Finding movies and TV that please everyone can be tough. But if you’ve got a sporty kid, screen time is a great opportunity. Sure, there’s old-school sports movie like The Sandlot or A League of Their Own — complete with inspirational messages and strong moral codes. But why go for fictional sports stories when you can get the real thing?
Sports docuseries, or true-to-life dramatized sports stories, are great to watch with young athletes. They tell inspirational tales and maybe even give them a real-life role model in the meantime. From a variety of different sports to a selection of different formats, we’ve thought about the watchability and the relevance of each of these selections. There should be something for everyone in this list. And, at the very least, with each, you and your kid will learn something.
10. Rising Phoenix (2020)
This documentary film focuses on several different Paralympic athletes, all of whom have truly amazing stories. Warning for parents: This documentary is not for the faint of heart, as some of the physical challenges are truly harrowing. For example, Bebe Vio — who inspired the name of the documentary — lost all of her limbs to meningitis at the age of 11. She nonetheless went on to become a wheelchair fencer. Deeply inspiring, this doc is great for teens interested in sports and perhaps great for all of us to have a little perspective on the amazing nature of the human spirit.
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Rising Phoenix is streaming on Netflix.
9. Believers: Boston Red Sox (2025)
The 2004 story of the Boston Red Sox is a great one in terms of an underdog story. Even if you’re not a Red Sox fan, this story represents a very specific time in baseball and tells the story of how this iconic team broke a curse that had existed since 1918. If your kid is just starting to get into baseball, this documentary series might seem like ancient history; after all, 2004 was more than 20 years ago. And yet, this particular season for many of us feels very recent and still relevant.
Believers: Boston Red Sox is streaming on ESPN.
8. Dude Perfect: A Very Long Shot (2024)
Who doesn’t love trick shots? This 30 for 30 ESPN doc is all about a group of five guys who were former college roommates who created a sports comedy entertainment phenomenon. Focused on trick shots and betting, this doc is 100% for older kids. But if you’ve got a teen who is into sports and loves to joke around, this is a great, quirky documentary focused on male friendship, humor, and creating something nobody has ever done before.
Dude Perfect: A Very Long Shot is streaming on ESPN.
7. Kelce (2023)
Everybody is obsessed with Travis Kelce, but his brother Jason Kelce might be the more interesting of the siblings, at least as an athlete. The 2023 documentary film chronicles the 2022 Philadelphia Eagles season, with a specific focus on Kelce. The main tension here is whether or not Kelce will retire from the NFL. Weird topic for kids? Well, for tweens and teens interested in unpacking the real-deal toll of being in the NFL, there’s something smartly educational about this. You may be young and obsessed with football now, but life is long.
Kelce is streaming on Prime Video.
6. Safety (2020)
Not technically a documentary, this is a docudrama based on the true story of Ray McElrathbey, who deals with a ton of family adversity and racism. Set in the early 2000s, McElrathbey’s story is inspiring and very family-oriented. Again, this one might be for older kids, but the script is from Nick Santora of Reacher and Sopranos fame, so there’s a breezy and very focused feeling to this movie.
Safety is streaming on Disney+.
5. Skater Girl (2021)
Here’s another docudrama that is based on a real-life movement in India, centered on teenagers and skateboarding culture. In the film, a young girl named Prerna (Rachel Sanchita Gupta) finds purpose and belonging through skateboarding. The film is a heartwarming coming-of-age movie, but watching it with your kid means you’re also giving them a dose of contemporary history. The production for the film also worked very closely with rural villages in India to make sure it accurately portrayed the culture and struggles of teenagers.
A great one to watch with your aspiring skateboarding kid, or maybe a kid who isn’t sure what their athletic interest might be.
Skater Girl is streaming on Netflix.
4. Simone Biles Rising (2024)
One of the greatest athletes of our time is also the subject of a one-of-a-kind docuseries. Released in 2024, Simone Biles Rising is all about the gymnast’s comeback. The fact that Biles has been so transparent about her mental health has been a groundbreaking part of the conversations about young athletes. As both a role model and someone who is part of living history, Biles is a figure that should inspire conversation with your curious athlete.
Simone Biles Rising is streaming on Netflix.
3. The Last Dance (2020)
This 10-part documentary changed everything back in 2020. However, at this point, The Last Dance — which tells the story of one of the greatest periods of the Chicago Bulls — almost feels vintage. Chances are, for certain parents, you didn’t have a kid old enough to watch this documentary nearly seven years ago. And, if you’re of the generation that lived through the Bulls’ 1990s dynasty, then you owe it to share that history with your kid.
Not everything about Michael Jordan and his teammates is admirable, to be clear. But the thing about some great sports history is that it can be messy.
The Last Dance is on Netflix and Disney+.
2. The Rise: The Gold Medal Girls of The X Games (2026)
Focused on the 2024 X Games, The Rise: Gold Medal Girls of the X Games focuses on four teen athletes, Arisa Trew, Shiloh Catori, Reese Nelson, and Jada Ward. Those are all skateboarders, and that’s just the most recent season. More broadly, The Rise covers all sorts of women’s sports, from skating to the WNBA. If you have a young woman looking for some new role models, you can’t miss with the various seasons of The Rise.
The Rise is streaming on Peacock.
1. Tour de France: Unchained Season 3 (2025)
You can really start anywhere with this excellent docuseries. But the most recent season of Tour de France: Unchained is focused on the 2024 Tour de France. Obviously, the famous bicycle race has existed since 1903, but it’s really only recently that we could actually document this incredible event. Even the least sporty kid in the world can get excited about people using their bodies to propel a bicycle forward. And the most sporty kids will have trouble wrapping their mind around the sheer effort it takes to traverse 2,200 miles over 24 days over some of the hilliest terrain on Earth.
The most recent season of Tour de France: Unchained, released in 2025, is now the last season of this docuseries. The real Tour de France hasn’t gone anywhere, of course. In fact, it’s happening right now. Meaning if you get your kid excited enough, you can watch the 2026 Tour de France as it’s happening. Or watch a little contemporary Tour de France, then go back and watch Unchained on Netflix.
