04 Feb Five Sports Anime to Binge this Super Bowl Sunday

Super Bowl Sunday 59 will be February 9, 2025, and it’s already all over the interwebs while people prepare for their Superbowl watch parties and tailgate events. Me? Not so much. I really just want to cozy up and lose myself in Palia, or binge my newest isekai anime as I pray for my Isekai moment to come as soon as possible. I am just not interested in watching the game. Or the commercials. Or the halftime show. But I will consider a good sports anime.

I’m sure I’m not the only one who feels ‘meh’ about the Superbowl. And I have nothing against football, per say – I’ll watch it if I’m at someone’s home and it’s on. I know enough about it to have a conversation. If I must. And truth be told, I actually used to be a football fan waaay back in the day. But I’m just not as interested in it as some are. I prefer to spend my time doing something I love.

Enter anime.

Anime Sunday

Okay, well it doesn’t quite have the same ring to it as Super Bowl Sunday. But hear me out: if you don’t want to watch the Super Bowl this Sunday, you don’t have to.

I know. It’s a novel thought. I’m such a rebel, right?

But this blog wouldn’t be the geek lifestyle blog that it is if I didn’t give you some alternatives to the thing I’m suggesting you don’t do. In fact, I have an idea that I think is brilliant, if I do say so myself:

Watch anime instead of football.

In fact, don’t just watch any anime. If you want to stick with the national theme of this Sunday, watch a sports anime.

I want to pause here to make something clear. I don’t have any problems with people who love football or any sport. Sports are popular for a reason, and I understood that better after episode 4 of Bluelock. One of the characters pointed out that he wanted to play soccer because he wanted to be a superhero – that the athletes he watched growing up weren’t works of fiction but real life heroes to him. I think that sports fans and fans of anime, comics, and other similar genres have that in common. We all look up to our favorite characters or athletes and feel inspired, full of excitement, and empowered to change our own lives. We love seeing our heroes win.

Or, if you’re like me, you love a good villain, but that’s a post for another season lol.

Spoiler Alert: I will talk about anime a lot on this blog. A. LOT. Because I absolutely love watching anime and at this point, it’s pretty much an addiction. So what is anime, anyway? And what is a sports anime? It’s okay to not know – I’ll tell you. That’s what this blog is for, after all!

What is anime?

Anime is short for animation, but is a Japanese style of animation that is significant because of its origins in Japan. In Japan, the word anime is used to describe all animated works, no matter where they originate. For English countries, however, the term anime refers specifically to animated works produced in Japan.

How many times can we say ‘Japan’ in one paragraph?

The StudioBinder blog has a definition that I want to share for even more clarity: “The term anime [a·nuh·mei] is a Japanese colloquialism used as an abbreviation for the term “animation.” Generally in Japan, the word anime (anime in Japanese: アニメ) is synonymous with animation of any kind from anywhere. Internationally, however, anime is typically referred to as animation that is produced in Japan. The distinction between anime and cartoons is more cultural than it is technical and its origins date over 100 years ago.”

There are many types of anime that you should know about, but this post isn’t for that. Don’t worry, I will create an intro to anime post where we’ll discuss what it is, the types, and maybe even the origin. If you’re interested in that, let me know in the comments!

I will definitely be posting a starter list for those of you who may be new to anime. Something to help you get your feet wet without diving headfirst into an anime that will break you and perhaps scar you for life (yes, I’m talking about Attack on Titan. Do not, and I mean under any circumstances, watch that as your first anime. Just trust me!)

So what is a sports anime?

Sports anime is a genre that focuses solely on a particular sport and the character(s) race to become the best in that sport. Any other athletic pursuit towards the MC’s (main character’s) goal will be part of the story. Anything in their lives outside of that, however, is rarely shown. Unless, of course, the sports anime is a slice-of-life – then you’ll see how the everyday lives of the characters either affect or are affected by that sport.

Now that you know what we’re talking about, let’s get into the recommendations.

Sports Anime You Should Binge this Super Bowl Sunday

When I was first given the recommendation to watch a sports anime, I was not interested in the least. I mean, how can an anime about sports be entertaining to me? And why would I watch something about sports when I could watch literally anything else with fantasy worlds and magic? I mean, how much story can you put into a sports anime, anyway?

And so here comes my first recommendation:

Haikyu!! A Fun and Fast-Paced Volleyball Sports Anime

This sports anime is about volleyball. Yep, you read that exactly as I typed it – v-o-l-l-e-y-b-a-l-l. If there is any sport I am the least interested in, it would be volleyball. And badminton. Both of which I tried in college and quickly learned that I would rather sit in another history class.

I mean I did sit through another history class, but that’s because my major was history. That semester. It was a long college stint.

Like I said, when we were told that we should absolutely watch this, it was an immediate ‘no thank you’ for both hubs and I. But not wanting to turn down an anime recommendation, we told each other that we would watch the first 2 episodes and see how it went.

Haikyu!! is a slice-of-life sports anime that tells the story of Shoyo Hinata and his love of volleyball. I have to admit, Hinata is absolutely precious, and watching him alone will draw you in. The thing is that Hinata is shorter than your average player, which introduces some obvious issues with how others see him as a player. But he is determined and decides to create his own middle school volleyball team after being inspired by a pro-volleyball player he looks up to.

During a match, he meets another middle school player they call “the king of the court”, and his team loses to theirs. Of course, he then vows to surpass him, and once he gets to high school he finds out that the king of the court, Tobio Kageyama, is also on the same volleyball team as he is. Well, as you can guess immediate competitive hijinks ensue and you watch as these two battle it out to be the best. Or to learn to play as teammates.

Sports Anime versus the world

You would think that an anime about sports, especially one labeled slice-of life, would be super chill and kind of slow. Maybe even boring. No. Let me tell you this right now – I realized after watching the first season of this anime that the characters of a sports anime are out of their minds will put just as much effort into practicing and winning games as the characters you often see in end-of-the-world anime. You know the ones with the gundams and military? But in a sports anime, the one game you’re watching them play at the moment is a literal battlefield in a war of the game. And any loss is equal to an end of the world apocalypse.

I can’t even describe the intensity and drama that occurs in a sports anime. You have to see it for yourself to believe it. Start with Haikyu!! – I think you’ll appreciate the passion. And it’ll feel like you’re watching the Super Bowl football team battle it out without watching an actual football game.

Kind of. I mean, it’s animated so there’s that.

Bluelock – An Intense Soccer Sports Anime

And speaking of football… I mean the actual football you play with actual foots, I mean feet. Yes, soccer. While we’re talking about drama, this sports anime will have you on the edge of your seat because just why and how is animated Japanese Football this serious? Well it is and you’d better take it seriously before you begin. This one feels a bit more political, as most international sports tends to be, when Japan and the Japanese Football Association launch a new training program to find a new striker for the national team.

The Striker

I didn’t know before writing this post, so I had to look up what a striker actually is. A striker basically scores the most goals during the game. They are positioned near the opponent’s goal and have to make strategic high-pressure decisions in order to give their teammates the best opportunity to score. Those are my words in the most dramatic way I can define it. And this is key, because just 27 seconds into the first episode of Bluelock, you will already feel the intensity of this anime.

As Isagi Yoichi, a forward on his soccer team, decides to be a team player and pass the ball to his teammate who then misses the goal and causes his team to lose – he realizes that it may have been a mistake to pass the ball. He is then invited to a training program where his inner thoughts are spoken out loud as fact, and his solo journey to the top begins.

‘BlueLock is super intense’ is an understatement. It’s like the intensity of that first battle on My Hero Academia. No, more like the first fight between Darth Maul and Qui-Gon Jinn in the Phantom Menace. It’s about the future of Japan and the characters in charge of this training program are insanely serious about it. Emphasis on insane.

The first episode had me so shook. And the intensity only increases from there. I came to understand why it was so popular on Crunchyroll. This is definitely worth a watch if you love soccer. Football. No, drama. But I will admit, that the stress level only increases the deeper you get into the story. You have been warned.

Ace of the Diamond – A Classic Baseball Sports Anime

I hate baseball. With a passion. I’m sure this statement will not make me any friends, as it is considered the “American pastime”, but it is so boring. Sooooo boooooring.

Except this anime is so not boring! It’s an older anime, but from the beginning, the MC made me love him. His attitude is very endearing, and reminds me a bit of Naruto. So if you love the idea of a slightly mischievous MC who gets serious when it counts, and a bunch of loyal and good friends all playing a sport together for one goal, then you will love this anime. And it’s a lot less stressful than BlueLock!

Eijun Sawamura is the pitcher of a junior high baseball team, and they lose as the anime opens. As he promises his teammates and classmates that they will all play together in high school, he realizes that he has to actually get into high school, first. So he has to study to get in, and what comes after that is up to whether you watch it, or not. This anime is one of the funnier ones on this list, so if you like to laugh and you like baseball you will definitely love this.

In fact, you don’t have to love baseball at all to get into this sports anime.

Kuroko’s Basketball – An Unassuming Sports Anime

I have to admit that I haven’t seen this one, yet. Since it is on my to-watch list, I thought I’d add it to this anime recommendation post, as well. This sports anime focuses on basketball, and is about a basketball player who is so plain that he goes unnoticed on the basketball court. Tetsuya Kuroko can pass the ball around unbothered to his teammates because of this trait, despite the fact that he isn’t actually very good at playing the game.

This is another popular anime with a higher rating; and based on what I know about sports anime, I’m sure there will be intense gameplay all around.

Yuri!!! on Ice – A Beautiful Sports Anime About Ice Skating

This sports anime is a bit different, as it is all about ice skating. In fact, it’s about Yuri Katsuki after he suffers a pretty bad defeat in the Figure Skating Grand Prix. He goes home to hide away and is approached by a world champion he looks up to and his teammate who convince him to return and compete. This is an absolutely heart-warming anime about their journey.

The ice skating routines in this anime are breathtaking, as well as the visuals, music, and sound effects. One of the most interesting facts about Yuri!!! On Ice is that the actual skating routines were choreographed by Kenji Miyamoto, who is a Japanese competitive figure ice dancer, as well as a choreographer and coach. He performed the routines in the anime himself, which were recorded and used as skating sound effects.

Inclusivity in Sports Anime

This blog encourages inclusivity in all areas. Even still, I want to add here that this anime depicts a same-sex relationship between the main characters as part of the story. It is done in a good way and very tastefully; and is, in my opinion, still pretty subtle. It is sensitive to how such a relationship can potentially produce anxiety, and covers that in a very careful and respectful way. In fact, I think Yuri!!! on Ice is one of the few anime of its time that shows homosexuality in this way, and it is truly heart-warming with beautiful characters and amazing performances.

Can you tell I saved that one for last because of the fondness I have for it? Because that’s why!

There you go! Five really good sports anime that you can binge this Super Bowl Sunday. If you want to explore even more and you’re subscribed to Crunchyroll, you should visit their sports anime search results page to choose one that may speak to you. I hope you get to see at least one of these, and I hope you have a great Sunday, however you decide to watch.

What are you watching this Sunday? If it’s an anime, tell us which one in the comments below so we can watch it too!