I think the main reason why Billy Beane is confused about his career options in Moneyball is because he is very aware of the trade-off that such a decision would represent. At the beginning of the story, one of the first difficult decisions that Beane has to make is that of choosing between playing for the Mets professionally and attending Stanford on a dual-sports scholarship. Beane is torn, as he knows that playing professionally would bring him more success in the short term. Beane ends up following the money and going with the Mets. However, this decision comes again later on when he has to decide whether to go to Boston or stay in California. In this case, he makes a different decision.
