Coworkers that only talk about sport

KevinCavan

Have any of you experienced co-workers that only talk about sport?

Big Bag of Chips

Mod Note: Is this a personal issue that is causing you problems? If you are looking for advice, you will need to elaborate on your issue.

KevinCavan

Big Bag of Chips wrote: »

Mod Note: Is this a personal issue that is causing you problems? If you are looking for advice, you will need to elaborate on your issue.

Yes it is actually stressful for me. I feel one coworker is deliberately alienating me by deliberately talking excessively about sport.

joeguevara

Is this a male dominated industry. How is it isolating? Sometimes people have nothing to talk about and fill it with things like sport, weather news etc.

You don’t have to get on with your workers. Do you think it’s done on purpose? Does he interrupt your stories and talk sport. Sometimes people are sports mad. Maybe bring up some other topics and see if that works. Or zone out. Why listen if your not interested.

Or if you want to join in start using random phrases like ‘’see that ludicrous display last night’ like moss does in it crowd..

https://youtu.be/jzmtrIFetHY

Snotty

Better than bloody weather small talk, which is all I hear, all day.
I've no interest in sport but if I though other people would like to talk about it, I'd certainly make an effort to pay attention to that sport.

idnkph

Did you try talking to the group about something that interests you?
If you do and they are not interested do you think they will be on here moaning about you?

qwerty13

Unless it’s really excessive, to the point that there’s no other chat at all, I’m afraid it just sounds like one of those boring things in work to put up with.

Some people talk endlessly about their commute. Kids. Houses. Cars. Their wedding. Soaps. All of which I tune out for. Having said that, they’d probably find my conversation boring.

So unless the sole topic is sport, and you’re effectively shut down if you try to speak on another topic, I’d let it go as one of those boring work chats. Earphones are great that way.

MartyMcFly84

I am into a niche sport and really don't have much time to even follow that as much as id like.

I am not really into any major popular sports, however I accept they are loved by most. I feel a lot of it is feeling part of something or having something to talk about, as well as actually enjoying the sport.

Not that you have to, but I scan the sport pages on the way to work on the bus for a couple minutes so that I am someway in the loop about what is going on and can add in some tidbits.

It's a strange thing, but saying straight out "I dont like football" can be a real work or friend relationship killer .

.......

I work in a male dominated industry (I am female) so it happens occasionally at lunchtime that certain individuals will start a sport chat and I am the only one who has no contribution to make. I just zone out. Some of the guys would make an effort to change the topic or include me or maybe just start a separate conversation with me but one way or another I dont really mind - there are also times when the conversation is about non sport related stuff that I am not interested in and no doubt I occasionally bore them with stuff too.

Gonad

Have you read this


https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Clp6BQVWgAA4FL-.jpg

Ardent

It's a safe subject. We live and work in an era where people take offence at anything. Happy to stick to sport tbh.

Wanderer2010

Very very common issue when there are a lot of men in the office or factory and sadly there isn't really anything you can do about it. The worst thing to do is to pretend that you know about sport just to fit in, they can smell that a mile off and it will make them think less of you, just be yourself and try to align yourself with the least sports obsessed person at work. Do make an effort to bring up other topics that you are interested in as it may encourage others to get involved.

The worst people in work for me are the women who talk about nothing, and I mean NOTHING, but their kids. Its bizarre how they think other people want to know the ins and out of their daily routine and first dances, play dates etc etc. I suppose some women have no lives outside of their kids and have nothing else to talk about. Its a real sticking point for me when they start banging on about equal pay and conditions then spend half their day telling people their daughter is starting primary school, getting a boyfriend etc. :rolleyes:

DoozerT6

I've noticed the same thing in work tbh. Whenever I see two or more of the guys talking they are either a) bitching about work and 'gettin' onta the Union', or b) soccer. There is NOTHING in-between. Fortunately I don't actually have to listen to them as I don't work directly in their proximity, I just notice it as I pass by them.

It's a safe subject for (mostly) men to talk about. God forbid they talk about anything personal

shesty

....... wrote: »

I work in a male dominated industry (I am female) so it happens occasionally at lunchtime that certain individuals will start a sport chat and I am the only one who has no contribution to make. I just zone out. Some of the guys would make an effort to change the topic or include me or maybe just start a separate conversation with me but one way or another I dont really mind - there are also times when the conversation is about non sport related stuff that I am not interested in and no doubt I occasionally bore them with stuff too.

Ditto here. It's a nuisance, but really what can I do....:rolleyes:

joeguevara

DoozerT6 wrote: »

I've noticed the same thing in work tbh. Whenever I see two or more of the guys talking they are either a) bitching about work and 'gettin' onta the Union', or b) soccer. There is NOTHING in-between. Fortunately I don't actually have to listen to them as I don't work directly in their proximity, I just notice it as I pass by them.

It's a safe subject for (mostly) men to talk about. God forbid they talk about anything personal

But they are work colleagues not friends. Why would they talk about things that are personal. If one of the people I work with started going into personal issues I would find it strange and uncomfortable.

Also, sport can be very personal to guys and they probably think about their favourite team more than most other things.

DoozerT6

joeguevara wrote: »

But they are work colleagues not friends. Why would they talk about things that are personal. If one of the people I work with started going into personal issues I would find it strange and uncomfortable.

Also, sport can be very personal to guys and they probably think about their favourite team more than most other things.

Ah yeah fair enough, I would hardly expect them to sit down and spill their deepest thoughts to each other, that would indeed be weird and not work appropriate - but soccer/football seems to be the ONLY thing they talk about. It seems to be the only thing that 'bonds' them, in a sense. Women do tend to go on about family/kids etc more, no doubts there, but certainly in my place there is a lot more than those topics discussed at breaktime, without it getting weirdly personal. And yes, the women do talk about sport too sometimes

It's just an observation.

dulux99

Wanderer2010 wrote: »

Very very common issue when there are a lot of men in the office or factory and sadly there isn't really anything you can do about it. The worst thing to do is to pretend that you know about sport just to fit in, they can smell that a mile off and it will make them think less of you, just be yourself and try to align yourself with the least sports obsessed person at work. Do make an effort to bring up other topics that you are interested in as it may encourage others to get involved.

The worst people in work for me are the women who talk about nothing, and I mean NOTHING, but their kids. Its bizarre how they think other people want to know the ins and out of their daily routine and first dances, play dates etc etc. I suppose some women have no lives outside of their kids and have nothing else to talk about. Its a real sticking point for me when they start banging on about equal pay and conditions then spend half their day telling people their daughter is starting primary school, getting a boyfriend etc. :rolleyes:

This definitely resonates. I often find myself in the middle of a chat with two or more women who are just taking turns to speak about their kids. The only person who gives a sh*te is the person telling the story. Literally nothing about these stories is interesting. I don't care what little Johnny said to his teacher the other day. I don't care how little Rachel's basketball team got on last night.

As a man who is quite into sports, I'd have atleast a passing interest in almost every sport, I even find the non stop sports chat unbearably dull. I love talking about sport, I spend most of my time on boards talking about sport, but the work based sports chat is always just people stating the obvious to each other. It's painful and fellas seem to think it's something you have to do.

Unfortunately I've yet to find any solution to avoiding either of the above. So I usually just wind up sitting there like a miserable aul bollox never contributing to either chat.

Sorry I've nothing tangible to add to this but it's good to vent sometimes.

suicide_circus

was the only male in an office for a few months and topics of conversation were restricted to three areas;

kids
soaps
soft furnishings

i was the newcomer so it wasnt for me to change the culture as everyone else was happy. ultimately I left.

Stacksofwacks

I dont think you should be dictating about what other people talk about. If they are boring you just change the subject Its only small talk and banter all the same, it dosent matter!

Ursus Horribilis

Can you not start a conversation yourself that doesn't revolve around sport? Your post isn't giving us an awful lot of information. What exactly is this other person doing?

KevinCavan

Ursus Horribilis wrote: »

Can you not start a conversation yourself that doesn't revolve around sport? Your post isn't giving us an awful lot of information. What exactly is this other person doing?

I don’t want to be overly specific for obvious reasons. Let’s just say there is a handful of men on my staff who mainly sit together. There is one older alpha male, who fancies himself as knowing more about sport than anybody on the planet. He dominates and steers to conversation his way and 99% talks about sport. He knows the other men are into sport to an extent, he knows that I know little about it. He will even give me the odd snide remark here and there that indirectly highlights that I’m not into sport. He is a bit of a twisted character over all and I feel that he takes a certain pleasure in leaving me out of the conversation/ highliting that he has common interests with the others and I don’t. I think the others find his talk about sport excessive and also tire of the one topic of conversation.

dulux99

I've always felt the old boys drive things toward sport at the lunch table because it's the one area of conversation that you can't really properly offend anyone or step on anyone's toes. We've probably all put our foot in our mouths at one time or another, especially if you've got young student graduates and so on. It's a nice easy space to talk for people. I remember around the time of the repeal vote, it came up at the table one day and the top dog nearly had a heart attack and steered things back to generic sports chat immediately.

Stacksofwacks

If you feel he is consciously doing it to bully you in a passive aggressive type manner, then anytime he starts talking about sport then just immediately start talking over him with whatever it is you want to talk about, he'll soon enough get the message

I agree 100% with you; this follow-the-crowd talking obsessively about commercial sport has cannibalised so many conversations (and every single radio news bulletin). Your man just sounds like an ignoramus to do it intentionally. The more plebeian of the male species - as you can see in this thread! - get very defensive if the all-pervasiveness of their interest is objected to. And the fact that so many women just bore the arse off the planet talking about definitely-not-reality tv shows and z-list celebrities does not make the muppet boring the face off the planet about commercial sport more superior. Have no fear; there's a whole world of us who have no interest in the one-track subjects of these drones.

More constructively, I think it's essential to just be yourself, have your own interests and let people know them when asked. That way over time you will naturally build up conversations on things which interest you with similarly minded people and that sort of monotonous eejit and their stodgy conversations are irrelevant. I'd also, if possible, choose to eat somewhere else or take lunch at a different time. A walk at lunchtime is also a nice break from the office. Best of luck.

joeguevara

joeguevara wrote: »

Also, sport can be very personal to guys and they probably think about their favourite team more than most other things.

Pretty much.

I have friends who definitely put more effort into following their team than they put into their relationships. They could tell you which inter county hurlers are cousins for example (a surprisingly large amount) way easier than they could tell you who their wife's cousins are.

But sport is a great metaphor too, it's a good way to get to understand a person's mindset, how they view life. If you branch off into the psychology of sport via books like Moneyball etc you can really discuss interesting topics.

anewme

Im a woman and some of the women in our office know a bit about football so can join the conversation. Ive no interest and no idea about it or no interest so i do exit stage left when it comes up.

We have a very bad baby bore in the office. When i say baby, they must be six or eight now. When i see her coming I usually leg it, or if i get caught in a group with her, ill listen for a few minutes but then ill ssk ine of the ither girls how are her little dogs, just to change the conversation and i like dogs.

Judes

As a single woman- I've had to listen to nothing but talk of CHILDREN - for more than 15 years where I work - conception / birth / children / school / college / grandchildren - seriously - SICK TO DEATH. There are times when I want to scream - do any of you have a life outside of living it through your children - but that would be perceived as rude wouldn't it - but talking about your kids all day to somebody who couldn't have any - I suppose that isn't rude at all, is it...…………….

I so agree with the kids thing, I detest kids and I have to put up with 9 women rabbiting on about them all the live long day. I've learned to drown it out, I don't feel alienated, they are nice people but I understand how it feels to have nothing to contribute even if I wanted to.

.......

Deleted User wrote: »

I so agree with the kids thing, I detest kids and I have to put up with 9 women rabbiting on about them all the live long day. I've learned to drown it out, I don't feel alienated, they are nice people but I understand how it feels to have nothing to contribute even if I wanted to.

Two of the men in my office are the worst offenders. But its really just because all they do is ferry their kids about and do child related activities. They dont have anything else to talk about because they dont do anything else.

woodchuck

Mod note:

Less of the chat please.

Please only post if you have advice for the OP.

brevity

KevinCavan wrote: »

I don’t want to be overly specific for obvious reasons. Let’s just say there is a handful of men on my staff who mainly sit together. There is one older alpha male, who fancies himself as knowing more about sport than anybody on the planet. He dominates and steers to conversation his way and 99% talks about sport. He knows the other men are into sport to an extent, he knows that I know little about it. He will even give me the odd snide remark here and there that indirectly highlights that I’m not into sport. He is a bit of a twisted character over all and I feel that he takes a certain pleasure in leaving me out of the conversation/ highliting that he has common interests with the others and I don’t. I think the others find his talk about sport excessive and also tire of the one topic of conversation.

Is it a sport in particular? Rugby, GAA, Soccer? Are the more popular ones obviously. If it was me, I’d read a few articles on the specific topic and halfheartedly participate. Play to his ego a bit and drop a few sarcastic comments to let him know that you are aware of what he is doing.

Try and drop a few other topics, I dunno, TV movies, music to see if the others are interested. I’d wager they wouldn’t mind speaking about something else for a change.