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Tory BarronESPN Editor
If you’re reading this, you’re probably at home and beginning to realize just how much live sports programming you consume on a daily basis. The absence of your favorite league is jarring, and you’re not exactly sure how to proceed. Hey, there are only so many episodes of “Love is Blind” one person can take before they find themselves resorting to a diet of old NBA Slam Dunk Contest mixtapes and Tom Brady conspiracy theory videos. … Oh yeah, they’re out there.
As the sports world remains at a standstill in a unified attempt to slow the spread of the coronavirus, this list is intended to help you fill the void in your regularly scheduled television programming. Because while nothing can compare to live competition, there’s plenty of premium sports content still very much available to you.
From “Brink!” and “The Sandlot” to your favorite 30 for 30 documentaries, here is what our streaming services are serving up:
Detail …
The perfect show for any student of the game. Detail takes you inside some of the greatest minds in sports, revealing how they process the action on the court, field or mat.
The late, great NBA icon Kobe Bryant, legendary quarterback Peyton Manning and former UFC two-division world champion Daniel Cormier each analyze and break down footage from their respective sports, complete with on-screen visual effects to highlight nuances and tendencies. There’s even an episode in which one of the greatest college football coaches of all time, Alabama’s Nick Saban, breaks down the run-pass option. Don’t say we never gave you anything.
NBA Rooks takes you along for the ride as high-profile first-year players such as New Orleans’ Zion Williamson and New York’s RJ Barrett make the daunting transition to the league.
The series starts with draft night and follows the rookies through their training camp experiences and their NBA debuts.to give fans an inside look at different parts of the young players’ new lives as they are thrown into a faster, stronger, more complex game played by the pros.
In addition to breaking down tape from current NFL quarterbacks in Detail, Peyton Manning has his own ESPN+ exclusive series. Throughout the 30-episode show, the future Hall of Famer explores the history of NFL football and its traditions through interviews and conversations with key figures in the sport. Tom Brady, Joe Montana, Brett Favre, Eric Dickerson, Emmitt Smith, Deion Sanders and even Manning’s brother Eli get in on the action with The Sheriff. It’s the content we need.
If you’re not familiar with 30 for 30 documentaries, now’s your chance to get familiar. The award-winning series and its 30 for 30 Shorts counterpart are all available on ESPN+. All of them! That’s countless hours of binge-worthy content right there. From “O.J.: Made in America” to “The U” and “Trojan War,” you really cant go wrong. Even if you consider yourself an avid 30 for 30 consumer, there’s a slim chance you’ve seen the whole collection. You’re welcome in advance.
Everybody loves a good backstory. In sports, that can make the difference between feeling like a fan and feeling like we’re truly connected with our favorite teams and players. Why We Fight is executive produced by UFC legend Ronda Rousey, and it provides a platform for lesser-known fighters to share their stories. Season 2 of the series is hosted by UFC veteran Cat Zingano, whose own personal tragedy fuels her career, as she explores the motivations and stories of fighters across the globe. She provides a foil and a friendly face for fighters to explore their inner demons and motivations, providing fans another reason to cheer.
Hosted by ESPN’s Jay Williams and executive produced by Kevin Durant and sports and entertainment executive Rich Kleiman, “The Boardroom” brings fans inside the business of sports, with candid, real-time conversations with star athletes, top entertainers and industry-leading executives about the current issues that are changing the game.
Disney+
“Invincible” …
Based on a true story, Philadelphia native Vince Papale enters an open tryout and earns a spot on the roster of his hometown Philadelphia Eagles. Mark Wahlberg stars as Papale and captures the working class struggle and his shock at actually making an NFL team.
“The Sandlot” …
Benny “The Jet” Rodriguez. Wendy Peffercorn. Squints. Smalls. If you know, you know. “The Sandlot” brought us iconic characters in a feel-good classic about a new kid in town being taken under the wing of a young baseball prodigy and his rowdy teammates during the summer of 1962.
“Brink!” …
If you grew up in the 1990s, you know this movie. In the OG of Disney Channel Original Movies, Andy “Brink” Brinker leads a rag-tag team of “Soul-Skaters” against a mammoth skating corporation in this classic portrayal of good vs. evil. Team Pup ‘N Suds for life.
“Remember The Titans” …
Left side. Strong side. In one of the greatest sports movies of all time (you can disagree, but you’re wrong), we learn the true story of coach Herman Boone, portrayed by Denzel Washington, and his attempt to integrate the T. C. Williams High School football team in Alexandria, Virginia, in 1971.
“Glory Road” …
The story of the 1966 Texas Western college basketball team’s run to a national championship. The Texas Western team, which features seven African American players, faces off with an all-white Kentucky team in the championship game.
“Miracle” …
There might be no more inspirational real-life sports story than that of the 1980 U.S. Olympic Ice Hockey team that improbably defeated the heavily favored, more experienced Soviet Union team at the Lake Placid Winter Games. Kurt Russell shines in the role of legendary coach Herb Brooks. We’re getting fired up just thinking about that locker room speech.
“Cool Runnings” …
If you don’t hear “Jamaica we have a bobsled team” in your head when you see the title, you’re not a true fan. The story of the Jamaican bobsled team’s journey to the 1988 Winter Olympics is one of overcoming the odds. The team goes from outcasts to equals over the course of three days that includes a bad crash in their final race.
“Johnny Tsunami” …
Johnny Kapahala — an absolute legend — is a teenage surfer forced to move away from his home of Hawaii (and his surfing icon grandfather) to Vermont and takes up snowboarding. But it’s so much more than that.
“The Greatest Game Ever Played” …
Francis Ouimet (Shia LaBeouf) wasn’t born in privilege like virtually everyone else who belongs to The Country Club in Brookline, Massachusetts. But he loves golf and gains access as a caddie, which allows him to hone his talent to the point he competes in the 1913 U.S. Open as an amateur.
“Rookie of the Year” …
Sixth-grader Henry Rowengartner (Thomas Ian Nicholas) gets to play with his heroes and become a hero on the baseball field, striking out actual major leaguers like Bobby Bonilla. Nostalgia to the max.
“Free Solo” …
This one is a documentary, but it rivals the drama of any of the other feature films on here. Alex Honnold seeks to become the first man to climb El Capitan in Yosemite National Park by himself without any ropes, hooks, harnesses or any other kind of equipment that most climbers would utilize for safety. Yeah, it’s a must watch.
“The Rookie” …
The story of a 35-year-old who realizes he can throw 98 mph and gets a shot with a major league team. Yep, if it weren’t true we probably wouldn’t find it believable. Jim Morris’s real-life story is an inspirational example for those who lost their chance at glory. Morris (played by Dennis Quaid) has his baseball dreams shut down by circumstances beyond his control. But he stays in the game as a high school baseball coach, and when his players discover how hard he can still throw, Morris is pushed into trying out for the Tampa Bay Rays (then the Devil Rays).
“Miracle in Lane 2” …
Another classic Disney Channel Original Movie. In this true story, Frankie Muniz plays Justin Yoder, a boy born with spina bifida and hydrocephalus. Justin uses a wheelchair and really wants to race. He gets a special derby car he can use, but he crashes it. We won’t give away anything else on the off chance you haven’t seen it, but from the title you can probably tell how this one ends.
“Double Teamed” …
The two sisters the movie is based on — Heidi and Heather Burge — both played in the WNBA. It’s also worth noting the two girls playing the volleyball-turned-basketball stars in the film were not twins. In fact, they weren’t even related. Bold casting move.
“Motocrossed” …
Some of you have never seen “Motocrossed,” and it shows. This iconic Disney Channel Original Movie centers around Andrew, a stud motocross rider who is about to enter a championship race that might net him corporate sponsorship until he breaks his leg. His twin sister, Andrea, decides to impersonate him so that he won’t miss out on his big chance. Rival rider Dean Talon agrees to help Andrew (really Andrea) with his riding in exchange for help with his crush. Classic.