The ability to change and adapt is a skill that can make or break a careetalr, in the case of Jerry Maguire, it was both. The curious case of an individual who seemingly had everything that any individual would want; money, power, a strong woman, and respect who had lost it all after a midnight revelation. The film chronicles his development as a leader in the sports agent industry despite constant societal pressures. Jerry Maguire is able to survive his fall from grace and assert himself as a dominant figure in the ultra-competitive realm of player marketing. The film begins with Jerry Maguire, a smooth talking, talented sports agent who represents seventy-two agents for Sports Management International. He is revered as a leader in the environment, when he walks into the room, everyone stops and notices him and listen to what he says. The success is plentiful; he has a beautiful fiancé, a luxurious car, several cell phones, highly respected by his peers and the prestige of being one of the accomplished sports agent at the age of 35. Initially, Jerry’s tactics are cold, calculated and ruthless, selling limited value at a premium; he would tell players what they wanted to hear in order to retain them. While fighting with his fiancé, Avery Bishop, she states that Jerry told her that there is no such thing as loyalty; this alludes that in the mind of Jerry that any and everything can be bought or acquired. The firm that Jerry works for is highly competitive even amongst staff where agents will constantly try to go after each other’s players. One night after visiting a client in the hospital who is recovering from his fourth concussion, Jerry is met in the hallway by the client’s son who questions if Jerry’s motivation is the interest of his client or if his interest is in making money. That night Jerry wakes up in the middle of the night suffering from a mental breakdown, the words and actions
Cited: Bolman, Lee G., and Terrence E. Deal. Reframing Organizations: Artistry, Choice, and Leadership. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 2008. Print. Jerry Maguire. Dir. Cameron Crowe. Perf. Tom Cruise and Cuba Gooding Jr. Gracie Films, 1996. DVD