7 Best Free Sports Documentaries on YouTube (Ranked) | OneFootball

Documentaries often have the power to shape parts of our worldview and educate us on matters we may otherwise be ignorant about. One such genre of documentary that fascinates many, is that if the sports documentary. From The Last Dance and the Class of '92 to Sunderland ‘Til I Die and Senna, there have been some truly great portrayals of lives in sport. While the aforementioned can be found behind the paywalls of streaming services such as Netflix and Amazon Prime, YouTube has its fair share of awe-inspiring and predominantly free documentary content, here are the best documentaries on YouTube…

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The Brady 6: Journey of the Legend No One Wanted

Tom Brady is a name that transcends the sport of American Football. He is to the NFL what Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo are to Football. The 47-minute-long documentary chronicles Brady’s rise from a 199th draft pick, to the finest quarterback in the world, and the greatest American Football player of all time.

You can watch the entire documentary, The Brady 6: Journey of the Legend No One Wanted, and other NFL Films via YouTube.

Sir Bobby Charlton

A legend on and off the pitch, forever immortalised in English football history, Bobby Charlton remains one of a select few to have won the World Cup while sporting the Three Lions jersey. The BBC documentary details Bobby's rise from North Eastern prodigy to Manchester United and England history-maker.

Via TSD, see the full documentary below and watch in astonishment, just like we did.

Rocky & Wrighty: From Brockley to the Big Time

The 2017 documentary Rocky and Wrighty is a heartfelt, moving, and nostalgic review of David Rocastle and Ian Wright’s careers in football, their rise, friendship, and Rocastle’s untimely and tragic death. Both from Brockley, London, childhood friends Ian Wright and David Rocastle took different paths to realise their footballing dreams with Wright the late bloomer and Rocastle the child prodigy.

Thanks to ArsenalTerje for uploading this. It's a tear-jerker, for sure.

The Boys Who Fought for Castro

To the outside world, Cuba is a country built on slavery, communism, and a troubled past, and under the premiership of dictator, Fidel Castro, the country and its residents had to adhere to hard-line communism. In the BBC’s 2011 documentary The Boys Who Fought for Castro, the exploration into the sport Cubans have become so synonymous with; Boxing centres around three boys who are preparing to fight in the country’s national championships. Set against the backdrop of a defector row, this is a fascinating study into a life of sporting excellence and the struggle against a dictatorship.

The Youtube account ibhof2 shared the video when it was released at the time, and remains incredibly popular to this day. This is a must-watch!

Hoop Dreams

Released in 1995 and shot over a period of five years, Steve James’ Hoop Dreams follows two teen boys who are both aspiring NBA basketball players. William Gates and Arthur Agee dream of shooting hoops for a living, as they both do everything in their power to realise their sporting destiny. Shared by BRATSKBASKET, The winner of the Audience Award at 1994’s Sundance Film Festival chronicles the two Chicagoan’s lives as they commute from their respective impoverished housing projects to St. Joseph’s High School, a high school with a prestigious eye for identifying and nurturing basketball talent.

The Brian Clough Story

During his life, and after his death Brian Clough has forever remained an enigma. A man understood by few but venerated by many. A student of the game, Clough’s professional career was cut short by injury and was subsequently thrust into a managerial capacity. The Brian Clough Story, the documentary that aired on ITV in 2009 and coincided with the release of Tom Hooper’s biographical drama, The Damned United takes a deep dive into the life and times of one of football’s most decorated, charismatic, and controversial figures.

Stevie Richards uploaded the footage six years ago (at the time of writing) and has generated over 2 million views on the streaming platform - and we are not surprised one bit.

Football's Most Dangerous Rivalry

As one of the very best channels on YouTube, VICE create brilliant, truly enlightening documentaries, often with an investigative twist at their very heart. The creatives behind their award-winning content bring truth to the belief that the beautiful game is far more than just 22 players kicking a ball around on a pitch and that the sport loved by billions worldwide has far-reaching effects on health, wealth, love, and relationships.

The channel’s documentary was a major hit, and in one of the hour-long documentaries, we are taken right to the crux of the historic Old Firm derby between Glasgow’s finest, Celtic and Rangers. In this particular episode, the hate-filled nature when the two clubs face off is deconstructed, and issues of religion, discrimination, and years of violence are understood.