“Hustle: A Way to Help Even the Sports Playing Field”
Bigger. Faster. Stronger. For decades, these words have been a recognizable mantra of competitive sports training, and a bedrock that some of the most successful athletic programs in the world are built upon. All three attributes share a common thread: physicality. Athletes who embrace the “bigger, faster, stronger,” approach can develop a competitive edge over their opponents. If the goal is to win, then it makes sense for athletes to push themselves physically in order to achieve the highest probability for success, so long as the methods they employ to reach their gains fall within the boundaries of fair play. Physical skills don’t always tell the entire story, though. As most coaches, athletes, and fans can attest, the players with the highest degree of talent don’t always come out on top. This holds true at all levels of play. Professional. Collegiate. Even youth. So how does an athlete learn to win without being the strongest, fastest, or most talented player? There’s a quality that exists between the lines which can come from the most unlikeliest of places. That element is hustle, and for athletes of all ages it is one of the great equalizers on the courts and fields of competition.
For athletes who hustle, there’s a lot more to be seen in their actions than hard labor.
The margin of error for success in competitive sports is often thin, and the deciding factors between winning and losing can be decided by intangibles that fall outside of an athlete’s control. An athlete who hustles is one who recognizes the resources at their disposal, and takes initiative. They generate opportunities for themselves and their teammates by going beyond the Xs and Os; digging beneath the surface and approaching familiar situations from different angles to create something that wasn’t there before. The motivation to hustle goes hand in hand with having the ambition to succeed. Trying to plant the desire is one thing, but cultivating it is another. In almost any case, the driving force must originate from within.
Athletes who go out of their way to hustle will stand out just as much as the most gifted athletes who can score.
Hustling in sports is a value beyond measurement. Coaches love seeing players hustle because it makes their job easier. Game planning, managing player rotations, and executing goals in real-time scenarios are all moment-to-moment challenges of the coaching landscape. When there’s a player, or players on a team who consistently give everything they have in terms of effort, then they’ll be noticed. Players who fit that mold will routinely be given opportunities to contribute during critical moments of competition. That isn’t to say hustle alone will be enough to get them on the field or court. To carve out playing time in the world of competitive sports, athletes need to have some talent, too. What’s important to recognize is that success in athletics, particularly for team sports, is dependent upon players having roles. Show me an athlete who’s motivated to outhustle their opponents, and I’ll bet they’re also clever enough to identify an area of need for their team and figure out a way to fill it.
Any athlete can hustle, but that doesn’t mean they all do. Some are better at it than others.
There’s nothing complicated about hustling in sports. The obvious question is: why doesn’t everyone do it? As a youth sports coach and a former competitive athlete, I appreciate the significance of what an athlete who hustles brings to a team. The physical dedication that goes into hustling is easy to notice, but for the casual observer it can also be a source of misconception. First and foremost, hustling is a mental commitment; a course of action that begins and ends with a choice. The physical aspects, while demanding, are what fall in the middle. Think of an athlete’s resolve to hustle as being like the walls of a bubble. The stronger the walls are, the longer their efforts will endure. Players who lack the necessary motivation may argue that hustling is a tedious process. My counterargument would be that it’s also tedious to come up short of desired expectations by being outcompeted. If an opponent is ready to step up their game, then the player who they’re contending against should be ready to respond, or else step aside to allow a teammate the chance to do the job for them.
For most athletes, it’s easier to learn to hustle when they’re young and become more polished at their sport as they get older, then it is to do things the opposite way.
As a player hones their ability to hustle, it can be like discovering a gear they didn’t know existed before. The more they work at it, the more their confidence will grow. Persistence leads to learning, and by pushing their boundaries in new directions a number of changes may occur; taking them from a two-dimensional plane into something that feels like a three-dimensional world. The commitment to hustling teaches players valuable lessons about accountability, along with the importance of needing to rely on themselves in tough situations where their natural abilities alone might not be enough to set themselves apart. There are a lot of highly-skilled athletes at the upper levels of competitive sports. Find a super-talented one who also embraces the art of hustling, and what you’ll have is a unique and formidable opponent.
A player who hustles is relatable to the people who observe them. They’re also fun to watch, and likeable with almost any crowd.
Athletes who hustle bring energy to sporting events. Ask anyone who’s ever seen Bobby Portis make an extra-effort play at Fiserv Form. Recall the determination P.J. Tucker brought to the court while defending Jimmy Butler, Kevin Durant, and Devin Booker in the 2021 NBA Playoffs. Look back at the ferocity that Marshawn Lynch would come off the line of scrimmage with to earn himself the befitting nickname “Beast Mode.” Hustle goes hand in hand with hard work, and for many fans it’s the most relevant connection they can make with high-profile athletes. Whenever I think about the value of hustling in sports, I’m reminded of Vince Lombardi’s words regarding what it takes to be number one: “Some guys play with their heads. That’s O.K. You’ve got to be smart to be number one in any business. But more importantly, you’ve got to play with your heart, with every fiber of your body. If you’re lucky enough to find a guy with a lot of head and a lot of heart, he’s never going to come off the field second…I firmly believe that any man’s finest hour–his greatest fulfillment to all he holds dear–is that moment he has worked his heart out in a good cause and lies exhausted on the field of battle–victorious.”
Thanks for reading, everyone!
- Todd
If you choose to comment, you’ll be directed to a new page where you’ll leave your name and then click “Comment as Guest.”
