Sports Conversation Starters for Your Week

Have you ever thought about the upside of a short attention span?

Usually the conversation centers around the lack of focus and how it affects productivity, but there's a case to be made that a short attention span is a benefit in small talk. 

You don't need to capture someone's attention for minutes at a time, just a few seconds will do. In fact, a few intentional seconds will likely have a greater impact when everyone is scattered and losing focus quickly. 

Aim for 15-30 seconds at a time. As a general rule of thumb 15 seconds equals 3 sentences.

You can easily fill that time and get the conversation going with the topics and questions below. 

NFL

For a second straight week there were a number of high profile injuries in the NFL including to two starting quarterbacks Washington’s Jayden Daniels and Chicago’s Caleb Williams. Both of those teams lost. In the case of Chicago, they managed just 3 points after scoring 59 points in Week 1. It’s the second biggest scoring drop off from Week 1 to Week 2. 

Talk Sporty Convo Starter: 

• What do you make of Chicago’s offensive struggles since Caleb Williams injury came in the 4th quarter?
• What have you learned about your team after two games?

NCAA

Ole Miss defeated LSU and former head coach Lane Kiffin. As a result Ole Miss jumped to No. 4 in the rankings. Texas is No. 1 for a second straight week. This week’s games features a season-high six ranked against ranked games. 

Talk Sporty Convo Starter: 

• What do you find most satisfying about revenge games in sports? 

MLB 

The MLB regular season ends Sunday. Heading into the final week six teams have clinched playoff spots, including the two-time defending World Series champion LA Dodgers who clinched their 14th consecutive playoff berth. That's tied for the longest playoff streak in MLB history. There are still six playoff spots to be determined this week.

Talk Sporty Convo Starters: 

• Which team surprised you most this season?
• Which team was the most disappointing? 

WNBA

The WNBA regular season ends Thursday. The eight playoff teams are set, but the seeding is up for grabs. The top four seeds get home court advantage. The Minnesota Lynx are guaranteed either the No. 1 or No. 2 seed. 

Talk Sporty Convo Starters: 

• Oddsmakers favor the Lynx to win it all, but that wasn't the case at the beginning of the season. How did Minnesota outperform expectations
• What's been the impact of rookie Olivia Miles?

NHL

Training Camps are underway around the NHL ahead of a shortened preseason schedule. Camps last about 10 days with a maximum of four preseason games in response to a longer regular season that that moved from an 82-game schedule to an 84-game schedule. 

Talk Sporty Convo Starter: 

• What do you think of the expanded schedule and the addition of two divisional matchups?