Chase the dream with a huge rush of stories, live sport and more across SBS, NITV, SBS World Movies, SBS VICELAND and SBS On Demand. You might say some of these movies and documentaries are about the villains of sport and some about the heroes, but as these stories show, people are complicated, and so are their efforts to be the very best.
It’s just what you need to get pumped up before and during the Tour De France!
Lance
Sometimes, what goes up comes down hard. This two-part documentary from Emmy award-winning filmmaker Marina Zenovich features candid interviews with Lance Armstrong, his family and former teammates about his battle with testicular cancer, Tour de France victories and dramatic downfall after being exposed in a widespread doping scandal.
Marion Jones: Press Pause
Few athletes in Olympic history have reached such heights and depths as Marion Jones. After winning gold at the 1997 and ’99 World Track and Field Championships, her rise to the top culminated at the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney. There, she captivated the world with her style and athletic dominance as she sprinted and jumped to three gold medals and two bronze. Eventually, though, her accomplishments and her reputation would be tarnished. For years, Jones denied the increasing speculation that she used performance-enhancing drugs. But in October 2007, she finally admitted what so many had long suspected – that she had indeed used steroids. Jones was sentenced to six months in prison for lying to federal investigators and soon saw her Olympic achievements disqualified. Now a free woman, Jones is running in a new direction in life and taking time to reflect.
Marion Jones: Press Pause premieres on SBS, 9.55pm Wednesday 23 June and will be available after broadcast at SBS On Demand.
Rodman: For Better or Worse
Discover the story of one of the greatest talents in NBA history, on and off the court. This documentary tracks Dennis Rodman’s improbable rise from a homeless, teenage airport janitor to school stardom and then on to ultimately becoming one of the most recognisable figures in basketball history.
Rodman: For Better Or Worse premieres on SBS at 9.30pm Thursday 24 June and will be available after broadcast at SBS On Demand.
Diego Maradona
Combining never-before-seen footage from Maradona’s personal archives, news and sports footage from his career, and interviews with historians and journalists, this documentary, directed by Academy Award winner Asif Kapadia (Amy, Senna, The Warrior) highlights one of the most celebrated and controversial soccer players in the world. Maradona arrived in Naples on 5 July 1984, for a world-record fee. The charismatic Argentine was worshipped on and off the pitch and led Napoli to its first league title. This unforgettable documentary recounts the miracles he performed on the field as darker days loomed ahead.
Watch Diego Maradona on SBS, 9.20pm Friday 25 June. It will then be streaming at SBS On Demand. 
Source: SBS
Wrestling Sundays: WWE Legends and Dark Side
Wrestling fans can look forward to a double-bill of drama on SBS VICELAND on Sundays from 27 June.
First up, it’s WWE Legends. This eight-part series, with unprecedented access to the WWE (World Wrestling Entertainment, aka the big dog of pro wrestling promotion) archives, shares the stories of some of the most memorable WWE stars. The series kicks off with one of the true greats of pro wrestling, Steve ‘Stone Cold’ Austin; others include ‘Macho Man’ Randy Savage, ‘Rowdy’ Roddy Piper, Booker T, Bret Hart, Mick Foley and the Ultimate Warrior.
Then it’s time for Dark Side of the Ring, a series that examines the complex intersection of in-ring characters and real life, uncovering much of the untold story of wrestling history. One of VICE TV’s most-watched shows in the US, Dark Side tackles the high highs and the low lows, offering a fascinating insight into a world of entertainment where fantasy and tragedy often collide. The 14-episode season 3 kicks off with the first half of a two-parter on Brian Pillman, an unpredictable wrestler whose career was cut short at the age of 35.
WWE Legends, Sundays 8.30pm from 27 June on SBS VICELAND. Dark Side of the Ring Sundays 10.10pm from 27 June on SBS VICELAND. Seasons 1 and 2 of Dark Side are , along with the eight-part , which expands on some of the most popular episodes. 
Source: SBS VICELAND
Nadia, Butterfly
Indiewire this film from director-writer Pascal Plante as ‘the ultra-athletic sister that Lost in Translation never had’. Nadia, Butterfly is an intimate look at a young swimmer – played by actress Katherine Savard, a professional swimmer who won a bronze medal at the Rio Olympics – who decides to retire while at the top of her game, but then has to think about how to define her identity outside the world of elite sport.
Nadia, Butterfly screens at 9.35pm Monday 28 June on SBS World Movies, kicking off Sports Week on the channel; it is also streaming now at SBS On Demand.
Summer of 92
It sounds like fiction, but this underdogs-who-triumph story is totally true. When the charismatic Sepp Piontek resigns as manager of the national Danish football team, the logical successor is his assistant, Richard Møller Nielsen (played by Ulrich Thomsen). Richard’s reign as manager turns into a catastrophe and the team fails to qualify for Euro 1992. But suddenly, due to UN sanctions, Yugoslavia is out of the Euro and Denmark is in. And what follows is a little bit of sporting magic. Director Kasper Borfoed was there to watch the Euro final in 1992, and dreamed of making a film capturing those turbulent weeks when everything changed. Not just the dramatic games but ‘the edgy relationships and hierarchies between superstars, journeymen and rookies. The human dramas that played out in the private lives of the main characters. The dilemmas, the choices, the sacrifices,’ he says.
Summer of 92 screens at 9.30pm Tuesday 29 June on SBS World Movies. (Note: this film will not be available at SBS On Demand.)
Source: SBS
Erik & Erica
The film follows the true story of Erica/Erik Schinegger (played by Austrian actor Markus Freistätter), a women’s world champion skier in the 1970s, who was raised as a girl but faced a shocking change when a newly introduced test said she was genetically a man. It looked like the end of her career – at 19. And then there was a huge and agonising decision about what to do next, personally and in competition.
Erik & Erica screens at 9.30pm Wednesday 30 June on SBS World Movies. (Note: this film will not be available at SBS On Demand.)
Erik & Erika Source: SBS Movies
Bleed for This
Written and directed by Ben Younger, this film tells the inspirational story of world champion boxer Vinny Pazienza who, after a near fatal car crash left him not knowing if he’d ever walk again, made one of sport’s most incredible comebacks. Miles Teller (Rabbit Hole, Divergent, Whiplash) plays Vinny, Aaron Eckhart (Rabbit Hole, The Dark Knight) his coach, legendary boxing trainer Kevin Rooney.
Bleed for This screens at 9.30pm Thursday 1 July on SBS World Movies. (Note: this film will not be available at SBS On Demand.)
Source: SBS
Bend It Like Beckham
This much-loved film follows two 18-year-olds with their hearts set on a future in professional women’s football. But for Jesminder, daughter of orthodox Sikhs, heart-stopping talent doesn’t seem to be enough when your parents want you to hang up your football boots and find a nice boyfriend. Starring Parminder Nagra, Keira Knightley and Jonathan Rhys Meyers, this remains a heartwarming, funny feel-good film.
Bend It Like Beckham screens at 9.55pm Friday 2 July on SBS World Movies and is also streaming at SBS On Demand.
The Keeper
A love story, a tale of huge sporting talent and something more than both, The Keeper (based on a true story) follows Bert Trautmann (David Kross), a German prisoner of war whose exceptional skills on the soccer field get him noticed by a local football team. Impressed by Bert’s prowess as a goal-keeper, the team manager gets him out of the camp to play for his team. Meanwhile, love blossoms between the manager’s daughter Margaret and Bert despite local hostility. Bert’s subsequent signing by Manchester City brings passionate protests from the people of a city that had been severely bombed in the war. However, against all odds he wins over even his harshest critics during the FA Cup Final in 1956.
Catch the SBS World Movies premiere of The Keeper at 8.30pm Saturday 3 July. The film will also be available at SBS On Demand for 30 days after it goes to air.
Source: Icon Films
Serena Vs The Umpire
What was the story behind Serena Williams’ intense clash with chair umpire Carlos Ramos during her loss to Naomi Osaka in the 2018 US Open women’s final? Seeking her 24th Grand Slam victory, code violation calls saw Williams given a warning, followed by a point penalty, and then the loss of a game after a heated argument capped by Williams calling Ramos ‘a thief’. With boos raining down, play was delayed before Osaka finished off Williams 6-2, 6-4 for her first Grand Slam title. The highly emotional awards ceremony afterward was also marred by boos. This compelling documentary brings together nine months of reporting by investigative journalist Don Van Natta Jr to examine the saga surrounding the much discussed final.
Serena Vs The Umpire is streaming now at SBS On Demand.
Celtics/Lakers: Best of Enemies
It was a rivalry that changed the way a nation saw one of its favourite sports. The battle between two huge talents and their teams in the 1980s, Larry Bird and the Boston Celtics and Magic Johnson and the LA Lakers, in America’s NBA, is at the heart of this three-part documentary. Celtics/Lakers: Best of Enemies also looks back at earlier events that shaped the NBA, including the obstacles faced by Black players. Narrators Donnie Wahlberg and Ice Cube examine the often race-driven coast versus coast rivalry between the two dominant teams, and the important subtext it provided for the game of basketball, the players, and the fans who were watching. Celtics/Lakers: Best of Enemies captures not only the amazing basketball being played on court as this great rivalry developed, but the people and passion who made it all happen. “What I love about the rivalry is there are so many aspects to it,” . “You have legendary figures like Magic and Bird and Bill Russell and Jerry West. You have sublime basketball that is both unselfish and spectacular. And you have epic athletic conflicts. But what I’ve come to cherish in making the film are the personalities and passions of the players involved. The joy and the anguish and all of the other emotions that they express in telling their story are what bring the documentary to life.”
Celtics/Lakers: Best of Enemies is streaming now at SBS On Demand.
The Good, The Bad, The Hungry
A documentary that shares the story of Takeru Kobayashi, the native of Nagano, Japan, who won the Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest (an international event held in New York that draws huge crowds) six consecutive times, and Joey Chestnut, the American who emerged to dethrone the Japanese legend.
The Good, The Bad, The Hungry is streaming now at SBS On Demand.
Guru of Go
Not everyone gets to fulfil their potential. If you’re looking for inspiration to seize your chances and make the most of your opportunities, put this documentary on your list. Guru of Go documents the story of rising US college basketball star Hank Gathers, who was diagnosed with an abnormal heartbeat and tragically died on the court.
Guru of Go is streaming now at SBS On Demand.
Fair Game
Heritier Lumumba, formerly known as Harry O’Brien, was in the middle of his best season of AFL when his club president, Eddie McGuire, made a racist on-air comment, suggesting that Sydney Swans player Adam Goodes could be used to promote a King Kong musical. As a man of colour and strong supporter of equality, Lumumba chose to speak out against his high-profile boss. What followed was a media storm and an on-air showdown with McGuire which painted Lumumba as hyper-sensitive. Through exclusive access to Lumumba, his friends and family, AFL legends Mick Malthouse, former Collingwood Captain Nick Maxwell and sports journalists, this documentary uncovers the personal and professional journey of a man who, at the top of his game, dared to hold a mirror to a nation that didn’t like what it saw.
Fair Game is streaming at SBS On Demand.
AND OF COURSE:
Tour de France 2021 LIVE From Saturday 26 June
From Brest to Paris, the 108th Tour de France will feature eight flat stages, five hilly stages, and two individual time trial stages. The race will traverse a total of nine regions, 31 departments and cover six mountain stages with three finishes at altitude. SBS will again provide extensive coverage of the Tour. Broadcast times vary, with most stages starting at 8.30pm AEST. Then, tune into SBS daily for Morning Updates from 7am and stage replays from 11am. Every stage of the Tour de France will stream live on SBS On Demand and the Cycling Central website. Cycling Central is also your go-to hub for news, opinion, stats, highlights and video on demand.
The Tour De France starts with Stage 1 on Saturday 26 June.
You might also enjoy
Fact is stranger than fiction with these TV series based on true stories
