Sports Documentaries: From Track to Soap Opera

Sports used to be about what happened on the field—now, it’s just as much about what happens on Netflix. In this episode, we dive into the explosive rise of streaming sports documentaries, led by the blockbuster success of Drive to Survive. The series didn’t just chronicle Formula 1; it reinvented it, turning drivers into characters and turbocharging F1’s fanbase, especially in America. Now Amazon, Disney, and others are racing to replicate the formula with tennis, golf, cricket, and socce—turning real athletes into cast members in ongoing, high-stakes dramas. But as the line between sport and storytelling blurs, we ask: are these shows creating new fans or new soap operas? And what happens when the drama on screen starts rewriting the truth on the pitch?https://www.economist.com/culture/2023/03/03/does-the-netflixisation-of-sport-spoil-the-action