After the cartoon of the series Formula One: Drive to Survivereleased in 2019, Netflix has clearly spent the second on the release of sports documentaries in 2023. After tennis, golf or even cycling, it is the turn of American football to be the star of a Netflix series, with Quarterback, from July 12. Produced by the company Box to Box Films, all these series face the same problem: how to introduce newcomers to these disciplines without boring enthusiasts?
A vast question that Netflix answers by applying the same recipe everywhere. Intimate moments (but which sometimes sound a little false) open the episodes, before short shots of the highlights of the season, accompanied by breathless music, close them. Therefore, if the staging is repetitive, what remains interesting for fans are the behind-the-scenes images. But they still have to have added value.
Beautiful images to relive strong moments
Netflix knows how to take great pictures. Whether you are a novice or a fan of two-wheelers, you can only be captivated by the efforts of cyclists. The episodes of Tour de France immerse us in the heart of a peloton launched at full speed and immortalize bodies put to the test by those who want to wear the yellow jersey. And if the worst tongues retort that it is easy to make cycling or Formula 1 sensational, the bet is also successful for golf. Far from being so spectacular, the aerial views of the huge green courses make you want to put on a polo shirt and swing on the well-mown grass.
Added to this is the pleasure of “reliving moments of the season” as explained by Joseph Ruiz, presenter of the bike show Freewheel. For example, fans of the yellow ball must have had a smirk when they saw the match, or rather the circus, of Tsitsipas and Kyrgios at Wimbledon 2022. While one insulted for the umpteenth time in his career a referee, the other almost blinded spectators by throwing balls into the audience.
Ultra scriptwriting that annoys
Netflix therefore uses the scenario of sports competitions to increase the tension of the episodes. Unfortunately, assiduous observers already know the outcome and regret not having access to enough unpublished images. This is very well explained by the videographer Depielo, who regrets the changes made by Drive to Survive “Formula 1 is opaque. But thanks to Netflix this sport is humanized in season 1, because people in the paddock didn’t know what to expect. Then the stables realized that Netflix had not missed a crumb of perhaps too private moments. Now, in the later seasons, you end up with a bland facade that they try to sell as behind the scenes. »
This is characterized by a scripting of the documentary. Netflix would romanticize and exacerbate reality. If this goes unnoticed by novices, experts do not fall into the trap. “The staging of a competition between Alaphilippe and Jakobsen in the Quick-Step team is inconsistent. Because in reality, the selection for the Tour de France was decided between the sprinters Jakobsen and Cavendish” explains the bicycle specialist Watt Robin. This annoyance has even gone up in the face of certain athletes, such as Wout Van Art or Max Verstappen. The latter, with a strong behavior, had boycotted the fourth season of the series drive to survive because “they have created rivalries that don’t really exist”.
Series first for the general public
In reality, all these series are intended for the general public. At the beginning of each series, the rules and issues of these disciplines are explained, which prompts the Service Volée videographer to say that ” break point is a didactic series and an excellent entry point for this game”.
If this attracts a new audience, the creator of the YouTube channel “Peace and Golf” regrets that the series is “not very technical”. Conversely, he deplores the caricatural image of this sport presented in the first episode: “The first minutes are terrible. The golfer’s shots are displayed directly. Indeed, for about forty minutes we discover two young white men, stars of the game, betting money, all in a private jet.
But sometimes, the spectator nevertheless accesses moments of intimacy and observes the absurd rhythm of life of these athletes. Often alone in their hotel room or in their luxurious home, they spend their time dwelling on their failures while waiting for their moment of glory.
From this point of view, the tennis player Ons Jabeur shines. Accompanied by her husband, she reflects on the motherhood of sportswomen, explaining that everything would have been simpler if she had been a man. Later, we see her taking refuge in tears in the arms of her clan after her defeat in the final. It’s these little furtive moments that enthusiasts have to catch to appreciate their viewing, as Watt Robin explains: “There are players in the bike industry that we know well, but it’s interesting to follow them. For example, Thibaut Pinot admits that he would have liked to be less popular, but to win more stages. »