Move over Tiger King – The Last Dance on Netflix has become the documentary of choice during this coronavirus lockdown, bringing the exceptional 1990s Chicago Bulls, and in particular Michael Jordan, to a whole new audience.
Diving behind the scenes of the 1997/98 NBA season as the Bulls chased a sixth championship in just eight years, viewers are treated to exclusive interviews with the likes of Jordan, Scottie Pippen and Dennis Rodman, not to mention President Barack Obama, as well as previously unseen archive footage of the Bulls in the 80s and 90s. Simply put, it’s exceptional film-making of an incredible sports team full of extraordinary talent.
So it got us thinking, what other iconic and memorable sports teams, athletes and moments would be deserving of their own ten-part docuseries….
England v New Zealand, Men’s Cricket World Cup 2019 final
Lord’s has seen many memorable moments throughout its illustrious history, but nothing quite like the sun drenched evening of Sunday 14th July 2019. Chasing 242 to win the World Cup for the first time, England needed an improbable 15 runs from the last over after earlier in their innings finding themselves at just 86/4. Ben Stokes hit a six and then got a huge slice of luck when a throw from the outfield hit his bat as he dived for the crease, which then deflected for four overthrows.
The drama wasn’t over though. Facing the final ball of the innings, Stokes could only manage a single meaning the World Cup would be decided by a super over. After hitting a brilliant 84 not out, Stokes went back out to the middle alongside Jos Buttler, where between them they set New Zealand a target of 16 runs to win.
Jofra Archer, an England debutant that summer, was given the task of keeping the Kiwis at bay with the ball, but when Jimmy Neesham hit the second ball for six England feared the worst. But Archer, and England, regrouped, and it came down to the final ball of the super over, with Martin Guptill and New Zealand needing two runs to win. Guptill played his shot to deep mid-wicket, Jason Roy collected the ball perfectly before throwing it towards Buttler who dutifully removed the bails. Lord’s erupted and the greatest ever game of cricket finished with England as world champions.
Leicester City, Premier League champions 2015/16
After surviving their first season back in the top flight for ten years, the Foxes were 5000/1 to be crowned champions at the start of the 15/16 season. But what followed was a perfect storm of elements, which eventually led to the single greatest achievement in English football history.
Hired at the start of the season, Italian manager Claudio Ranieri wasn’t necessarily welcomed with open arms by fans and media alike. However, after an emphatic first half of the season Leicester were top at Christmas, largely fuelled by Jamie Vardy’s goals and the now blindingly-obvious talents of Riyad Mahrez and N’Golo Kante. A surprising challenge from Tottenham Hotspur in the second half of the season meant that the title race lasted longer than initially anticipated, but the script had already been written.
An emotional King Power Stadium saw a moving performance from Andrea Bocelli on the day the Foxes lifted the Premier League trophy to complete the most incredible season in English top flight history. However, just nine months later, Ranieri was sacked as Leicester struggled to defend their crown during the following campaign.
Andrea Bocelli's amazing performance 🎶
— Leicester City (@LCFC) May 7, 2020
Leicester City's 3-1 victory over Everton ⚽
The greatest day in the Club's history 🏆
Join us, we're #HavingAParty! https://t.co/6Mmj4h1HUN
Federer vs Nadal, 2004-now
Every now and then sport throws up a rivalry which makes you genuinely glad you were around to see it. Roger Federer vs Rafael Nadal is one of them. Since Federer won his first Wimbledon in 2003, and Nadal his first French Open in 2005, the pair have collected 39 major titles between them and played out countless epic battles across the world.
Much like Ronaldo and Messi have pushed each other to become better over the years, the same can be said of Federer and Nadal. And despite their absolute will to win, the pair have never had anything but immense respect for each other. Federer’s love of Wimbledon is known to all (eight titles), as is Nadal’s feelings towards Roland Garros (12 titles), but each has also won the Davis Cup for their country too. The 2008 Wimbledon final between the pair was a match for the ages, with Nadal winning the fifth-set in near darkness and finally beating his nemesis in SW19 after losing the 2006 and 2007 finals to the Swiss.
What makes their rivalry all the more incredible is that it’s still going strong. The pair reminded us of their greatness during the final of the 2017 Australian Open in another five-set thriller, despite both coming into the tournament out of form and racked with injuries. Federer and Nadal have given fans around the world more than a decade of absolute excellence, providing some truly unforgettable moments.
London 2012
It all started with Sir Bradley Wiggins ringing a bell above a rural ‘field’ in the middle of the Olympic Stadium. What followed was six of most memorable and joyous weeks the UK, and London in-particular, has experienced in living memory. The London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games were a celebration of Britain, sport and friendship; from Danny Boyle’s masterful Opening Ceremony (who can forget Mr Bean?) through to the hundreds of iconic sporting moments that unfolded. Team GB dominating the velodrome and Wiggins following up his Tour de France win with a stupendous gold medal in the time trial; Mo Farah, Jessica Ennis-Hill and Greg Rutherford each winning gold in less than an hour of each other to top off Super Saturday, and double-sprint champion Usain Bolt establishing himself as the ultimate track superstar.
Then, there was the Paralympics which single-handedly changed para-sport in the UK forever. Jonnie Peacock, David Weir, Hannah Cockroft, Sarah Storey and Ellie Simmonds became household names as they helped Team GB smash their target to win 120 medals. It really was the most magical summer in British sporting history for reasons way beyond sport.
The Miracle of Medinah, Ryder Cup 2012
Staying in 2012, the biannual Ryder Cup was petering out into a simple American victory by the end of the foursomes and fourballs on day two. Europe were heading into the singles on the Sunday 10-6 behind and needing a miracle, let alone the eight of the 12 points available, to retain the coveted prize.
Sometimes inspiration comes from above and maybe this was it. To Europeans, the late, great Spaniard Seve Ballesteros is the Ryder Cup, and with his friend Jose Maria Olazabel as captain in 2012, the script was in place for the most dramatic day of golf this famous tournament has seen.
Luke Donald, Paul Lawrie, Rory McIlroy and Ian Poulter set the ball rolling by winning their matches and suddenly it was 10-10. From here, the US and Europe traded blows until they were 13-13, meaning Europe only needed a point to retain the prize. Martin Kaymer duly obliged when he holed on the 18th for a one-hole win, before Franceso Molinari halved his matched against Tiger Woods to ensure Europe won the Ryder Cup in the most dramatic fashion, 14.5-13.5, to leave Olazabel in floods of tears. Now, who said golf was boring?
