On July 2, Netflix and Box to Box Films released their six-part documentary series Sprint, which follows the world’s top 100m and 200m sprinters. I had the pleasure of binge-watching the six nearly 45-minute episodes over two days, and I have some thoughts (without spoilers) on why you should maybe think twice before streaming it—unless you’re a diehard fan of Noah Lyles.
Box To Box Films is the same company behind the Formula One racing series Drive To Survive, the golf series Full Swing and the pro tennis series Break Point. These series have resonated with existing fans and attracted new audiences to the respective sports. World Athletics had a similar aim with Sprint, adding buzz to the sport in the lead-up to the Paris Olympics–but after watching, I don’t believe that’s the case.
Too much Noah Lyles
Unlike Full Swing and Break Point, where each episode follows an athlete in contention for an upcoming tournament, giving you an in-depth look into their personal lives, Sprint revolves around Lyles exclusively. While Lyles is undoubtedly one of the most popular and interesting stars in track and field, the series gives him too much screen time. The first episode offers a behind-the-scenes look into his family and personal life, which is interesting. However, even when profiling other athletes like Marcell Jacobs, Zharnel Hughes, and Fred Kerley, Lyles is still prominently featured, overshadowing their stories. It felt as though the producers missed an opportunity to go deeper into the backgrounds of Hughes and Jacobs.
Given Lyles’ dominant presence, the series could have been named Noah Lyles: Road to Olympic Superstardom instead of Sprint. Who knows, maybe they will rebrand it for season two (apparently coming this fall).
Lazy production
I was shocked by the lazy production, at times, during the series. For instance, they would show sprinters lining up for the 200m at the 2023 World Championships in Budapest, then immediately cut to athletes pole vaulting at what appears to be the Eugene Diamond League. Additionally, there were scenes where Lyles or Hughes were shown lining up in the blocks, and the footage would switch to them lining up at a different race entirely. I get this is stuff the majority of the audience would not pick out, and it’s stuff I (a casual tennis fan) did not pick out in Break Point, which had a similar issue with showing players serving on the wrong side or match during the docuseries.
The series builds up the drama for the 2023 World Championships from the start, but then reveals Noah Lyles‘ mom pulling out gold medals from those championships (see picture below) halfway into the first episode. These are just a few examples of the many production oversights that should have been addressed before the final cut.
Missing stars
From my understanding, the Box To Box film crew chose to follow the top and most popular runners from the 2022 season. The seven athletes featured are Fred Kerley (USA), Zharnel Hughes (UK), Noah Lyles (USA), Marcell Jacobs (Italy), Gabby Thomas (USA), Shericka Jackson (Jamaica) and Sha’Carri Richardson (USA). While the series probably aims to appeal to the large U.S. market ahead of the Olympics, it lacks enough star power and leaves out some of the top sprinters in the world. Notably absent: eight-time Olympic medallist Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce of Jamaica and Letsile Tebogo of Botswana, the U20 world 100m record holder. There’s no excuse for leaving out Fraser-Pryce; she’s one of the greatest sprinters ever, and the world’s fastest mom—isn’t that a fantastic plot for an episode? Tebogo, one of the best up-and-coming athletes, would have added another exciting dimension to the series. Hailing from non-sprint powerhouse Botswana, he has quickly become one of Africa’s biggest rising stars, which I think would have made for a compelling story.
Lack of World Championship coverage
While it’s important to provide a behind-the-scenes look at the Diamond League, dedicating four of the six episodes to it is excessive. The series should have included two or three episodes building up to the biggest event, 2023 World Championships, and three episodes focusing on what happened there. Alternatively, the series could have followed each of the seven athletes at the World Championships and their preparations, similar to Drive to Survive.
I’m not telling you not to watch the show; it’s entertaining and provides some interesting behind-the-scenes tidbits, showcasing the training and schedules of world-class athletes during a world championship year. I’ve written this piece to highlight what I believe the casual fans of the sport want to see—and that isn’t six straight episodes of Noah Lyles.
