Making sports your secret weapon | Amy Siegfried | TEDxOU

Amy shares how being up-to-date on sports knowledge can be a valuable tool for connecting at the office, at networking events, or even on a date.

Amy is the quarterback and co-founder of Last Night's Game, a site for the sports curious, a safe haven to empower those who want to learn about the world of sports but don't know where to start. While her athletic participation was short-lived, Amy fell in love with the world of sports. That learned love for sports came in handy when she embarked on her career path which began in professional sports. She's lived internationally and continues to travel anywhere and everywhere, which provides her with a global sports perspective. A master of small talk, bringing people together and the handwritten note (the art is not dead), you can often find this married lady not sweating the small stuff while embracing her inner domestic goddess or talking sports with her brother and co-founder.

This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at http://ted.com/tedx

Well, in the beginning
of organized sports,

there was the Olympics.

The Olympics were a male-dominated sport.

There was blood, there was brute,
and there was a little bit of nudity.

Women were not invited to participate.

In modern-day sports,
they're still dominated by men.

Have you ever seen a men's restroom line
longer than a women's?

Not very often, but you do
at a sporting event.

At these sporting events,
there's still blood, there's brute,

and yes, there's still some nudity.

(Laughter)

So, have you ever been in a conversation
and the topic of sports comes up

and you kind of slowly exit stage left?

I have.

So, why am I standing up here
with you today

talking to you about making sports
your secret weapon?

Well, because it works.

And how do I know that?

Because in my day job, I help
those who don't know a lot about sports

join the conversation.

But let's be honest,
I wasn't always so sport-savvy.

I grew up in a household
with a little brother,

who played every single sport imaginable.

I had no choice but to be supportive
and learn about rugby and roller hockey

and basketball and soccer and baseball
and football, and it goes on and on.

I, on the other hand, was a dancer.

I don't have an athletic bone in my body.

My one season of soccer
consisted of being kicked in the face

and a lot of tears.

But don't worry, all that sports knowledge
wasn't learned in vain.

It came in handy when I began my career
in professional sports.

Now, I don't know a lot about every sport,
but I know a little about a lot,

and that gets me through the day.

So, let me tell you a little story.

One of our readers, she works
in an office with a bunch of guys

who talk more about sports
than they do about work.

I'm pretty sure you guys have all been
in one of those places before.

Well, she felt left out, and she wanted
to join in on the conversation.

So, she started paying attention
to the trending topics in sports.

So one day, they're sitting around,
and she says to the guys,

"Hey, did you see
that big game last night?"

and they looked at her
like she had eight heads.

They had no idea
she knew anything about sports.

And she shrugged it off like,

"Hey, I've had this sports
knowledge the whole time."

So, tell me why we expect women
to know nothing about sports.

Well, it's probably the same reason

how people always ask me about
how having a child will affect my career,

but no one asked my husband
the same question.

Stereotyping.

Now, I'm not here to pretend

that there aren't women
who know a lot about sports

because I know there are
a lot of men who don't.

But for the sake of today, ladies,
I'm going to talk to you.

Now, I'm not here to encourage you
to conform to a man's world,

but we can't pretend
that gender bias doesn't exist.

In her book "Lean In," Sheryl Sandberg

talks about how we need to make the best
of the current situation

instead of trying to change
its fundamentals.

So, there's a reason you see women
out with their male colleagues at a bar,

drinking whiskey and smoking cigars.

Well, because whether we like it or not,
you have to be at the table to play.

We're surrounded by sports.

In fact, in 2016, more people
filled out an NCAA March Madness bracket

than voted for one single candidate
in U.S. election history.

Now think about that for a second.

Don't worry, this isn't where I go
on my political tirade about the election,

but just think about that.

More people can agree on basketball
than they can on a president.

So, why not capitalize on
that conversation?

I mean, we even pay our athletes more

than we pay some of the most important
people in our country.

And think about it,
sports are everywhere in our world.

We have Tom and Gisele.

Justin Timberlake owns
part of an NBA basketball team.

Meryl Streep and Ruth Bader Ginsburg,
who is a Supreme Court justice,

well, they were cheerleaders.

An NBA superstar LeBron James,
well, he was in the movie "Trainwreck."

We pay our athletes very well.

In fact, sometimes more than what we pay
those who are really important

in our country.

NFL rookies make $50,000 a year more

than the designated salary
for the U.S. President.

New England New Patriots'
quarterback Tom Brady,

well, he makes 202 times
the average Massachusetts teacher salary.

Now, it's really great for him

because he's playing
in the Super Bowl next weekend.

But think about it.

We're standing here
in an educational institution,

so I'm pretty sure that we can all agree
that teachers are kind of important.

So, talking about sports
isn't that hard, I promise you.

You don't have to know everything.

Just knowing a little bit will help you
understand and chime in the conversation.

I have three tips for you to help
join the conversation at the office,

in the classroom, or even on a date.

And don't worry, we're not going to cover
statistics on passing yards

or wins or losses.

I'm not teaching a math class here.

We've all been in that conversation

where someone goes on a tirade
about the 1972 Super Bowl team

or their favorite team,
the Boston Red Sox,

and your eyes glaze over,

and you start to think about,
"What am I going to do tonight?

What do I need to pick up
from the grocery store?"

It's painful.

Those people are really just showing off
their sports knowledge.

And the trick is to know when to chime in.

Did they talk about a team you know

or a team that's in a city
that you love to visit?

You don't have to know about statistics
about passing yards or wins or losses

to be able to chime in.

Simply saying, "Hey,
who are you rooting for?"

or "How's the team doing this year?"

will go a really long way.

Following sports
doesn't have to be intimidating.

Get a fun, non-intimidating perspective
on sports by following a sports network

like ESPN or the Bleacher Report

or a sports team or their cheerleaders
or their mascots on social media.

You might learn a thing or two.

And besides, who doesn't love an insight
to a billion-dollar industry of sports?

Follow your boss's or your coworker's
favorite team on Instagram.

You're going to receive brownie points
for knowing whether to congratulate them

or console them

the next day after a big game.

And it may not seem like it,

but talking about sports
is, in fact, a team sport.

Have you ever been in a sports bar
where someone's team wins?

Everybody's celebrating;
high-fives are everywhere.

It doesn't matter who you are.

If you have a hand, you get a high-five.

Well, talking about sports
is the same way.

Those who know a lot about sports

are really happy to answer
your questions without judgement.

I wouldn't know what I know today
if it wasn't for my little brother.

I still call him all the time

with questions about what's happening
in the wide world of sports.

Those who know a lot about sports
are really happy to share.

And if all else fails
and things get really awkward

and you get in a bind,

go ahead and break out
your touchdown dance.

(Laughter)

In our careers, where office parties
and business lunches are ever present,

it's really important
to know a wide variety of topics.

While I understand that you may have
no desire and may not like sports,

just remember knowing that
is a little extra trick up your sleeve.

Expanding your horizons
to the world of sports

can really help you
fill those awkward silences.

I've had people tell me how just knowing
a little about sports has helped them

join that conversation

when they're waiting
for a meeting to start.

Or when they're at a networking event,

it gives them something else
to talk to someone about.

But better yet, it gives them
something to talk about at home.

They now have something to talk about
to their roommates, their spouse,

or their children.

Now let me tell you
how sports has helped me.

A couple years ago, I pitched
a client on some marketing work.

And he wanted to talk about it over lunch.

Well, I was really nervous because
I didn't know what we had in common.

What were we going to talk about
for an entire lunch?

This could be really painful.

So, during our small talk,
he mentioned that he plays golf.

And I'll be honest, I don't know
the first thing about golf.

I'm a terrible golf player.

But the one thing I do know
is how to yell, "Fore!"

when you're going to hit somebody
in the head with a golf ball.

Also luckily that morning, we had written
about the Masters golf tournament.

So, I said to him in conversation, "Hey,
did you know that they pipe bird music

into the broadcast of the golf tournament

so it seems like a more natural
environment for the viewers?

But there actually aren't
any birds at the golf course."

And that was a great jumping-off point
for us in our conversation.

I understand that going into a new topic,
a new topic like sports

can be really challenging.

And it can be nerve-wracking.

But try it.

Try it today during the break,
or try it tonight at O'Conn's.

Take risks, challenge yourself,
join the conversation.

It's a choice you won't regret,
and you'll hit a home run every time.

Thank you.

(Applause)