Does Badminton Need Its Own Docuseries?
The sports documentary bandwagon is going strong, but is there any room for badminton?
The Last Dance. Last Chance U. Drive To Survive. Break Point. All Or Nothing.
As sports aficionados, these names probably ring very familiar. Sports documentary series, or “docuseries” for short, have been gathering steam in American markets these past few years, and the hype doesn’t look like drying up anytime soon.
But, as pointed out by award-winning documentarian Marina Zenovich, “is the field of sports documentaries oversaturated? Yes. But there is an audience for it.”
This is not unsurprising. According to insights firm Maru Group, 59% of American adults consider themselves active sports fans. Among these fans, 1 in 4 regularly watch sports documentaries, with the number rising to 1 in 3 for those aged 18–34.
Why Are Sports Docuseries So Successful?
As with all docuseries, the ones that rise to the top of the pile deal exclusively with the extraordinary. The Last Dance is a perfect example, centering itself around the iconic figure of Michael Jordan and the legendary Chicago Bulls team of the 90s. Even Break Point, which on its surface seems more “ordinary” (as a show about the ATP and WTA Tours), makes a point of crafting its narratives around the very best players competing at the most high-stakes, prestigious tournaments. In both cases, one thing remains constant — there is a seemingly endless amount of gripping, meaningful sports stories out there.
As the same Maru Group data points out, sports docuseries’ greatest strength is capturing and amplifying the inherent drama in sport. They do so by peeling back the curtain, providing previously unknown context behind what goes on in the field of play. Even for fans who already know the outcome (i.e., whether the team won some pivotal game), knowing the “how” and “why” of those results is something more valuable entirely. For less invested fans, it offers a clear avenue to gain a deeper appreciation of the sport in question. For die-hard fans, it enables them to build an even deeper connection to their passion.
As far as the American market, another factor worth considering is the angle with which docuseries cover their subjects. When we talk about “drama” or “meaning” in sports stories, these tend to extend far and wide beyond the sport itself. As Stephen Espinoza, President of Showtime Sports, pointed out, the great docuseries of our time understood that what makes sport so compelling is that it is inextricably connected to socio-political issues, cultural developments, and the human condition. So, by extension, series that show the nuanced humanity of athletes leave a lasting mark. The key word is “nuanced.”
What Would A Badminton Docuseries Achieve?
There are many valid reasons to make a sports docuseries, but in badminton’s case I think the main purpose would be promotion and publicity. To cite Maru Group once more, they found that a majority of 18–54 year-old Americans became more interested in a sport because of sports documentaries. Given badminton’s lack of prominence outside of Asia, the short-term priority should be to expose the game and its athletes to new audiences and build interest in professional badminton (i.e., BWF World Tour) as opposed to reporting deeper stories that people will take interest in but not necessarily act on beyond watching the documentary. But then again, beggars can’t be choosers.
In an ideal world, it would have the setup of F1’s Drive To Survive, as well as the same level of impact. When its fifth season premiered in 2023, there were 570,000 viewers within one week of release. Combine that with fans catching up on previous seasons or starting from scratch, and the number jumps to 643,000.
Moreover, not only is this show attracting eyeballs, it’s maintaining them too. According to a 2022 poll, 53% of American F1 fans cited the Netflix docuseries as the reason they became fans. With this newfound interest in the sport, the U.S. TV viewership average for F1 exceeded 1.2 million in 2022, which is over double the average from five years earlier.
Imagine if that happened with badminton!
Does Badminton Need Its Own Docuseries?
Short answer… yes.
Please.
Although this article was written during a historic time in entertainment — the double strike of the WGA and SAG-AFTRA — once a fair resolution is reached (fingers crossed), this absolutely needs to happen.
It would work excellently in tandem with badminton’s free-to-air situation in the United States — owing to a lack of domestic broadcast deals, the World Tour is streamed live all year round on YouTube!
Bonus: Pitches!
Jump Smash
Not the best name for a show, but this falls in line with my earlier suggestion. To reiterate, the idea is to emulate Break Point and Drive To Survive (as mentioned earlier) and track the progress and personal lives of badminton’s elite, with an emphasis around major tournaments. This would be excellent as a more surface-level introduction to the professional game and some of its leading names.
All Or Nothing: Indonesian National Badminton Team
Prime Video’s excellent All Or Nothing franchise has dipped its toes in a few sports and geographies, focusing around teams more so than individuals. That said, badminton and Asia have both been absent from the lineup… until now. Truly, I believe Indonesia’s enigmatic national team and badminton culture is a perfect fit for the show the same way Brazil’s men’s soccer team was. Framing it around something like an Olympic year would be extra spicy for viewers. Plus, as far as the commercial side goes, a show like this would have a guaranteed viewership in Asia without sacrificing reach in other markets— after all, Prime Video is a global service.
Lin and Lee
Few things stir drama, narrative, and legend in sport than a generation-defining rivalry. Badminton is lucky to have that in the form of Lin Dan and Lee Chong Wei. For nearly fifteen years, these two dominated the field, and as such they seemed almost pre-destined to collide only on the biggest of stages. And so they did, producing many of the sport’s greatest contests along the way — the 2012 Olympic final comes to mind. Both are now retired, but a deep dive into their rivalry and intertwining careers would be endlessly fascinating and inspiring.
Sindhu
For the uninitiated, it can be hard to believe that badminton is able to produce superstars. Wait until they hear about P.V. Sindhu, arguably the greatest female athlete in Indian history, not to mention one of the most marketable in the region.
The Badminton We Know
A bit of a left field suggestion, but if the goal is to stir support in America, it could be interesting to go the way of Last Chance U and step away from the bright lights and focus on something more local and tangible — American badminton players. If the hypothetical show-runners can balance the intensity of the game and the talent of the players with the harsh reality of being an American player, this could make for compelling viewing.
