Charlie Hustle & the Matter of Pete Rose

At the age of 81, more than three decades after receiving a lifetime ban for gambling, former Cincinnati Reds star Pete Rose reignites his quest for reinstatement into Major League Baseball (MLB) while recounting his unlikely rise to the top of the sport.

Nicknamed “Charlie Hustle” for his down and dirty work ethic, Pete Rose becomes the face of baseball. Rose helps transform the Cincinnati Reds into the “Big Red Machine,” winning back-to-back World Series titles in the ‘70s. Behind the scenes, however, his family life begins to fall apart.

Pete Rose becomes the highest paid player in baseball and eventually cements his legendary status in 1985 when he breaks Ty Cobb’s record to become MLB’s all-time career hits leader. But a shocking gambling scandal leads to a prison sentence and lifetime banishment from the game he loves.

After years of denial, in 2004, Pete Rose publicly admits that he bet on the game of baseball. Now, two decades after coming clean, Rose confronts the truth about his public image and makes one last bid for MLB reinstatement and enshrinement in the National Baseball Hall of Fame.