Top streaming services like Netflix invested heavily in sports documentaries when they launched, building an inventory of titles that would appeal to sports fans.
But almost just as quickly, the quality slumped. The market for these docs is waning now, and hits are harder to come by. Even Netflix has cut back, canceling series and decreasing its output.
In a recent appearance on the Sports Media with Richard Deitsch podcast, Netflix VP of Live Sports and Entertainment Gabe Spitzer acknowledged the criticism of “league-follow” sports docs at his company and beyond. Spitzer admitted the space has grown stale, with too many similar types of stories and “surface-level” access.
While Spitzer noted Netflix execs are still “huge believers in sports docs,” he believes the industry needs to reevaluate its approach and find new ways to develop quality projects.
“I think we’re as guilty of it as anyone. I think there was a certain genre, maybe we would call it like a ‘league-follow,’ like a present-day, let’s follow a team for a season,” Spitzer explained. “What we’ve done very successfully with a number of different series, like a Drive to Survive or Quarterback or Full Swing. I think we probably greenlit too many; other people greenlit too many; it started to feel like everything was the same.”
In recent years, more sports documentaries have been developed and produced by the athlete, team, or league at their center. The resulting film or series often lacks depth and intrigue.
Spitzer agrees.
“We really pride ourselves on authentic access, and we want to make sure that doesn’t feel surface-level. And it probably has gotten to the point, across a number of different properties, where maybe that access is too surface-level. Maybe leagues or teams or athletes are trying to exert too much control.”
Some recent releases, mostly on Netflix, focused on subjects like Vince McMahon, Aaron Rodgers and Rafael Nadal, have broken through and captivated viewers, even when the subject has had a hand in producing the project. But within the specific league-follow format Spitzer was describing, even a veteran Netflix exec now sees room for the genre to evolve.
About Brendon Kleen
Brendon is an Editorial Lead at Awful Announcing overseeing digital content and special projects. He lives in Phoenix and has covered sports media for Awful Announcing since 2023.