… until they were twelve, children would read about baseball technique and history, and occasionally hear inspirational stories of the great baseball players. They would fill out quizzes about baseball rules. College undergraduates might be allowed, under strict supervision, to reproduce famous historic baseball plays. But only in the second or third year of graduate school, would they, at last, actually get to play a game.”

This gem from Carl Sagan's '95 book "The Demon-Haunted World" has been living rent-free in my brain for ages. It nails a critical problem that so many schools, colleges and companies are still grappling with.

Baseball has passionate fans, rich statistics, and vibrant cultures. People lose sleep over trade decisions and wake up at ungodly hours to catch games in different time zones.

Why? Because they've experienced it firsthand. They've felt the tension of a close game, the thrill of a perfect play, the agony of a crucial error.

So why are so many people disengaged in classrooms and workplaces - places where they've often invested so much of themselves?

Perhaps it's because we've turned too many subjects into "science" when they could be more like "baseball”.

Here are three ways to shift the onus:

1. Get your hands dirty: Create chances for people to actually do the thing they're learning about. Theory's great, but have you tried actually swinging the bat?
2. Embrace the blooper reel: Set up a sandbox where it's okay to mess up. Even Babe Ruth struck out... a lot. (I'm betting big on the next generation of sandboxes btw)
3. Start a nerd club (the cool kind): Build spaces where people can geek out over their craft. Think of it as fantasy league, but for work stuff.
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The world has changed dramatically since Sagan’s book from '95, but the approach to learning stuff often lags way behind.

Next time you're exploring a skill or topic, it’s worth asking…

“How might this be more like baseball?"

P.S. I'm more of a football (soccer) fan, but I've recently been indoctrinated into the world of the New York Mets. Turns out I now have a 3-year-old southpaw pitcher in training. Just got to get him throwing balls instead of my computer mouse.