How much do I need to know about sports?

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I don't watch sports. The closest thing to sports I am interested in is grifball.

But it seems like every guy in the world has something to say about sports. Since alcohol isn't allowed in the hospital, it has become the de facto ice-breaker in male bonding. My lawyer friend tells me that I need to know at least something about this stuff to get ahead. I thought I picked this career to avoid insincere networking.

So how much does one such as I, an owner of testicles, have to know about this social phenomenon known as sports?

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Specializes in ER.

I don't watch sports either. I really don't care to watch them. I am however, a "car guy", so I suppose that gives me my "ice breaker". Good luck!

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Specializes in Med-Surg.

You've made it this far in life not knowing anything about sports, so you'll survive in nursing as well. I understand what you lawyer friend is saying, but trust me to get ahead in nursing, as I suspect it is in other fields, you mostly have to work hard.

I used to work with a sports nut. He'd talk sports with anyone, from the transporters, to the doctors, to garbage collectors. Still he and I had plenty to talk about other than sports.

It's important to learn how to "play well with others", but knowing sports isn't necessary. Since males are still 3 to 5% of the nursing population, I'd be more concerned with communicating with your fellow female professionals than the men.

Be yourself.

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I can usually talk about anything, but sports is my number one topic. I'll usually say something like "watch the game last night" or something and go from there.

I can talk for hours about sports, but I don't think it'll really help because of that 5% of all nurses being male. Its a shame, lol.

I remember in my Microbiology class, there were like 17 girls to 5 guys. I was able to joke around and talk to all the guys and even the professor who was a guy because I'd talk about sports most of the time.

Didnt really talk to most of the girls except for the few that were around my age since most of the other ladies were like 30-40+ in age.

Thats the group I have trouble talking too, lol

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you don't really need to know much about anything, just enough to let them do the talking and act interested.

i like sports, but i've also found common ground with most guys and gals i work with about video games, sci-fi, movies, etc.

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I don't watch sports either.

However, I am rather a techy guy. I love gadgets.

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Ok, well what girly topics should I be knowledgeable about?

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Er... you don't have know about "girl-y" subjects to talk to girls, in my opinion.

I am in the waitlist for nursing program and mainly talk about the classes and the what kind of nursing would we want to do.

I have one male friend who is also on the waitlist for nursing program, so I mainly talk to him. :)

Edit: In my opinion, those who are in the nursing program might be intelligent or care about other people, so I don't think they are into celebrity gossip stuff. Rather, talk about clothes could be a girl-y which I might be horrible at it -- hey, they all look the same for me, ladies.

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This is a funny topic. I am a male, and could care less about sports, i am from cleveland ohio though, so you can understand why. Football was never my thing, in Madden, i would pick the plays with the most lines on them. LOL.

Im kinda the Car type of guy though. I am sure you will be able to start a conversation about topics other then sports. Like Movies for example.

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You're from Cleveland and you arent a Cavaliers fan??

shame, lol.

Im a LeBron James/Cavaliers fan myself but I live in Florida.

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Guys who talk about sports don't care about your opinion, so you don't need to have one. Anyone who can't find a non-sports topic of conversation falls into the category of the self-identified "sports fan." In this country, that means their views on sports are more sacred than their political or religious beliefs and they honestly believe they should be sitting in a studio being paid to shout their opinions at you.

You could work with one of those guys for 10 years and "talk sports" every single day and he'd never notice that you don't actually know anything about what he's saying because he still hasn't stopped talking.

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Specializes in Urgent Care NP, Emergency Nursing, Camp Nursing.

I once had an instructor (in my pre-nursing school days) tell me that Marx had it wrong: Sports, not Religion, was the opiate of the masses. Imagine what would happen in this country if people were as educated and possessed informed opinions about politics, public policy, or any other topic that actually matters instead of devoting that energy to following professional sports.

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