7 motivating TV shows about sports

1. League

Comedy.
USA, 2009.
Duration: 7 seasons.
IMDb: 8, 3.

A situational comedy from FX about fantasy football fans. This type of game is very popular in the States, where fans of professional sports can imagine themselves as managers of their favorite teams. They unite in a league, recruit their own teams from active players - football or basketball players - and hold a tournament between themselves, where victory in matches depends on the current statistics of real athletes.

The League sarcastically ridicules sports nerds who weep at the poor performance of their players and fight each other in the hope of winning the final prize of the tournament. Sometimes the heroes begin to seem like the worst people in the world, but this does not prevent you from enjoying their endless bragging and super-serious perception of your entertainment. The viewer must have an idea of American football and the players of the modern NFL, otherwise some of the jokes will simply be incomprehensible.

2. Gymnasts

Drama.
USA, 2009.
Duration: 3 seasons.
IMDb: 7, 6.

A teenage drama about four young gymnasts preparing to perform at the Olympics. The series describes the emotional suffering that the heroine is forced to endure for the sake of career success, as well as their physical exhaustion, partially associated with forced starvation.

In addition to the traditional hardships of gymnastics competitions, the drama will also tell about the sudden problems of public life, the battle for sponsors and intra-team rivalry. Surprisingly, the young actresses managed not only to prepare for the roles, but also coped well with sports performances.

3. Remorse of the survivor

Drama, comedy.
USA, 2014.
Duration: 4 seasons.
IMDb: 7, 0.

Dramedy about the start of the professional career of young basketball player Cam, who has just signed his first multimillion dollar contract. His agent and cousin Reggie helps Cam to overcome the hardships of star life, as well as a whole support group, including strict mom Cassie, seductive lesbian sister Em-Chuck and reckless uncle Julius.

The surrounding unusual luxury begins to cause remorse in Cam, because his old friends stayed to live in a dirty suburb of Boston. Therefore, our hero begins to spend insane money not only on business-class cars, mansions and private jets, but also helps to develop his native neighborhood. And Reggie tries not to let Cam squander the entire amount in the first days.

The closest parallel seems to be the series "Handsome", although "Survivor Remorse" is much more serious and does not bypass the sharp corners of racial inequality in the United States. The show is produced by one of the best NBA players LeBron James, who has added several stories from his personal experience to the script.

4. Kingdom

Drama.
USA, 2014.
Duration: 3 seasons.
IMDb: 8, 4.

A drama about mixed martial arts fighters and their difficult lives outside the ring. The main character is the owner of the combat sports club, Alvi Culina. He is a retired athlete who has become the coach of his two sons, as well as fighter Ryan, who recently got out of prison and returned to his favorite sport in hopes of resurrecting his career.

Martial arts connoisseurs will be pleasantly impressed by the quality of the staged duels, for which the actors spent many hours studying with the famous UFC coach Greg Jackson and former wrestler Joe Stevenson.

5. Footballers

Comedy, drama.
USA, 2015.
Duration: 3 seasons.
IMDb: 7, 6.

The hit comedy from HBO about the private lives of current and former American football stars. Dwayne Johnson has naturally fit into the role of a former NFL player who retired from football due to injury and became a financial advisor to busy athletes. Now he organizes his clients' money investments, provides valuable career and life advice and helps his former teammates to extricate themselves from difficult personal troubles. However, behind his convincing voice of reason and a shining aura of success and well-being, his own financial problems are hidden.

The plot does not shine with originality, but the cast skillfully takes this sitcom to the next level. Johnson's dedication and clear focus on male audiences continues to keep The Footballers on HBO's list of the best contemporary comedies.

6. Feed

Drama.
USA, 2016.
Duration: 1 season.
IMDb: 7, 4.

The main character in Podachi is the first woman to play on a professional league baseball team. Ginny Baker, 23, finds herself in the media spotlight as she prepares for her first game for an MLB team. After five years in the lower leagues, she seeks to consolidate her success, in which she is unconditionally supported by tough agent Amelia and the owner of the club, billionaire Frank, who, with the advent of Ginny, not only increases ticket sales, but also seeks to establish gender equality in sports.

It is quite obvious that the reaction within the team is not so overwhelmingly positive, although the girl also has allies. The realism of baseball games is also enough, and sometimes it seems that you are not watching a TV show, but a real match, especially since the producers received from MLB the right to show real teams and stadiums. The series is very dynamic and emotional with a strong pilot episode, however unfortunately Fox canceled it after the first season.

7. Shine

Comedy, drama.
USA, 2017.
Duration: 1 season.
IMDb: 8, 2.

A captivating, fresh Netflix dramedy about 1980s female wrestling with a touch of Orange is the New Black and a stunning performance by beauty Alison Brie. She plays the role of actress Ruth, wandering in search of work from one casting to another. This path leads her to watch the new members of the women's wrestling league, to which the hack and former director of low-quality films Sam Sylvia has sunk in his career.

In addition to Ruth, quite a few candidates responded to the casting, including stuntwoman Cherry, daughter from the family of wrestlers Carmen and quite a few girls who have no idea what to do in the ring. There are only a few weeks left before filming starts, and our participants need to choose characters for themselves, learn basic techniques and tricks and become one friendly team. But the desired harmony is not achieved due to the appearance of Ruth's former best friend, Debbie, who became a real catalyst for squabbles and unrehearsed fights.

The show fascinates with its liveliness, humor, strong emotional component and eroticism. 10 half-hour episodes are swallowed in one breath and have a long and pleasant aftertaste, forcing you to revise your favorite scenes again and again.