce through a dramatic season with his family and teammates.

School and college football bring their own stories. Undefeated, which won an Academy Award, follows a volunteer coach and his players at a struggling high school in Memphis, Warriors of Liberty City follows a youth football programme in Miami, and Harvard Beats Yale 29-29 tells how Harvard scored sixteen points in the final forty-two seconds of a famous game in 1968.

Baseball

Baseball is America's national pastime, and the Baseball shelf holds 19 titles. Ken Burns's Baseball, a nine-part series first shown in 1994, tells the history of the game and of America through it, and his Jackie Robinson follows the player who broke baseball's colour line in 1947 with extraordinary courage. Say Hey, Willie Mays!, Reggie, Facing Nolan and The Life and Times of Hank Greenberg celebrate four of the game's greatest players, and Shohei Ohtani: Beyond the Dream follows the Japanese star who both pitches and hits at the highest level.

Some of the most charming baseball films are about the craft of the game. Knuckleball! follows the only two pitchers who threw the strange, floating knuckleball in the major leagues in 2011, and Fastball explores the science of the fastest pitches ever thrown. The Comeback: 2004 Boston Red Sox and Four Days in October relive the Red Sox's famous comeback, Brothers in Exile tells the story of Cuban players who travelled to America, and Ferrell Takes the Field follows the comedian Will Ferrell as he plays for ten teams in a single day of spring training.

Tennis and golf

Tennis is a game of great rivalries, and Strokes of Genius relives the most famous match of all: the 2008 Wimbledon final between Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal, played into the dusk. Federer: Twelve Final Days follows Federer through the last days of his career, filmed originally as a home video for his family, and Rafa and Novak Djokovic: The Wolf in Winter follow his two great rivals.

Serena and Being Serena follow Serena Williams, Naomi Osaka follows the Japanese champion, and Andy Murray: Resurfacing follows the Scottish player's long recovery from a hip injury. McEnroe and Nasty look back at two of the game's great showmen, and The Battle of the Sexes tells the story of Billie Jean King's famous 1973 match against Bobby Riggs and her campaign for equal pay. Break Point follows young players on the professional tour across a season, and its sister series Full Swing does the same for golf, while Seve celebrates the Spanish golfer Seve Ballesteros.

Climbing and mountains

Climbing documentaries are some of the most breathtaking films in the catalogue. The Dawn Wall follows Tommy Caldwell and Kevin Jorgeson as they spend nineteen days attempting the first free climb of the steepest face of El Capitan in Yosemite, and it is as much a story of friendship and perseverance as of climbing. Meru follows three climbers attempting the Shark's Fin route on Mount Meru in the Himalayas, and Arctic Ascent with Alex Honnold and The Devil's Climb follow Alex Honnold on adventures in Greenland and Alaska.

Mountain Queen: The Summits of Lhakpa Sherpa follows the Nepali mountaineer who has climbed Everest more times than any other woman, Kilian Jornet, Path to Everest follows the champion mountain runner, and Blindsight follows six blind teenagers from Tibet as they climb a mountain beside Everest with the blind climber Erik Weihenmayer. Mountain, narrated by Willem Dafoe with music by the Australian Chamber Orchestra, is a beautiful meditation on why people love the mountains, and Miracle on Everest tells the story of a famous rescue high on the mountain.

Endurance athletes push themselves in other ways. The Barkley Marathons: The Race That Eats Its Young follows the strangest and hardest race in the world, held in the woods of Tennessee, Running the Sahara follows three runners crossing the whole Sahara desert, and The Great Alone follows the sled-dog musher Lance Mackey on the Iditarod race across Alaska. King Lines, Change and Dirtbag: The Legend of Fred Beckey celebrate three remarkable climbers.

Surf, skate and snow

Board sports have their own culture of freedom and creativity, and the Surf, skate and snow shelf holds 33 titles. Riding Giants, made by the former skateboarder Stacy Peralta in 2004, tells the story of big-wave surfing from the pioneers of Hawaii to Laird Hamilton, and Take Every Wave: The Life of Laird Hamilton follows Hamilton himself. Step Into Liquid celebrates surfers all over the world, from Ireland to Vietnam, and The Endless Summer II, made by Bruce Brown nearly thirty years after his famous original, follows two young surfers on a new journey around the globe.

Bethany Hamilton: Unstoppable follows the Hawaiian surfer who returned to competition after losing an arm, Surf Girls follows young Native Hawaiian women chasing a place on the professional tour, and Under an Arctic Sky, The Ultimate Wave Tahiti, View from a Blue Moon and Distance Between Dreams chase extraordinary waves in Iceland, Tahiti and beyond.

Skateboarding has a rich history on screen. Dogtown and Z-Boys, also by Stacy Peralta, tells how a group of young surfers in Santa Monica and Venice reinvented skateboarding in the seventies, and Bones Brigade: An Autobiography follows the team of teenagers, including Tony Hawk, who shaped the sport in the eighties. Tony Hawk: Until the Wheels Fall Off is the definitive portrait of the most famous skateboarder of all, and We Are Blood, Motivation 2: The Chris Cole Story and Stay on Board: The Leo Baker Story follow modern skaters.

In the snow, The Art of Flight and The Fourth Phase follow the snowboarder Travis Rice to spectacular mountains, Deeper follows Jeremy Jones climbing the peaks he rides, First Descent tells the history of snowboarding, Steep follows the pioneers of extreme skiing and All.I.Can. combines stunning skiing with a celebration of the mountains. Mountain bikers will enjoy Where the Trail Ends, Return to Earth and Life Cycles.

Motorsport

Motorsport combines courage, engineering and teamwork, and the Motorsport shelf holds 23 titles. Brawn: The Impossible Formula 1 Story, narrated by Keanu Reeves, tells how a team rescued from closure just before the 2009 season won both world championships in its only year, one of the great underdog stories in sport. Williams tells the story of the family team founded by Frank Williams, and The Seat follows a recent driver change at the Mercedes team.

Faster and Fastest, both narrated by Ewan McGregor, celebrate the riders of MotoGP, and MotoGP Unlimited follows a whole season behind the scenes. Le Mans: Racing Is Everything follows teams at the famous twenty-four-hour race in France, Qualified tells the story of Janet Guthrie, the first woman to race in the Indianapolis 500, Born Racer follows the New Zealand champion Scott Dixon, and Winning: The Racing Life of Paul Newman tells how the film star became a serious racing driver and team owner.

The Olympics and athletics

The Olympic Games have produced some of the greatest moments in sport, and the Olympics and athletics shelf holds 49 titles. Several are official Olympic films: The Games of the V Olympiad Stockholm, 1912, newly restored by the International Olympic Committee, Olympic Games 1956, from Melbourne, and 16 Days of Glory, Bud Greenspan's celebrated film of the 1984 Los Angeles Games. London 2012 Olympic Opening Ceremony: Isles of Wonder captures Danny Boyle's joyful opening ceremony, with its green fields, its industrial revolution and its flying Mary Poppins.

Running has its own heroes. I Am Bolt and Usain Bolt: The Fastest Man Alive follow the Jamaican sprinter who set world records that still stand, Kipchoge: The Last Milestone follows Eliud Kipchoge's attempt to become the first person to run a marathon in under two hours, and Breaking2 tells the story of an earlier attempt. Sisters on Track follows three young sisters who became track stars in New York, and SPRINT follows today's fastest sprinters on the road to a world championship.

Simone Biles Rising follows the greatest gymnast of all time on her return to the Olympics, Back on Board: Greg Louganis follows the champion diver, and Rising Phoenix and Heart of Invictus celebrate Paralympic and Invictus Games athletes whose determination is inspiring for viewers of every age.

Ice hockey

Ice hockey has one of the most famous upsets in sporting history, the Miracle on Ice at the 1980 Winter Olympics in Lake Placid, when a team of American college players beat the mighty Soviet Union. Miracle: The Boys of '80 and Do You Believe in Miracles? The Story of the 1980 U.S. Hockey Team tell the American story, and Of Miracles and Men tells it from the Soviet side. Red Army follows the great Soviet team and its captain Slava Fetisov, The Russian Five tells how five Soviet stars helped the Detroit Red Wings win the Stanley Cup, Kings Ransom remembers the trade that sent Wayne Gretzky to Los Angeles, and Making Coco: The Grant Fuhr Story celebrates the first Black superstar of the NHL.

Chess, sumo and more

The Chess, sumo and more shelf gathers 22 titles about contests of every kind. Queen of Chess tells the story of Judit Polgár, the Hungarian girl who became the strongest woman chess player in history and beat many of the world's best men, and Brooklyn Castle follows the chess team of a New York middle school that has won more national championships than any other. GRAND SUMO Highlights brings daily highlights of Japan's ancient sport with clear explanations for newcomers.

Cricket fans can enjoy The Test, which follows the Australian men's team rebuilding its reputation, and The Greatest Rivalry: India vs Pakistan, which traces one of the most passionate rivalries in sport. Rugby fans will find The 16th Man, about Nelson Mandela and the 1995 Rugby World Cup, and Chasing Great, about the New Zealand captain Richie McCaw. Polo goes behind the scenes of professional polo, Top Spin follows three teenagers chasing a place at the Olympics in table tennis, A League of Ordinary Gentlemen follows professional bowlers, and Home Game visits unusual traditional sports from around the world.

Untold: The Race of the Century tells how the Australian yacht Australia II won the America's Cup in 1983, ending the longest winning streak in sport, and Slaying the Badger relives the dramatic 1986 Tour de France battle between Greg LeMond and Bernard Hinault.

Great documentary series

Some of the best sports documentaries are long series that can be enjoyed for weeks. 30 for 30, made by ESPN since 2009, is the most famous of them: each episode is a feature-length film by a different director about a single story, and many of the best films on Anistream began as part of it, including The Fab Five, Survive and Advance, Of Miracles and Men and Four Days in October. 30 for 30: Soccer Stories applies the same approach to football.

The Playbook lets championship coaches share their rules for success in sport and life, Greatness Code lets famous athletes describe the moment they touched greatness, Becoming follows athletes and entertainers back to their hometowns, and Losers celebrates athletes who learned more from defeat than from victory. Becoming Champions tells the stories of every country that has won the men's World Cup, and Race to Perfection explores the history of motor racing.

Sports stories for every age

Sports documentaries suit almost every age. Younger children love the speed and colour of I Am Bolt, The Art of Flight, Ferrell Takes the Field and the surfing films, and short, cheerful titles such as The Queen of Basketball and 38 at the Garden are perfect for a weekday evening. The Olympic films are wonderful for watching together during the Games.

Children from about nine to fourteen are the perfect audience for Hoop Dreams, The Dawn Wall, Brooklyn Castle, Next Goal Wins, The Redeem Team and Simone Biles Rising, which show the hard work behind every success. Teenagers and grown-ups will enjoy the long series, the club seasons and the portraits of great champions.

A few documentaries include strong language from players in the heat of competition, or describe injuries and setbacks, and these are best watched together. Every title page lists the genres and running time, and the official services show age ratings and offer kids profiles.

Planning a sports night

A sports documentary makes a wonderful family evening, especially before a big game or a major championship. Watch Strokes of Genius before Wimbledon, Messi's World Cup: The Rise of a Legend or Copa 71 before a World Cup, Brawn: The Impossible Formula 1 Story before a Grand Prix, or 16 Days of Glory before the Olympics, and the real event will feel even more exciting.

Many films are perfect for inspiring young athletes. After The Dawn Wall, a family might visit a climbing wall; after Dogtown and Z-Boys or Bones Brigade: An Autobiography, a trip to the skate park; after Brooklyn Castle or Queen of Chess, a chess tournament at the kitchen table. Save your choices to My List, export the list to the family television, and settle in.

How Watch now works

Anistream is a guide, and every title page has a Watch now button that opens the documentary on JustWatch for the country you choose. JustWatch is a widely used service that lists where a title can be streamed on subscription, rented, bought or watched free with advertising. The country menu covers fifteen countries, including Indonesia, the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, Singapore, Malaysia, the Philippines, India and South Africa, and your choice is remembered in this browser.

Sports documentaries are spread across many services. The ESPN films are often found on ESPN's own service and on Disney's, the HBO films on HBO's streaming service, the Netflix and Apple series on their own platforms and the Amazon club series on Prime Video, while many older films are available to rent or buy. Rights move often, especially around big tournaments, and the JustWatch page always shows the latest options.

The help pages

Fifteen short guides are linked from the sidebar and the footer. How to watch with Anistream follows a title from the poster rows to its official service, Finding a documentary gives search tips, and My List explains how to save titles and carry the list to another device.

The sport guides open the shelves one by one: Football, Basketball, American football, Baseball, Tennis and golf, Climbing and mountains, Surf, skate and snow, Motorsport, Olympics and athletics and Ice hockey, each with a few recommendations.

The practical pages cover Where Anistream documentaries stream and The official Anistream site, which describes how the real address looks.

A short history of the sports documentary

Sport has been filmed since the earliest days of cinema, and the Olympic Games were among the first great sporting events recorded on film. The restored The Games of the V Olympiad Stockholm, 1912 shows athletes more than a century ago, and Olympic Games 1956 shows the Melbourne Games in colour. In the seventies and eighties, filmmakers such as Bud Greenspan turned the official Olympic film into an art, as 16 Days of Glory shows, and FIFA's Hero did the same for the 1986 World Cup.

In 1994, Hoop Dreams showed that a sports documentary could be one of the most important films of the year, following real lives over years rather than a single game. The 2000s brought the surf and skate films of Stacy Peralta and Dana Brown, and in 2009 ESPN launched 30 for 30, which made the feature-length sports documentary a regular event. Since then, streaming services have filled the shelves with series that follow teams and stars across whole seasons, from Break Point and Quarterback to Beckham and Simone Biles Rising.

What sports documentaries teach

The best sports documentaries are about much more than winning. Hoop Dreams and Undefeated are about family, school and community, Next Goal Wins is about joy and belonging, and The Dawn Wall and Meru are about friendship and trust. Bill Russell: Legend, Jackie Robinson and The Battle of the Sexes show athletes using their fame to stand up for fairness, and Rising Phoenix and Heart of Invictus show how sport can help people rebuild their lives.

They also show how much work goes into a moment of glory. The hours of practice in Knuckleball!, the years of preparation in Kipchoge: The Last Milestone and the patience of the climbers in Mountain Queen: The Summits of Lhakpa Sherpa teach children that talent grows with effort. Many families find that a good sports documentary sparks conversations about goals, setbacks and teamwork that last long after the film ends.

Hidden gems

Beyond the famous titles, the catalogue rewards curious viewers. The Other Final is a gentle, funny film about two of the smallest football nations in the world, A League of Ordinary Gentlemen follows bowling legends on a comeback tour, and Top Spin follows three teenage table-tennis players with big dreams. Jack of all Trades is a charming film about a collector searching for the baseball cards of his childhood, and The Pistol Shrimps follows a women's recreational basketball team in Los Angeles that became an internet sensation.

Guru of Go tells the story of a college coach whose team played the fastest basketball ever seen, Gunnin' for That Number One Spot follows eight of the best high-school basketball players in America, and Born Strong follows four of the strongest people on the planet. Fittest on Earth: A Decade of Fitness celebrates the CrossFit Games, and Imported follows young athletes chasing a professional career abroad.

Great rivalries

Rivalries make sport unforgettable, and many of the best documentaries are built around them. Magic & Bird: A Courtship of Rivals tells how Magic Johnson and Larry Bird pushed each other to greatness and became close friends, Strokes of Genius follows Federer and Nadal, and Ronaldo vs. Messi: Face Off! compares the two footballers who dominated a generation. Winning Time: Reggie Miller vs. The New York Knicks relives the battles between Indiana and New York, and Elway To Marino follows two quarterbacks chosen in the same famous draft.

Some rivalries cross borders and decades. The Greatest Rivalry: India vs Pakistan follows cricket's most passionate contest, Of Miracles and Men tells the Soviet side of the Miracle on Ice, and Slaying the Badger follows two teammates fighting for the yellow jersey. I Hate Christian Laettner looks with humour at the college basketball star whose winning shots made him the player opposing fans loved to boo. These films show that a great rival can bring out the very best in an athlete.

Underdogs and comebacks

Few things thrill a crowd like an underdog, and the catalogue is full of them. Next Goal Wins follows a team that once lost a match 31 to 0, The Other Final gathers two of the smallest football nations for their own world final, and Survive and Advance tells how North Carolina State's basketball team won the 1983 national championship against all expectations. Brawn: The Impossible Formula 1 Story follows a rescued team to the world title, and I Believe in Miracles follows a small-town football club to two European Cups.

Comebacks are just as inspiring. The Comeback: 2004 Boston Red Sox and Four Days in October relive the greatest comeback in baseball history, Untold UK: Liverpool's Miracle of Istanbul remembers a team that came back from three goals behind in a Champions League final, and Andy Murray: Resurfacing and Simone Biles Rising follow champions returning to the top after difficult years. Children love these stories because they show that it is always worth trying again.

Families in sport

Sport is often a family affair, and several documentaries show how families shape champions. The Book of Manning follows the Manning family of quarterbacks, Sisters on Track follows three sisters who ran their way to national fame, and Kelce shows the importance of family in a football career. Hoop Dreams follows two families who sacrifice a great deal for their sons' dreams, and Federer: Twelve Final Days began as a home video for the Federer family.

Coaches can become family too. Undefeated follows a volunteer coach who treats his players like sons, The Playbook lets great coaches share what they have learned, and Brooklyn Castle shows how dedicated teachers turned a chess club into a national champion. Watching these films together can spark conversations about the people who help us grow, in sport and in life.

Sports through the year

The sporting calendar offers a documentary for every season. Winter brings the Winter Olympics and the ice-hockey films such as Red Army and Of Miracles and Men, along with the snow films The Art of Flight and Steep. Spring brings the start of the baseball season, a perfect time for Baseball and Facing Nolan, and the football season's thrilling finale, a fine moment for I Believe in Miracles or Untold UK: Liverpool's Miracle of Istanbul.

Summer is the season of Wimbledon, the Tour de France, the Olympics and the World Cup, and the tennis, cycling, athletics and football shelves are at their best. Autumn brings the American football season, the time for Quarterback, The '85 Bears and Harvard Beats Yale 29-29, and the basketball season begins with The Dream Team or Magic & Bird: A Courtship of Rivals.

Heroes on and off the field

Some athletes are remembered as much for who they were as for what they won. Jackie Robinson tells how one baseball player helped change a nation, Bill Russell: Legend celebrates a champion who marched for civil rights, and Stand follows the basketball star Maya Moore, who stepped away from the game to fight for justice for a wrongly convicted man. The 16th Man tells how Nelson Mandela used rugby to bring South Africa together, and Brothers in Exile follows Cuban baseball players who travelled far from home to chase their dreams.

Women athletes have often had to fight for their place, and the catalogue celebrates them. The Battle of the Sexes, Copa 71, Qualified, The Queen of Basketball and Queen of Chess tell the stories of pioneers, and Serena, Naomi Osaka, Simone Biles Rising and Matildas: The World at Our Feet follow the champions of today. These films are especially inspiring for young girls who love sport.

Why sports documentaries matter

Sports documentaries remind us why we love sport. They show the joy of a perfect pass, the courage of a climber on a blank wall of granite, the patience of a runner training for years for a single race and the friendship of teammates who lift each other up. They let families share heroes across generations, from Willie Mays and Bobby Moore to Lionel Messi and Simone Biles, and they show that every champion was once a child with a dream.

For young viewers, they can be the spark that leads to a lifelong love of sport, whether as a player, a coach, a referee or a fan in the stands. And for everyone, they are a reminder that the best stories are often true.

Happy viewing

Sports documentaries are generous films: they bring us closer to great athletes, great teams and great days than we could ever get from the stands. Anistream gathers 236 of them, with a page for each and a button that leads to the official services, so the next great story is only a few clicks away. Choose a title, gather the family and enjoy the game.

How sports documentaries are made

Sports documentaries combine many kinds of footage. Archive films such as Hero and 16 Days of Glory were shot by large crews with cameras placed all around the stadium, while modern series such as Break Point and Quarterback follow athletes with small cameras for months, at home as well as on the field. Climbing films such as The Dawn Wall and Meru were filmed by cameramen who were themselves expert climbers, hanging from ropes hundreds of metres above the ground, and the surfing films use cameras mounted on boards, jet skis and helicopters.

Some films are built almost entirely from old footage. Bill Russell: Legend, Jackie Robinson and Say Hey, Willie Mays! gather rare photographs, newsreels and interviews to bring past eras to life, and The Games of the V Olympiad Stockholm, 1912 was carefully restored from fragile film more than a century old. Others, such as Federer: Twelve Final Days, began as private films that the athletes later chose to share.

Behind every documentary are editors who shape hundreds of hours of footage into a story, composers who create the music that lifts a final scene, and producers who win the trust of athletes and teams. The best of them, like the makers of Hoop Dreams, spend years with their subjects, and that patience shows in every frame.

For young athletes

Young athletes can learn a great deal from these films. They show the daily routines of champions, from the early-morning training of Kipchoge: The Last Milestone to the careful practice of the pitchers in Knuckleball!, and they show that setbacks are part of every career. They also show the joy of playing for its own sake, as in Doin' It in the Park: Pick-Up Basketball, NYC, where the best games in New York are played on public courts for the love of the game.

Parents and coaches can use the documentaries to talk about sportsmanship, healthy training and the importance of school and friendship alongside sport. A film watched together on a Friday evening can lead to a family bike ride, a game of football in the park or a first visit to a climbing wall on Saturday morning, and that may be the best result of all.

Sport around the world

The catalogue travels the world. Football films visit Barcelona, Manchester, Liverpool, Buenos Aires, Mexico City and American Samoa, and the cricket series visit Australia, India and Pakistan. The climbing and endurance films cross the Himalayas, Greenland, Alaska, Yosemite and the Sahara, and the surfing films chase waves in Hawaii, Tahiti, Iceland and Ireland. GRAND SUMO Highlights brings the ancient sport of Japan into living rooms every day of a tournament, Home Game visits traditional contests from many countries, and Red Army and The Russian Five show how the Soviet Union changed ice hockey.

Watching sports documentaries from different countries is a lively way for children to learn geography and history. A map on the wall, a pin for every country visited on screen and a few words learned in each language can turn a season of sports films into a journey around the world, and every pin comes with a story of courage and teamwork to remember.

Legends across the decades

The catalogue spans more than a century of sporting legends. From the athletes of 1912 and 1956 to Willie Mays, Bill Russell and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, from Billie Jean King and Seve Ballesteros to Michael Jordan, Tony Hawk and Laird Hamilton, and from Usain Bolt and Serena Williams to Lionel Messi and Simone Biles, every generation has its heroes. Grandparents, parents and children can each choose a favourite and share the story of why that athlete mattered to them.

A perfect first night

If you are new to sports documentaries, start with a film that suits the whole family. The Dawn Wall has breathtaking pictures and a warm story of friendship, I Am Bolt is fast and cheerful, Next Goal Wins is funny and touching, and Brooklyn Castle shows ordinary schoolchildren becoming champions. For a series to follow across several evenings, Break Point or Simone Biles Rising are easy to enjoy even for viewers who know little about the sport. After the first film, let each member of the family choose the next one from their favourite shelf, and soon everyone will have a new hero to cheer for.

Questions