The human brain is one of the most powerful things nature ever created—a supercomputer with processing speeds a million times more efficient than the world’s best man-made supercomputers. Its ability to process a near-infinite web of information at instantaneous speeds, millions of times over a day, for an average of 72 years on end, is extraordinary.
It’s likely impossible for even our own brains to fully comprehend how complex and powerful it is.
But what if that brain worked linearly instead of as a web? For those diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder, like aspiring baseball commentator Jason Goldie of Arizona State, their brains are built slightly differently than the average human brain. A study published by Isabella Blackman from the Yale School of Medicine says the brains of adults on the autism spectrum have “fewer synapses—crucial junctions where nerve cells send signals to and from each other or other types of cells than the brains of neurotypical people.”
This isn’t a handicap. Far from it. Especially in Goldie’s chosen field. The more linear function of his brain allows for hyperfocus and memory recall of baseball statistics that others simply can’t access.
It’s a superpower, more than anything else.
All your favorite commentators require hours upon hours of statistical research and mini-cardstock boards filled with minute information on each player, often written in tiny, barely legible font to fit everything in. Then, during the broadcast, they must crane their necks to inspect those boards for the smallest stats to aid their commentary.
Goldie’s brain does that for him, on command.
“I just call things how I see them,” he said. “I have a strong memory. I remember all the stats, numbers, and names without having to consult my broadcast board.”
Goldie’s roots in America’s favorite pastime run deep. If you ask me, he’s a case study on the magic of sports and why they’re so important. Diagnosed with high-functioning autism at 2 years old, and his first friends were formed through baseball. No matter how different he may seem to others, through sport, he’s no different than anyone else in love with the ball and the bat. What started as a passion turned into a goal for a lifelong profession.
“I had a group of friends who all played baseball,” Goldie said. “I was the only one who didn’t play, but I went to all their games. Eventually, I learned how to keep score of a baseball game. I also obviously really loved going to games. Once I got to middle school, I started doing the morning announcements, and I was like, ‘Hey, I’m pretty good at this. I think I’m going to continue doing it in high school.’ Once I got to high school, I realized this could be my career.”
Baseball and early playgroups helped Goldie establish friendships. He wasn’t always the most outwardly social. Don’t be mistaken—when he’s comfortable, Goldie’s the life of the party.
“What I see is that, in a structured environment, it’s easy for him to make friends,” his mother, Karol Goldie, said. “But he’s not a guy who will randomly go up to a stranger and say, ‘Hey.’”
For Jason, he had to learn to step outside his comfort zone when he moved to Arizona State for sports journalism. Not the type to make friends at the local bar, he did what he did best—went to structured environments centered around the sports he loved to find his people. It was within multiple sports-based student clubs that he found his community.
“I went to clubs—Blaze (radio), The Walter Cronkite Sports Network, and Inferno Intel,” Jason said. “I made some friends, and that’s a process that’s still happening today.”
Luckily for Jason, home came with him to Arizona. Karol moved to the Valley of the Sun in the summer of 2021 with her son and brought what might be Jason’s most important friends along—his pets—to ease the transition.
“We had two cats and a dog, and they were Jason’s comfort animals,” Karol said. “We also didn’t know what to expect as far as accommodations for people on the autism spectrum, so I figured I could be here as his advocate if he needed it. Also, to maintain a household where he had as many of the familiar comforts from home so that not everything was brand new.”
To anyone who cares to peel back the curtain on Jason’s life, it’s clear that the infrastructure is in place for the next great baseball commentator. A stable life, a drive to excel, and an unbridled passion for baseball will likely bode well for him moving forward.
Well… that and the supercomputer in his head, which may work a little differently than most, but nonetheless has capabilities far beyond those of others.
