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Glite Dictionary
Moneyball

Moneyball

6 8.1
The title of a 2003 book and a 2011 film about using data to build better baseball teams
  • proper noun
  • /ˈmʌniˌbɔl/
: Moneyball
  • Perhaps that's why Billy Beane's Moneyball teams did well over 162, but fizzled in the postseason.
  • Brad Pitt in Moneyball
  • Michael Lewis' Moneyball
  • Pitt starred in Moneyball

So you analyze like Moneyball in baseball and like what's his name, Nate Silver.

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Examples

  • Moore: The script for Moneyball was available, and I had read the book when it first came out.

    Blog text (11)

  • Richie Hunt is a statistician who provides a 'Moneyball' approach to the game of golf.

    Blog text (1)

  • My husband is reading Moneyball: The Art of Winning an Unfair Game, by Michael Lewis.

    Blog text (12)

  • When Michael Lewis's baseball book Moneyball was published in 2003.

    Blog text (2)

  • One of the themes of Moneyball was how on-base percentage had become an undervalued commodity.

    Blog text (31)

  • The film Moneyball, featuring Brad Pitt, showcases how statistical analysis revolutionized baseball management.

  • In Michael Lewis's book Moneyball, he explores how unconventional thinking can lead to success in sports.

  • Moneyball illustrates the importance of data in building a competitive baseball team, challenging traditional scouting methods.

Synonyms

moneyball
vsMoneyball
  • Literature
1 6.5

Using numbers to choose and manage players for a sports team

is a book and film title about that analytical approach rather than the practice

Surface Forms

Moneyball main

Morphology

Moneyball = money + ball (semi-transparent) = money + ball

The compound is clearly 'money' + 'ball', but as a book/film title referring specifically to baseball analytics and a particular approach, the precise referent is not directly predictable by a B1 learner.

Etymology

Moneyball is a made-up title that joins money ('cash') and ball ('baseball') and was the name of a 2003 book about using numbers to build a strong team on a small budget. So Moneyball now means a way of using data to find value and make smart choices in baseball, and people sometimes use it for similar ideas in other areas.