Sports Conversation Starters for Your Workweek
Jan 04, 2026
If it's your first day back in the office after a couple weeks off for the holidays, good luck! That can be a tough re-entry and it might be tempting to ease into the awaiting emails and workload by catching up with colleagues you haven't talked to in a while (I don't blame you, by the way!)
If you're going to use small talk to delay the inevitable of cleaning out your inbox and responding to meeting requests I suggest you have a few topics at the ready, otherwise you might find yourself learning more about the family drama of co-workers than you might like.
These sports topics could do the trick.
NFL
The Las Vegas Raiders finish the season with three wins and will have the No. 1 overall pick in the draft thanks to a Giants win that pushed them to four on the season.
Cleveland's Myles Garrett set the record for most sacks in a single season with one sack Sunday in the Browns finale against Cincinnati. He finished the year with 23 surpassing Michael Strahan and T.J. Watt who previously recorded 22.5 (albeit Strahan did it in one less game before the schedules expanded to 17 games.)
Meanwhile the playoffs start next week but the Denver Broncos and Seattle Seahawks will have a bye. Both teams finished with the best records in the AFC and NFC respectively.
NCAA
Three of the four teams with first-round byes were eliminated in the quarterfinals of the College Football Playoffs. Over the last two seasons 7 of 8 teams with a bye have lost. So much for the advantage of having a bye. No. 1 Indiana is the lone exception. The semi-final matchups this weekend feature Indiana vs. No. 5 Oregon in the Peach Bowl and No. 6 Ole Miss and No. 10 Miami in the Fiesta Bowl. The winners will play for the national title.
NBA
Sacramento's Russell Westbrook surpassed Oscar Robinson to become the highest scoring point guard in NBA history. Westbrook has already posted the most triple-doubles in NBA history and sixth all-time on the career assists list.
NHL
The Buffalo Sabres winning streak ended at 10 games. It tied the longest in franchise history. The Colorado Avalanche also saw their 10-game winning streak come to an end Sunday.
