Capitalism and Egoism in Sport: The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner and The Hustler

Capitalism and egoism in sport were presented thoroughly in both films ‘The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner’ and ‘The Hustler’. In ‘the Hustler’, Sarah Packard has warned Eddie, saying “That man, this place, the people. They wear masks, Eddie. And underneath the masks they’re perverted, twisted, crippled.” This quote ultimately represents the opposition between capitalism and the initial objective of sport. The man called Bert Gordon was manipulating Eddie’s mindset because Eddie doesn’t have the ‘character’ to become the best pool player:
“Everybody’s got talent. I got talent. You think you can play big-money straight pool, or poker, for forty straight hours on nothing but talent? You think they call Minnesota Fats the best in the country just ’cause he’s got talent? Nah. Minnesota Fats’s got more character in one finger than you got in your whole skinny body.”
Gordon has grasped Eddie in his hand, as the money that he spent on Eddie is an investment. He is seeking profit unscrupulously utilizing Eddie’s talent. The pursuit of winning has changed Eddie’s life: maybe a winner of pool game but a loser in life. Sarah Packard’s death has aroused Eddie but everything became too later to regret.
In the opening scenes of the film, we see Eddie hustling, acting as a drunkard with no experience in pool to force others to bet against him. After making an impressive trick shot against Charlie (acting like his opponent, Charlie told Eddie that “you couldn’t make that shot again in a million years,” Eddie replies “I couldn’t? Okay, set them up the way they were before. I’ll bet you $20 that I make that shot the same way again” Eddie and Charlie are making a living relies on hustling these pool games.

Later on in the film, Eddie and his partner, Charlie are seen travelling across the country to play against a legend pool player by the alias of “Minnesota Fats”. After they entered the Ames Pool Club, there is a man came to them, saying “You came up here to play straight pool with Minnesota Fats? You want some free advice?” turned to Charlie,
“Take your boy (Eddie) and go home, Fats don’t need your money, There’s no way you can beat him. Nobody has beaten him in 15 years. He is the best in the country.”
This scene was a closeup shot with the man’s face at the right of the screen and a medium shot with Eddie’s body sitting on the pool table. Eddie’s face expression has clearly displayed a sense of dissatisfaction. Then he said “But you got that wrong, mister, I am.” the quote has indicated the characteristics of the ‘Fast Eddie’. Eddie and Charlie went to the Ames Pool Club to hustle people. However, Charlie cares about the money that they earn and Eddie cares about the vanity that people recognises him as the best pool player of the country. The conversation between the man, Eddie and Charlie have foreshadowed what is going to happen soon. But also insinuated how Eddie’s egoism has pushed him into this ‘impossible game’ against Minnesota Fats.
Before the game starts, Eddie and Minnesota Fats had a brief conversation, Eddie said “Let’s shot a game of straight pool.”, Fats replied “100 dollars?”, “Well, you shoot bigtime pool, fats. I mean everybody says you shoot bigtime pool.” said Eddie. The conversation between Eddie and Fats has expressed the egoism and overconfident from Fast Eddie. Eddie has increased the bet as he doesn’t even believe that he would lose the game at the end.
The Old Charlie asked Eddie “How do you feel?”, but Eddie said, “Fast and loose, man.” All of these scenes have implied that Eddie doesn’t care about the money, but he wants people to recognise him as the best pool player in the country, not Fats.
While immersed in the game against Fats, Eddie wasn’t prevailing the game and Charlie has reminded him, saying ‘Quit. He is too good.’, but Eddie was permeated into the game and he said: “Charlie, I’m gonna take him.”. After Fats missed a shot, Charlie condescendingly telling Fats “you know I got a hunch back, fat man. I got a hunch that it’s me from here on out,” later proclaiming that “this is my table, man. I own it,” referring to his dominance in the game. Immersed in the game and his own complacency, Eddie refuses to end the pool game against Fats, proclaiming that “The pool game is over when Fats says it’s over.”, “I’m the best you have ever seen, Fats. Even if you beat me I’m still the best.” However, Bert Gordon’s word has triggered Eddie, “Stay with this kid. He is a loser.”
Eddie wants to drain Fats of his energy and money until he capitulates. Even though Eddie had accomplished his goal and garnered over $10,000 in that one night, his vanity and egoism made him ultimately loses everything that he won. Before he loses all his money, he keeps repeating “You are so beautiful, fats.” He was being sarcastic and he wants Fats to capitulate which would end the game. Even after Eddie lost the $18,000 that he won, he still angrily proclaims that “How can I lose?”

In the other film, ‘the Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner’ was a story of an outcast and his name is Smith. The film opens with Colin Smith running, alone, along a bleak country road somewhere in rural England. In Smith’s voiceover, he said:
Running is always been a big thing in our family, especially running away from the police.
The story was narrated as Smith was a young man who doesn’t have a job but makes a living relies on stealing stuff from the street. However, his life was altered into another story after arrested by the police as Smith burgled a house with his friend. He has been taken to a Borstal reform school for juvenile offenders. The Governor told the juvenile offenders: “We want you to work hard and play hard.”
Athletics is an important part of the rehabilitation program and the governor soon notices that Smith is a talented runner. One of the scenes in the film is when all the juvenile offenders were racing each other. Smith’s ambitious and motivation of winning has made him the best runner out of everyone.

Finally, the day of the five-mile race against Ranley arrives. Smith soon recognised the best runner, Gunthorpe. At the start of the race, Gunthorpe was leading, but Smith soon overtakes Gunthorpe and has a comfortable lead with a guaranteed win. However, as Smith is getting closer to the finish time, his pace begins to reduce and the flashbacks are projecting in his head. Gunthorpe didn’t stop running so ultimately Smith lost the race but he was satisfied because
“I’m me and nobody else; and whatever people think I am or say I am, that’s what I’m not, because they don’t know a bloody thing about me.”

Is winning the game really that important?
After watching these two films, I realised that both of the directors wanted to imply the theme that how capitalism has substituted the initial objective of sport. Bert Gordon has controlled Eddie to play for him. The temptation of money and fame has destroyed Eddie’s brain. The wicked desire has driven him into a devil. If we go back to the start of the film ‘The Hustler’, the story would be totally different if Fast Eddie has chosen to take the money that he won from Minnesota Fats. He would find his true love with Sarah Packard and the story wouldn’t turn into a tragedy at the end. ‘The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner’ has ended the film when Smith stops running and remaining in place, despite the calls, roars from the Ruxton Towers crowd, especially the Governor. There was a closeup shot of Smith’s face with a rebellious sneer, an expression that remains as the Ranley runner passes to cross the finish line to victory.
However, if we think back of these two films and our past lives. Is winning the game really that important? What if Eddie admits that Minnesota Fats is the best but take away that $18,000? ‘Fast Eddie’ would ultimately become a winner of life (money and true love). What if Smith sprint across the finish line, win the five-mile race? Will he become a winner or a rat that controls by the Governor?
“Whatever people say I am, that’s what I’m not.”

