'The Last Dance' started a flood of sports docs. And the 'danger of oversaturation' is real.

LOS ANGELES — Even compared to the overall growth spurt that's come to TV with the rise of streaming, documentaries about sports are the gifts that keep on winning.

Over the decades, spurred by their popularity with viewers and frequent critical acclaim, TV networks churned out a steady stream of feature documentaries and docuseries exploring major milestones, historical events and leading figures such as Muhammad Ali and Babe Ruth, represented by titles such as HBO's "When It Was a Game," ESPN's "30 for 30" series, Showtime's "Kobe Bryant's Muse" and Oscar winner "O.J.: Made in America."

But that was before "The Last Dance."

Aided by pandemic shutdowns and the absence of live sports, the