Sports Conversation Starters for Your Workweek

The few remaining Christmas gifts I need to purchase are stressing me out. I want them to be thoughtful and well received. And I while I want the people I love to have gifts to unwrap (because that’s part of the holiday fun) I also know the gift of time and presence is more important.

It doesn’t take holiday to give people time. You can do that in everyday conversations and the small talk that tends to get overlooked. Treat it like a gift of your time and presence and you’ll change the interactions this week.

If you don’t know where to start here are a few sports topics to get the ball rolling. 

NFL

There were a number of consequential games and injuries in the NFL Sunday, including the Kansas City Chiefs loss to the LA Chargers. The loss ended the Chiefs post-season chances and ended a 10-year streak of making the playoffs, the longest streak by any team across the "Big 4" sports. The Chiefs also lost quarterback Patrick Mahomes to a ACL injury that will require surgery and means he could miss the start of next season.

NCAA

Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza won the Heisman Trophy given to the top player in college football. He's the first Heisman winner in school history. Quarterbacks have won the award four of the last five years. 

I'm also keeping an eye on the Montana/Montana State FCS semifinal game this week. It's already one of the best rivalries in college football and they're the top two remaining seeds in the bracket. When these teams played in the regular season, Montana State won a thriller.  

NBA

The NBA Cup Championship takes place Tuesday in Las Vegas the San Antonio Spurs and New York Knicks will battle for the top-prize. The Spurs advanced to the championship game by beating Oklahoma City and handing the Thunder just their second loss of the season. The defending champions are now 25-2 this season. That's 25 wins and 2 losses. They could also set a new NBA record for wins in a season that currently belongs to Golden State with 73 wins in the 2015-16 season. 

NHL

The Vancouver Canucks own the worst record in the NHL and traded superstar defenseman Quinn Hughes last week to the Minnesota Wild. The blockbuster deal sent three players to Vancouver as well as a first round pick. The deal signals where both teams are in the season. Vancouver is in a rebuild while the Wild want to win now.