Moneyball Questions

Moneyball Questions

Part A

Part B

1. I do not agree with the statement that money is the measure of someone's worth. Firstly, the term 'worth' is subjective, so it will be interpreted differently by different people. A monetary value is not subjective, so there is no way of putting a concrete value on something that can be valued so differently by the observer. A monetary value also depends on what amount of money the issuer has in the first place. For example, Billy Beane was a valuable asset for Oakland, but they could not afford to offer him the money that the Boston Red Sox did. In this case, the amount of money does not reflect the value of the individual.
2. Absolutely. Individuals are underrated all the time. There is one ideology that conflicts with this, however. I have heard and used the expression several times that "something is only worth what someone will pay for it." Having said that, the unseen skill or potential of a player/individual may cause them to appear lesser.
3. In addition to monetary remuneration, personal satisfaction drives people to complete certain tasks. This can be self-fulfillment of a goal, or the satisfaction from being altruistic towards peers. The worthwhile task being completed could be anything that interests the individual. For example, trying to become a better painter, or helping a family member clean their house.
4. Beane refuses to watch his team play because of the stress he puts on himself. He appears to be a very superstitious individual. I think superstitions exist because the individual wants control of the situation. They feel uncomfortable not having complete control over the outcome, so they create events that will supposedly (but most certainly will not) shift the outcome to the desired one. Beane may have thought that if he watched the game the team would lose, so he would hide in the locker room. In reality, this has no bearing on the outcome of the game, and Beane would only be comforting himself.