The movie ‘Moneyball’ is about which American Major League Baseball team?

‘Moneyball’ (both the 2003 book by Michael Lewis, and the 2011 film based on the book) is the story of Oakland Athletics general manager Billy Beane's attempt to rebuild his team on a budget, using a strict cost-benefit strategy based on statistics.

The story focuses specifically on the team's 2002 season, when the A's (as they were known for short) had a 20-game winning streak and finished first in the American League West, despite having lost three of their best players to bigger-market teams in the offseason.

Beane came up with a revolutionary idea: applying research and analysis to a game (and business) which had traditionally relied on observation. By prioritizing players’ on-base and slugging percentages over runs batted in and batting averages, he was able to identify undervalued players throughout the league, and re-invent his team.

The strategy proved successful, helping the team stay competitive in an often-unequal business. The Athletics made it to the postseason playoffs in both 2002 and 2003. They lost in the first round both times, but the approach has endured, as has the story of Beane and the Oakland A's.

‘Moneyball’ premiered at the 2011 Toronto International Film Festival and was released in September 2011, to box office success and critical acclaim, particularly for its acting and screenplay. The film was nominated for six Academy Awards: Best Picture, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Actor, Best Supporting Actor, Best Screen Editing and Best Sound Mixing.