Sports Conversation Starters for Your Workweek

How do you acknowledge success? And given a choice, would your success be marked with a medal, trophy or certificate? 

Those are questions that can be part of the conversation this week following the Americans showing at the Winter Olympics. It was a record-setting haul for the USA and a reminder that success is worth celebrating, including - and perhaps especially - yours. 

Maybe all you need is the equivalent of a pat on the back but it's a topic you can easy broach this week thanks to sports when you think outside the box scores. 

Sports conversations take on all different variations. Use them to your advantage in small talk and beyond this week. 

NFL

The NFL Combine starts Monday in Indianapolis. A total of 319 prospects (college football players) were invited to participate in the event that consists of on-field drills and individual interviews with teams (prospective employers.)

College Hoops

The top two men's teams lost in games over the weekend. No. 1 Michigan lost to No.3 Duke and No. 2 Houston was topped by No. 4 Arizona. It's the first time since last February teams ranked No. 1 and No. 2 in the polls lost on the same day.

Women's top-ranked team, UConn continues their perfect season. The Huskies are 29-0 heading into the week. We're three weeks away from Selection Sunday the March Madness bracket reveal.

NHL

The NHL season resumes Wednesday following a 20-day break for the Olympics. There are about 25 games remaining in the regular season and the playoffs start April 18.

Olympics

USA hockey dominated the headlines on the final day of the Olympics. The American men defeated Canada in overtime to win the first gold medal in hockey since the 1980 Miracle on Ice. The American women also captured gold against the Canadians. 

The US claimed 12 gold medals, the most ever by Americans in the Winter Olympics. Norway broke its own record for gold medals (18) and overall medals (41.)