• Join Puck

    Directly Supporting Authors

    A new economic model in which writers are also partners in the business.

    Personalized Subscriptions

    Customize your settings to receive the newsletters you want from the authors you follow.

    Stay in the Know

    Connect directly with Puck talent through email and exclusive events.

  • What is puck? Newsletters Authors Podcasts Events Gift Puck Careers

Sports Docs’ Drive to Survive

Since their pandemic-era Last Dance peak, sports documentaries have become harder and harder to get greenlit—even at Netflix. Superstars and monoculture nostalgia plays can still find a home, but the bar has been raised while the payouts have fallen. So what’s a sports doc producer to do?

Inner Circle Exclusive
Michael Jordan
Projects like 'Drive to Survive’ and 'The Last Dance’ were luxury products. Photo: Andrew D. Bernstein / NBAE via Getty Images / Courtesy of Netflix
John Ourand
June 25, 2026

Join Puck to listen to this article

Last spring, as Alex Ovechkin closed in on Wayne Gretzky’s all-time NHL goal-scoring record, every streamer and TV network was pitched on an all-access, behind-the-scenes show about his pursuit of the threshold. A documentary series seemed like a no-brainer given all the hoopla. During games, ESPN even ran “OviCast” on its streaming service, devoting one camera to the hulking left-winger. The team’s R.S.N., Monumental Sports Network, also developed a ton of programming, branded as “THE GR8 CHASE.” When Meadowlark tried to sell the docuseries, however, it was quickly checked against the boards by the present realities of the genre.

Inner Circle Exclusive

Join us in the Inner Circle

Becoming an Inner Circle member now takes you even more inside to exclusive coverage you won't get anywhere else
Join Inner Circle
  • Exclusive bonus days of select newsletters
  • Exclusive access to Puck merch
  • Early bird access to new Editorial and Product features
  • Invitations to private conference calls with Puck authors