With the massive viewership of competitive sports, it is surprising that there haven’t been more TV shows based upon them. Yes, there are hit series like HBO’s Ballers but, while the show centers on the NFL, it doesn’t actually show that much sporting action. When you think about it, there have been precious few successful television series over the years that focus solely on sporting action. Sports have certainly been extremely well represented in the world of gaming and other sections of the media, and have been used to great effect. With new documentary series like First Team: Juventus finding some success on Netflix, could there be similar series cropping up in the near future?
First Team: Juventus and how it could Lead the Way
Since Netflix set about changing the way people watch movies and television when it launched its streaming service in 2007, the American media services provider has tried to conquer virtually every niche out there with its original content. While there are a number of sports documentaries already on the platform, Netflix’s first foray into association football began recently with First Team: Juventus. The short, six-episode series that was released in two parts in February and July of 2018 has been successful, and could lead to similar programming emerging in the near future.
By choosing Juventus as the focus point of the docu-series, Netflix and producers IMG Original Content were able to appeal to mass footballing audiences worldwide. This is because the Italian giants are one of the best known teams in the world, and are revered by football fans due to their success in the game. Indeed, they have won 34 Serie A titles, two European cups, and a handful of domestic cups, making them the most successful Italian team of all time. By opting for a smaller team with less renown, Netflix surely wouldn’t have been able to attract as many viewers.
First Team: Juventus follows the Old Lady through their 2017-18 league campaign during the first part, and then the later released episodes focus on the Champions League, the securing of the domestic title, and the departure of club legend Gianluigi Buffon. There are interviews with the players and staff, and the episodes are easily accessible even to those with limited knowledge of the sport. In fact, it could be used as an excellent introduction to football. All or Nothing: Manchester City was Amazon Prime’s equivalent, and it followed the story of the English giants in a similar way. The show was also well-received and has a rating of 8.5 on IMDB. Series like these could easily pave the way for similar offerings from other sports. Amazon is one step ahead in this regard with its All or Nothing series, which has also spanned NFL and rugby union to date.
Sport has Often Taken Advantage of Other Media Niches
The fact that there are so many sports offerings across other media makes it harder to believe that there have been so few for television. Sport has been represented well in movies, books, and games in particular.
In terms of the sheer quantity of content, console is the platform that has seen the most sports titles over the years. R.B.I Baseball is the longest-running sports game franchise of all time, and was first released by Namco for the Family Computer in 1986. Since then, there have been another thirteen games in the series, all of which have been hugely popular. Another example of a successful sports game franchise is FIFA from EA Sports. The football titles are regarded as some of the best games on the market year in, year out. Within the iGaming industry, sports-based slots have attracted a lot of players. Games such as Rugby Star, Centre Court, and Football Star at Betway pull in fans of the games who also like to spin the reels. On mobile, titles like Score Hero! and Stickman Basketball are highly addictive. In the gaming industry, players get a chance to feel what it would be like to play their favorite sports. TV series should seek to provide the same kind of experience.
Books also allow readers to get into the minds of famous sports people, which is why there have been so many autobiographies of well-known athletes over the years. There have also been fictional offerings like Nick Hornby’s Fever Pitch which have allowed readers to get a taste of the same passion and excitement that supporters feel when watching their favorite teams play.
First Team: Juventus could be the start of a new trend of sporting TV series, as it took inspiration from books and games to give viewers the feeling that they were there with the team. The realism aspect of it is appealing to many, and the fact that it follows recent events is also a big draw.