I’d like to apologize for every time you were made to feel uncomfortable by being thrust unwillingly into a sports conversation.For as long as I’ve been able to consume and comprehend moving images, I’ve been a rabid sports fan. And if you’re not, I’d like to apologize for every time you were made to feel uncomfortable by being thrust unwillingly into a sports conversation.
My passion for sports even led med to spend a few years as a sports journalist earlier in my career, but now that I work more closely in the high-tech sector, I meet my share of the couldn’t-care-less-about-sports set.
And yet sports—and conversations about them—still play a huge role in my business career. For me, it’s an “in”—a way to make an immediate (albeit superficial) connection with another person in a business setting. When I meet new colleagues or business partners, the conversation usually goes something like this:
Me: Where are you based?
Them: (says name of city here)
Me: Oh, interesting. So, are you a fan of (sports team in his city)?
Them: Why, yes. (lists off some facts about his fandom.) What about you?
And the conversation continues from there. Then, every time I see that person, I’m reminded of the team that he or she supports, and I can use any tidbit of news about that team to enter into conversation. It’s a cheap way of engaging someone, but hey—it works.
I understand, however, that not everyone possesses my passion for sports.
A friend of mine who wasn’t a sports fan had the perfect non-committal response for anyone who started talking to him about sports, and it’s a five-word phrase that you, dear non-sports fan, should commit to memory: “They always keep it interesting.”
What do you think about how the New England Patriots are dealing with the whole Deflategate mess?”
“They always keep it interesting.”
“The Blackhawks keep finding ways to win, don’t they?”
“They always keep it interesting.”
