It’s a frequently asked question among sports fans and it’s a good starting point for every new or novice sports fan. There is no right or wrong answer to the question, but you do need an answer if only for your own sanity as you build your sports knowledge base.

Identifying one team - your team - makes it easier to become a fan and follow relevant headlines. For example, keeping track of all 32 NFL teams is time consuming and confusing if you’re just getting started as compared to paying attention to just one team. 

Your choice of teams is entirely up to you, but you might want to consider your objective before you commit.

• Are you becoming a fan because you need a way to connect with co-workers as you go back to an office?
• Is everyone in your family, except you, talking about fantasy football at the dinner table?
• Do you make sales calls to clients who regularly attend games?
• Do you think it would be good for your personal/dating life?

Your team your choice,...

If you want people to clearly communicate with you, start practicing it yourself. Sound intimidating? Not if you start with sports.

Here’s an example of being direct: Did you watch the Seahawks pre-season game Saturday?

It’s clear and direct. You know exactly what you’re being asked and what your response will be.

Direct and clear does not mean rude. It might mean you need to practice in low stress situations like small talk. This list of sports conversation starters can help with those interactions.

You can be a sports fan for lots of different reasons. It doesn’t have to be because you played sports in high school or because you’ve always been a fan or because your entire family cheers for the Chicago Bears.

You could be a sports fan because it’s a way to connect with will colleagues, it’s a topic your kids will talk about, because you love tailgating or because you think the athletes look good in their uniforms.

There’s nothing to be ashamed of. Your fandom your reasons.

There are three things to remember: 

1. When you encounter a sports bully who tries to make you feel bad for not being as much of a fan as they are, stick to your guns. You don’t owe them an explanation or an excuse as to why you’re a fan or how long you’ve been a fan. There’s no right or wrong way to be a fan. (Although I’d argue being a bully defeats the purpose of using sports to create community.)
2. Get comfortable with what you are most...

Preseason football doesn’t generally excite fans. The games mean we’re getting close to the start of the regular season but the outcomes of preseason games don’t mean much.

Here’s what should excite non-football fans – it’s a great time to start following football. If you read a couple headlines a week (or go one step further and read one headline a day) you’ll be able to follow more conversations and maybe even jump into a football conversation when the regular season starts. As with just about anything, it’s easier to start at the beginning rather than trying to jump in midstream.

Use this time to your advantage and use these sports conversation starters to help spark small talk of all kinds this week.

If you equate sports small talk to sports metaphors you’re missing the point and a valuable opportunity to connect with colleagues. Sports metaphors and cliches are mostly overused, often misused and do very little to further a conversation or make a point.

Intentional sports small talk is a different story. These conversation starters give you the chance to learn more about your colleagues and create follow-up opportunities. (Think: checking in with a baseball-loving colleague Friday to get their thoughts on the Field of Dreams game that happens on Thursday.) 

Any of these topics can spark conversations this week.

I’m glad Simone Biles captured the attention of the world and shined a light on the importance of mental health. She helped spark conversation around the immense pressure athletes are under to perform and the stress that goes along with being the best in the world.

I’m encouraged fans were forced to look beyond Biles’ impressive personal accomplishments and see her as a human being.

I only wish every fan could accompany me into a locker room so you never forget athletes are people and we’re all human.

It’s a message I heard a decade before I set foot in a professional locker room when I wrote a letter to a local sportscaster I adored in Houston. I told her how much I loved sports and how I thought it was so cool she got to talk to athletes. I was surprised when Lisa Malosky took the time to write back. She encouraged me to pursue a career in sports before I even knew it was possible. She agreed the job was cool but she included these words I’m...

You can do anything for 30 seconds.

It’s a favorite saying for fitness instructors and personal trainers everywhere.

That encouragement always seems to come right before telling you to do something you don’t want to do or don’t think you can do. Then, after 30 seconds of more burpees than you really wanted to do, you’re done.

In other words: You can get more done in 30 seconds than you think, and it will be over before you know it.

It’s true in your workouts and when it comes to talking to people in person. If, after more than a year of working from home, you dread the thought of small talk and having conversations in real life then reframe what a conversation actually is. 

A conversation doesn’t have to measured in minutes or hours. It can be measured in seconds. Especially in the context of small talk, casually bumping into someone in an elevator, seeing a colleague in person for the first time, the conversation with the waiter at...

People follow people not plans.

Sports fans connect with personalities not stats. It’s an athlete’s willingness to show who they are that creates that connection. Their game-day actions and results are only part of that equation. Their personality really comes through in interviews and 1-on-1 interactions with fans. 

If you only “stick to business” and think small talk is a waste of time, you’re missing opportunities to connect and probably don’t have the relationships or rapport you think you do.

You can use small talk to connect, share personal stories (not your entire life story) and build relationships. Sports is a great topic to utilize in small talk. Here are a few topics that would work this week.

Much like your own personal accomplishments, sports accomplishments can vary. For example, Joey Chestnut broke his own world record Sunday at the Nathan’s Famous hot dog eating contest by eating 76 hot dogs (and buns) in 10 minutes. Just typing that sentence makes me feel queasy, but I would probably jump at the chance to join a pie eating contest.

As silly as it is, that hot dog eating contest makes for great small talk this week along with these more serious sports headlines.

There’s no one way to be a sports fan. You can be a casual fan, novice fan, hard-core fan or social fan.

Don’t count yourself out of conversations because you don’t think you watch enough sports. Don’t refrain from starting a sports conversation because you’re talking to a novice fan.

Be the type of fan you want to be. Use these sports conversation starters to get the ball rolling.