Five of the best sports documentaries

To the casuals and the naysayers who dismiss sport as the juvenile chasing of sacks of air or rubber, they are challenged to spend a few hours immersing themselves in the stories of athletes who transcend their codes. The history of sport is long and intricate, but outside of the results column, there are teams and individuals who inspire cultures, scenes and community pride. Here are five documentaries chronicling the athletes that mean more than sport.

The Class of 92

A celebration of six young boys who grew as one to form the spine of the most iconic football team of all time. Some could argue that other clubs or teams achieved more, but the Manchester United team of the late nineties propelled football to the stratospheric heights of today. The media coverage, international brand recognition and exorbitant piles of money floating around the game today owe everything to David Beckham and his boyhood friends.

Follow their journey from mischievous youths to international symbols, all in context of Britain’s hacienda days.

Fire in Babylon

Perhaps not ideal for the lockdown as you will be craving either a long backyard cricket session or a few rum cocktails, and most likely both. Cricket’s stuffy establishment is given a rude awakening by the golden generation of West Indian ‘calypso cricket’.

They swept aside all who dared to stand up to the frightening pace and determined batting of one of the most feared teams to grace a cricket pitch.

The Birth of Big Air

Before Red Bull and Monster brought their energy drink fuelled millions to the extreme sports arena, one man pushed the limits, not for fame or glory, but just to say that he did. Matt Hoffman was the Sir Edmund Hillary of the BMX world, going further and higher than any man before him while testing the limits of agony in the process.

A pioneer who took the DIY approach to new levels, Hoffman’s bravery catapulted him to the fore of extreme sports and beyond.

Riding Giants

Surfing meshes the beauty of nature with the human pursuits of freedom and purity into a culture unlike any. This beautifully edited documentary captures the heart and soul of the boardrider from its early roots to the modern thrill seekers chasing monster big waves.

Told through the eyes of the forever young, sun-kissed utopianists that scatter the world’s beaches, it will leave you yearning for the salty seaside air and that irresistible ocean spray.

Senna

Apart from its football heroes, Brazil carries an unshakable love for few others like Ayrton Senna da Silva. The only thing to surpass his genius in the cockpit was the love he reciprocated for his homeland, and this is highlighted through the work that continues through the Ayrton Senna Institute. When asked what the secret to his success was, he replied “Opportunity”, and that lies at the core of the institute’s work.

The day we are scheduled to be released from our homes will mark the 26th anniversary of Senna’s tragic collision with that now removed Imola wall. On that day, let us promise to embrace the spirit of freedom and opportunity, no matter what lies around the next corner.