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What is the Movie Hustle and What Does it have to do with Entrepreneurship?
Netflix’s new movie, Hustle, is a 2022 comedy-drama starring Adam Sandler. The story revolves around Sandler’s character, Stanley Sugarman, a professional basketball scout for the Philidelphia 76ers. It depicts Stanley’s nomadic lifestyle in search of a potential NBA star and juxtaposes that with what he truly yearns for: a more settled life with his family as an assistant coach for the team. After Stanley is finally promoted to an assistant coach by 76ers owner Rex Merrick, Rex passes away, leaving the team to his son, Vince. Vince is not a fan of Stanley and promptly demotes him back to a scout, shipping him overseas.
Although this movie may seem like a straightforward sports comedy – with lots of sweaty huddles and a few sports analogies shaping up into life lessons – it is indeed more profound. Hustle has many ties to entrepreneurship; the movie has a multitude of entrepreneurial lessons and similarly shapes Stanley Sugarman’s character to embody the core traits of an entrepreneur himself.
Entrepreneurial lessons learned in the movie
One entrepreneurial theme present throughout the film is that of overcoming adversity. Stanley is faced with not seeing or spending time with his family as frequently as he would like due to his work schedule. Once Stanley finally achieves the promotion that would grant him the family time he so desires, it is unfairly stripped from him by his previous boss’ malicious son – not even the person who hired him in the first place. Finally, when Stanley finally finds his NBA knight-in-shining-armor, Bo Cruz, Vince remains unconvinced of his potential even after glistening endorsements by scouts and NBA players themselves. Failure was a constant in Stanley’s life. He failed as a father and a husband – absent from things most dads wouldn’t miss. As an assistant coach – being demoted as soon as he was promoted, and even as a scout. However, Stanley did not shrink in the face of failure. Like a true entrepreneur, he met its gaze and used it as motivation.
Related: 10 Ways Successful People Push Through Adversity
The entrepreneurial theme of dreaming big and working hard until a goal is reached is also present. Stanley believes he can bring home a championship-level player and does not stop until he does so. He finds Bo Cruz at a pickup game in Spain and soon learns that he is a construction worker who hustles playing basketball for extra money. Even withstanding an aggravated assault conviction and a possible arrest, Stanley sticks with Bo and brings him to America on his own dime, quits the 76ers, and trains Bo for the NBA draft (exemplifying another entrepreneurial trait – assuming personal risk for future gain). Stanley’s hard work, like the challenger, driver, and initiator he is, lands Bo a spot on the Celtics, and himself a spot as the 76er’s coach. ‘Keep scrolling for more details about Adam Sandler’s Hustle.’
Is Adam Sandler’s Hustle Based on a True Story?
However believable, the film is fiction. Despite this, Hustle contains dozens of sports cameos with performances from NBA stars, including Shaquille O’Neal and Allen Iverson, and is also directed by LeBron James.
Where Can You Watch Hustle?
As of June 3, 2022, Hustle is now streaming exclusively on Netflix.