Name: _______________

💰⚾ Moneyball 💰⚾
Date: _____ Period: _____

Background: Oakland Athletics General Manager Billy Beane is handicapped with the
lowest salary constraint in baseball. If he ever wants to win a World Series, Billy must
find a competitive advantage. Billy is about to turn baseball on its ear when he uses
statistical data to analyze and place value on the players he picks for the team.

Directions: As you watch Moneyball, read each question carefully before responding to
it. All responses must be a minimum of 1-2 bullet points, and must be thorough and
inclusive with details.

1. In 1991, what was the total payroll for the New York Yankees? What about the Oakland Athletics?

2. What was Billy Beane (Oakland Athletics General Manager) told to do by the team owner of the
Oakland Athletics?

3. What is the real problem that Billy and his team scouts have to solve?

4. According to Pete Brandt, what is the goal of people who run ball clubs? How can they accomplish
this goal?

5. Pete explains to Billy that the code shown on his computer is an algorithm that analyzes players
based on a number of statistics. It is all about getting everything down to one number. What is that
number used for?

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6. Pete knows that there are 25 potential players that must be out there and available for the Oakland
Athletics because of what?

7. The team that Billy has assembled is based on a statistical theory known as “Moneyball.” Who
invented this idea, and what was his real job at the time?

8. At the end of the 2002 season, the Oakland Athletics had the exact same number of wins as the
Yankees. How much did the teams pay on average per win?

Reflection Questions: Answer the following questions after the completion of the film. All responses
must be a minimum of 5-6 complete sentences and include specific evidence from the film to support
your response.
9. Do you think Billy Beane was a smart investor? Why or why not?

10. This is a story of a leader trying to do more with less. Billy Beane is attempting to apply the theories
of statistics, economics, and investing to reinvent the way baseball teams are created. Where else
have you seen successful or unsuccessful attempts to get better results with fewer resources
(whether in sports, business, politics, personal stories, etc.)?

2
 💰⚾ Moneyball 💰⚾ - KEY
Background: Oakland Athletics General Manager Billy Beane is handicapped with the
lowest salary constraint in baseball. If he ever wants to win a World Series, Billy must
find a competitive advantage. Billy is about to turn baseball on its ear when he uses
statistical data to analyze and place value on the players he picks for the team.

Directions: As you watch Moneyball, read each question carefully before responding to
it. All responses must be a minimum of 1-2 bullet points, and must be thorough and
inclusive with details.

1. In 1991, what was the total payroll for the New York Yankees? What about the Oakland Athletics?
● The New York Yankees’ total payroll was $114,457,768 in 1991.
● The Oakland Athletics’ total payroll was $39,722,689 in 1991.

2. What was Billy Beane (Oakland Athletics General Manager) told to do by the team owner of the
Oakland Athletics?
● Billy Beane, the General Manager, was told by the team owner to find replacements for the
team with the money the team actually has.

3. What is the real problem that Billy and his team scouts have to solve?
● The real problem that Billy and his team needed to solve was how to build a team on a limited
budget that could compete against teams with big money.

4. According to Pete Brandt, what is the goal of people who run ball clubs? How can they accomplish
this goal?
● According to Pete Brandt, “...the goal of people who run ball clubs is not to buy players, it is to
buy wins. In order to buy wins, they need to buy runs.”

5. Pete explains to Billy that the code shown on his computer is an algorithm that analyzes players
based on a number of statistics. It is all about getting everything down to one number. What is that
number used for?
● The one number is used to find value in players that nobody else can see.

6. Pete knows that there are 25 potential players that must be out there and available for the Oakland
Athletics because of what?
● Pete knows that there are 25 potential players that must be out there and available for the
Oakland Athletics because everybody undervalues them.

7. The team that Billy has assembled is based on a statistical theory known as “Moneyball.” Who
invented this idea, and what was his real job at the time?
● Bill James was the inventor of the statistical theory known as “Moneyball.” James was a night
watchman in a factory when he invented this statistical theory.

1
8. At the end of the 2002 season, the Oakland Athletics had the exact same number of wins as the
Yankees. How much did the teams pay on average per win?
● The New York Yankees paid, on average, $1,400,000 per win during the 2002 season.
● The Oakland Athletics paid, on average, $260,000 per win during the 2002 season.

Reflection Questions: Answer the following questions after the completion of the film. All responses
must be a minimum of 5-6 complete sentences and include specific evidence from the film to support
your response.
9. Do you think Billy Beane was a smart investor? Why or why not?
● Answers will vary.

10. This is a story of a leader trying to do more with less. Billy Beane is attempting to apply the theories
of statistics, economics, and investing to reinvent the way baseball teams are created. Where else
have you seen successful or unsuccessful attempts to get better results with fewer resources
(whether in sports, business, politics, personal stories, etc.)?
● Answers will vary.