Best sports documentaries, podcasts and books for the coronavirus shutdown
With the country heading into lockdown amid the coronavirus pandemic, we could all soon find ourselves with plenty of time on our hands.
Sports fans are slowly coming to terms with the blanket cancellation of events and no live games to watch on television.
But fear not – it’s the perfect opportunity to binge watch some superb sports documentaries, listen to some top-class podcasts or get stuck into a great sporting read.
We wrap up some of the best ways to keep yourself entertained over the coming days, weeks, months…
SPORTS DOCUMENTARIES TO WATCH
The Test (Released 2020, on Amazon Prime)
Australian cricket hit rock bottom during the sandpapergate scandal on their tour of South Africa in 2018 which led to the suspension of captain Steve Smith and vice-captain David Warner.
This new eight-part documentary starts at this nadir and charts the attempts of Australia’s teams to regain their integrity through their series with India, the World Cup and recapturing the Ashes in England.
With complete access behind the scenes as you’d expect, The Test offers an insight into the inner workings of international cricket.
Australia captain Steve Smith (right) and team-mate Cameron Bancroft after admitting to ball-tampering by using sandpaper during the Cape Town Test with South Africa in 2018
All or Nothing: Manchester City (2018, on Amazon Prime)
The most well-known of Amazon’s All or Nothing series, the cameras follow Manchester City’s successful Premier League campaign in 2017-18.
We gain a rare glimpse into the inner sanctum of a top-flight football club where master tactician Pep Guardiola works to not only win City the title, but smash every record in doing so.
The eight episodes are only 45 minutes each so it’s ideal to dip in and out of.
Amazon’s All or Nothing series on Manchester City recounts their title-winning 2017-18 season
Sunderland ‘Til I Die (2018, on Netflix)
With a second series on the way, time to catch up on the eight-episode first helping of this warts-and-all series following Sunderland’s shambolic 2017-18 season.
Just relegated from the Premier League, the Black Cats completely fail to acclimatise to life back in the second tier with strife both on and off the field.
It’s compelling evidence that documentaries about the less successful sporting clubs are often the most compelling.
Last Chance U (2019, Netflix)
Now into a fourth season, this show focuses on young aspiring American Football players who are struggling to make it to the big time whether that be because of personal issues, injury or problems at school.
The first two series are based at the Easy Mississippi Community College, one of the most successful junior college football programmes in the United States.
Series three and four switch to Independence Community College in Kansas, a less successful scheme, but the dreams of stardom remain just as intense.
Losers (2019, Netflix)
A pan-sport series which, as the title suggests, focuses on failure and the emotions and stigma around it.
Some of the chokes recounted here are simply spectacular with the best known being golfer Jean van de Velde’s final hole at the 1999 Open Championship at Carnoustie.
British viewers may remember episode two, about Torquay United’s madcap battle against relegation in 1987 which is almost literally a shaggy dog story.
Jean van de Velde ankle deep in the Barry Burn at Carnoustie during The Open in 1999
Icarus (2017, Netflix)
This Oscar-winning film focuses on the world of illegal doping within sport and, specifically, cycling.
American filmmaker Bryan Fogel happened upon a major international doping scandal when asking for the help of Russian scientist Grigory Rodchenkov.
After they become friends, Rodchenkov reveals his major role in Russia’s state-sponsored Olympic doping programme.
Formula One: Drive to Survive (2020, Netflix)
Some critics believe this documentary – which now has two series, covering the 2018 and 2019 Formula One seasons – is the only entertaining way to watch the sport.
Of course it focuses on the larger teams such as Mercedes and Ferrari, but the most compelling stories often come from those struggling at the back of the grid.
Perhaps the broader appeal of this series is that it concentrates on everything other than the minutiae of the actual races.
The Netflix documentary Drive to Survive charts the 2018 and 2019 seasons in detail
Iverson (2014, Netflix)
This unfiltered look at the career of NBA Hall-of-Famer Allen Iverson combines sporting glory with plentiful moments of controversy.
Jailed for brawling in a bowling alley while at university, charged with marijuana and firearm possession after his first season in the NBA, Iverson was never going to conform.
But at the heart of the matter is how a poor kid from Virginia becomes a multi-millionaire basketball star overnight and how he deals – or struggles to deal – with it.
Allen Iverson (left) in action for the Philadelphia 76ers against the Los Angeles Lakers in 2006
Diego Maradona (2019, Amazon Prime)
There was always going to be plenty of material for a two-hour feature length film here.
Diego Maradona is probably the most colourful footballer ever to have taken to the pitch and this film charts his time with Italian club Napoli, who afforded him deity status.
Filmmaker Asif Kapadia blends never-before-seen archive footage with the moments that have gone down in folklore.
Asif Kapadia’s film charts the incredible story of footballer Diego Maradona at Napoli
The Great Alone (2016, Amazon Prime)
The Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race, which covers 938 miles across some of Alaska’s most unforgiving wilderness, is a challenge like no other.
This acclaimed film is the tale of Lance Mackey, the race’s greatest champion and covers not only the unique difficulties of the race but Mackey’s own personal demons.
He has battled homelessness, addiction and cancer yet never gave up his life as a musher.
Sled dog racing legend Lance Mackey pictured at the Iditarod Trail in Alaska this year
PODCASTS TO LISTEN TO
That Peter Crouch Podcast
Sportsmail’s columnist has his own popular BBC podcast lifting the lid on every aspect of what it’s like to be a professional footballer.
The former England striker has covered everything from cars to the ‘Robot’ celebration, fashion faux pas to why footballers wear sports bras, always with a generous dollop of laughter.
Peter Crouch’s podcast has become a smash hit, offering a light-hearted look at a football’s life
Tailenders
While Test Match Special caters for the cricket purists, everyone else can get on board with Tailenders, a more light-hearted look at the game.
Greg James is the presenter and keeps a quick pace and informal tone, Felix White of The Maccabees offers musical interludes and England’s all-time leading Test wicket-taker Jimmy Anderson supplies the insight.
England’s all-time leading Test wicket-taker James Anderson features on Tailenders podcast
Beyond The Grid
Few media outlets get under the skin of Formula One and the personalities that make it like Tom Clarkson’s weekly interview and feature-based podcast.
With an hour or more to chat, the interviews can really breathe, delving deep into the lives and back stories of the drivers as opposed to the usual platitudes.
The Gary Neville Podcast
Thanks to Gary Neville (and his sparring partner Jamie Carragher), Sky’s Monday Night Football has become appointment television and is seen as the definitive final word on the weekend’s Premier League action.
So it comes as little surprise that Neville has been given his own pod. They’re bitesize – no longer than 15 minutes – but focus solely on one major talking point with Neville’s razor-sharp analysis.
Meant to be weekly but actually appear far less frequently for some reason.
Sky Sports pundit Gary Neville has his own podcast dissecting football’s main talking points
The Pepper Pod
Andrew Cotter’s voice is well known to golf fans from the BBC’s coverage and he’s teamed up with European Tour player Eddie Pepperell for a new podcast about the sport.
Lee Westwood features on the first one as well as chat about how to fill our time now that all golf is cancelled for the foreseeable future.
SPORTS BOOKS TO READ
The Great Romantic: Cricket and the golden age of Neville Cardus by Duncan Hamilton
It makes sense to begin with the winner of the prestigious William Hill Sports Book of the Year award in 2019.
Cardus is forgotten now but between the wars he was the cricket writer who transformed sports journalism and propelled the sport to a much wider audience.
But behind his lyrical descriptions of the action – whether he was actually present or not was apparently irrelevant – Cardus had an equally colourful personal life.
Sevens Heaven: The Beautiful Chaos of Fiji’s Olympic Dream by Ben Ryan
Englishman Ben Ryan was given just 20 minutes to decide whether he wanted to coach Fiji’s rugby sevens team with the objective of winning an Olympic medal.
Ryan had never been to Fiji or had anything to do with the country but he accepted the challenge and thus started a rollercoaster ride into history.
Fiji rugby sevens coach Ben Ryan leads celebrations after their Olympic gold medal in 2016
The Rose of the Ultra Runners: A Journey to the Edge of Human Endurance by Adharanand Finn
This is the story of what happens when running 26 miles just isn’t enough, helping explain the phenomenon of ultra running and why it’s increasingly popular.
Finn didn’t merely speak to ultra runners and follow a few races, he set himself the challenge of completing the 105-mile Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc, sparking an astonishing global training journey.
My Name’5 Doddie: The Autobiography by Doddie Weir
There wasn’t a dry eye in the house when Doddie Weir received the Helen Rollason Award at the BBC Sports Personality of the Year before Christmas.
The former Scotland international faced some almighty opponents on the rugby field but, now aged 48, he is facing another adversary in Motor Neurone Disease.
This autobiography is the story of Weir’s life and how he has raised over £1million for MND research.
Doddie Weir pictured at the BBC Sports Personality of the Year awards in Aberdeen last year
The Quality of Madness: A Life of Marcelo Bielsa by Tim Rich
English football is only just getting acquainted with ‘El Loco’ – the Madman – as Bielsa tries to steer Leeds United back to the promised land of the Premier League.
But what about the back story as to how this obsessive and innovative coach came to acquire his nickname and reputation?
This upcoming book, out on April 2, pieces together his life through interviews from across South America, Spain and Yorkshire.
Leeds United manager Marcelo Bielsa and his crazy back story is the subject of a new book
Building the Yellow Wall: The Incredible Rise and Cult Appeal of Borussia Dortmund by Uli Hesse
A substantial number of football fans all over the world have adopted Borussia Dortmund as their second team, entranced by the incredible passion of their supporters on the famous ‘Yellow Wall.’
This is the story of a club that grew from humble beginnings in Germany’s industrial heartland to achieve success at home and abroad, profiling the key characters and exploring what drives their incredible supporters.
Borussia Dortmund’s famous Yellow Wall in full flow during a Bundesliga fixture
To Hell and Back: An Autobiography by Niki Lauda
Few racing drivers walked the balance beam between life and death like Niki Lauda.
He is the incredible competitor who was dragged from the flaming wreckage of his Ferrari at the Nurburgring in 1976 and was given the last rites, only to be back at the wheel 33 days later. The following year, he reclaimed his world championship crown.
His autobiography, released last month after his death last year, is the story of that comeback and his thrilling rivalry with James Hunt.
