And so we embark upon the Wild West that is YouTube in search of our sports fix.
We’ve included links to the full films below. Consume them at your own leisure and be sure to share them with sports-mad loved ones in order to protect them from the crushing low of finding yourself watching re-runs of Friends on Comedy Central.
N.B. In no particular order:
1. Legendary Nights: The Tale of Gatti-Ward
Directors: Gabe Spitzer, Bentley Weiner
Premise: HBO tell the story of the brutal trilogy of light-welterweight fights between Arturo ‘Thunder’ Gatti and ‘Irish’ Micky Ward, the enduring friendship that was forged between them, and Gatti’s tragic, suspicious demise.
Directors: Gabriel Clarke, John McKenna, James Williams
Premise: The Afterlife of Brian continues a pace; best-selling book after best-selling book, a statue is unveiled in Nottingham city centre, and a feature film is released. ‘Clough’ has intimate access with the family as Brian is forever remembered in bronze and in exclusive behind-the-scenes footage of Nigel as the wheel comes full circle.
Premise: A look back at the life and times of arguably the greatest ever hurler, including never-before-seen footage of the Cork man in action.
IMDB rating: n/a
4. Jimmy’s Winning Matches
Director: Joanne McGrath
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Premise: The remarkable story of the Donegal Gaelic football team and their journey to become 2012 All-Ireland champions.
IMDB rating: n/a
5. Sugar Ray Robinson – The Bright Lights and Dark Shadows of a Champion
Executive producer: Ross Greenburg
Premise: Spanning his career from the early Depression-era days until his death in 1989, this special brings to light the many sides of the greatest boxer of all time: flashy public icon, womanizer, comeback kid, philanthropist, fighter.
IMDB rating: n/a
6. No No: A Dockumentary
Director: Jeff Radice
Premise: A ‘no-no’, or no-hitter, is a baseball pitcher’s perfect game, where no batter hits the ball. Only 295 have occurred in US pro baseball from nearly 215,000 games. In 1970, Dock Ellis of the Pittsburgh Pirates says he threw a no-no against the San Diego Padres while high on LSD. This film explores that myth and reveals a lot more.
8. Magic Johnson and Larry Bird: A Courtship of Rivals
Executive producers: Ross Greenburg, Rick Bernstein
Premise: A film exploring the rivalry between two basketball greats which began with the 1979 NCAA Championship Game and lasted throughout their lengthy Hall-of-Fame careers in the NBA — the league that leant on Magic and Bird to survive.
Premise: An inspirational true story of a group of friends from a working men’s club in Wales who decide to take on the elite ‘sport of kings’ and breed themselves a racehorse.
Executive producers: Rick Bernstein, Ross Greenburg
Premise: The story of arguably the greatest heavyweight of all time: his difficulty getting big fights early in his career, the pride of African-Americans in his prowess, the shift of white sentiment toward Louis as Hitler came to power, Louis’s patriotism during World War II, and the hounding of him by the IRS for the following 15 years.
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Had your fill of Netflix's sports films? Here are 12 hidden gems to watch on YouTube
LAST UPDATE | 24 Mar 2020
LAST SUNDAY WEEK, we brought you 10 of the best sports films to watch on Netflix. We’re aware that, by now, there is every chance you have exhausted those options.
And so we embark upon the Wild West that is YouTube in search of our sports fix.
We’ve included links to the full films below. Consume them at your own leisure and be sure to share them with sports-mad loved ones in order to protect them from the crushing low of finding yourself watching re-runs of Friends on Comedy Central.
N.B. In no particular order:
1. Legendary Nights: The Tale of Gatti-Ward
Directors: Gabe Spitzer, Bentley Weiner
Premise: HBO tell the story of the brutal trilogy of light-welterweight fights between Arturo ‘Thunder’ Gatti and ‘Irish’ Micky Ward, the enduring friendship that was forged between them, and Gatti’s tragic, suspicious demise.
IMDB rating: 8.7
2. Clough – The Brian Clough Story
Directors: Gabriel Clarke, John McKenna, James Williams
Premise: The Afterlife of Brian continues a pace; best-selling book after best-selling book, a statue is unveiled in Nottingham city centre, and a feature film is released. ‘Clough’ has intimate access with the family as Brian is forever remembered in bronze and in exclusive behind-the-scenes footage of Nigel as the wheel comes full circle.
IMDB rating: 7.8
3. Ringy
Director: Tony McCarthy
Premise: A look back at the life and times of arguably the greatest ever hurler, including never-before-seen footage of the Cork man in action.
IMDB rating: n/a
4. Jimmy’s Winning Matches
Director: Joanne McGrath
Premise: The remarkable story of the Donegal Gaelic football team and their journey to become 2012 All-Ireland champions.
IMDB rating: n/a
5. Sugar Ray Robinson – The Bright Lights and Dark Shadows of a Champion
Executive producer: Ross Greenburg
Premise: Spanning his career from the early Depression-era days until his death in 1989, this special brings to light the many sides of the greatest boxer of all time: flashy public icon, womanizer, comeback kid, philanthropist, fighter.
IMDB rating: n/a
6. No No: A Dockumentary
Director: Jeff Radice
Premise: A ‘no-no’, or no-hitter, is a baseball pitcher’s perfect game, where no batter hits the ball. Only 295 have occurred in US pro baseball from nearly 215,000 games. In 1970, Dock Ellis of the Pittsburgh Pirates says he threw a no-no against the San Diego Padres while high on LSD. This film explores that myth and reveals a lot more.
IMDB rating: 7.2 (97% on Rotten Tomatoes)
7. Deep Water
Directors: Louise Osmond, Jerry Rothwell
Premise: A film chronicling the infamously disastrous 1968 round-the-world yacht race.
IMDB rating: 7.8 (96% on Rotten Tomatoes)
8. Magic Johnson and Larry Bird: A Courtship of Rivals
Executive producers: Ross Greenburg, Rick Bernstein
Premise: A film exploring the rivalry between two basketball greats which began with the 1979 NCAA Championship Game and lasted throughout their lengthy Hall-of-Fame careers in the NBA — the league that leant on Magic and Bird to survive.
IMDB rating: 8.3
9. Dark Horse
Director: Louise Osmond
Premise: An inspirational true story of a group of friends from a working men’s club in Wales who decide to take on the elite ‘sport of kings’ and breed themselves a racehorse.
IMDB rating: 7.3
10. Joe Louis: America’s Hero Betrayed
Executive producers: Rick Bernstein, Ross Greenburg
Premise: The story of arguably the greatest heavyweight of all time: his difficulty getting big fights early in his career, the pride of African-Americans in his prowess, the shift of white sentiment toward Louis as Hitler came to power, Louis’s patriotism during World War II, and the hounding of him by the IRS for the following 15 years.
IMDB rating: 7.4
11. Their Finest Hour
Director: Brian O’Flaherty
Premise: The tale of Munster’s 1978 victory over the All Blacks told from both sides.
IMDB rating: n/a
12. An Impossible Job
Director: Ken McGill
Premise: A documentary following then-manager Graham Taylor through England’s disastrous 1994 World Cup qualification campaign.
IMDB rating: 7.8
Share your own YouTube recommendations in the comments section below!
Editor's picks getting your fix under the radar none