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Oh, I mean it's not a reason to leave the job or anything like that. I have a good rapport with them in general, even though I'm not into sports. They probably just don't bother with me because it's not something we have in common. But they still treat me nicely and they're approachable and all that.
When I am talking with co-workers one of my usual subjects is the ballett. However none of the male co-workers can give me any feedback and they gradually walk away. Also I talk about the ballett with the women workers and they are fascinated with the subject.
The other male co-orkers are then drawn into the ballett centered conversation and listen very carefully. They like to be with the women in my conversation group and the women resent this because of the stares they get from the men who are only there to be close to the women.
Otherwise I get nowhere with any male centered conversation which focuses on gymnastics, ballett, theater, poetry, drama, music. etc. Ballett stars are considered the heroes of the performing media very much more than are soccer players.
Has anyone else ever felt like they were not "part of the club" in the workplace for not being into sports? I have, and I think it's absolutely ridiculous and discriminatory.
At my current place of work, all the guys are MADLY obsessed with fantasy football. These are full grown men with kids, aged over 35. Now, I don't have a problem with them being interested in sports and enjoying it. But, ever since they found out that I'm not a sports guy, they basically never care to strike a conversation with me, ever. I even had one guy automatically assume that I'm gay, when he found out that I wasn't into sports. Granted, he was correct (I'm gay), but still....it just goes to show how they think. They're not mean to me or anything. They are still friendly and all. But they just never care to talk with me, etc., because I am not into sports.
I think it's ridiculous.
I don't like sports either. Nobody that I've ever met cares. Also, no one has ever assumed that I'm gay (and I'm not).
Location: The Northeast - hoping one day the Northwest!
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Ohmygod, at my last job there in my department I swear it was like listening to Sports Center, there was this group of guys (early to mid 20's) and sports is ALL they would talk about when it wasn't work related.
Sure, granted I am a female, and I do like sports a little bit, more so to watch, not a full fledge 30 min conversation (more like hey guess who's in first) but I never had a problem talking w/ them.
Of course they have other interests too, which I'm sure your coworkers do too, so I suggest that you need to find more common ground rather than sports. Maybe you guys both really like the same movies or traveling. So many different hobbies.
Common interests and company culture are incredibly awkward. I'm still not sure how to deal with them at times. At one place I worked, all talk centered around pickup trucks and guns, neither of which I'm into. And of course, at many, talk will center around the NFL, the NBA, NHL, MLB, etc. I don't watch sports either, so whenever the subject of "how about that game?" comes up, I don't have much to say. I usually know who's in the Superbowl the week OF the Superbowl.
Fortunately, I have other interests that usually seem to line up. For instance, in my new male-centered workplace, everyone likes beer. I make beer, so I can always comment on that. A few are casual cyclists, so I can always talk about that. One person, I found out is really into outdoors activities and visiting national parks, so that's a common ground for us. From the amount of comic book stuff around the office, I've figured out that's also a very safe topic. So while I don't think it's a good idea to pretend to like watching sports when you don't, I think there's always some kind of common interest you can eventually find.
Oh, I mean it's not a reason to leave the job or anything like that. I have a good rapport with them in general, even though I'm not into sports. They probably just don't bother with me because it's not something we have in common. But they still treat me nicely and they're approachable and all that.
Based on this I don't see that you're being alienated. You just feel left out of the conversation because you're not into sports.
It's okay to inject a comment or question every now and again, just to show you're part of the group. Ignoring the conversation completely may make you seem disinterested in them, instead of just the conversation.
Has anyone else ever felt like they were not "part of the club" in the workplace for not being into sports? I have, and I think it's absolutely ridiculous and discriminatory.
At my current place of work, all the guys are MADLY obsessed with fantasy football. These are full grown men with kids, aged over 35. Now, I don't have a problem with them being interested in sports and enjoying it. But, ever since they found out that I'm not a sports guy, they basically never care to strike a conversation with me, ever. I even had one guy automatically assume that I'm gay, when he found out that I wasn't into sports. Granted, he was correct (I'm gay), but still....it just goes to show how they think. They're not mean to me or anything. They are still friendly and all. But they just never care to talk with me, etc., because I am not into sports.
I think it's ridiculous.
I am not gay but that "question" came up when I told my co-workers I didn't enjoy watching sports. It was funny.
A bunch of the guys are sitting around talking about football. One of them knows I don't care about it at all so he says " X (me) doesn't know anything about football, he has to be gay". I replied " Let's see. You spend all day fawning over other adult men that play a childrens game. You spend all weekenbd glued to the TV watching other men in tight white trousers grab eachother. You approve of men slapping eachother on the buttocks and even buy shirts with your favorite mans name on it. Now, WHO is gay?
Yes, he got a shade of red that was unusual for him.
Sometimes it might help to know about a subject not because you like it but because it makes for a conversation.
For example I could care less about pop culture and celebrities or sports for that matter. But I'd have no issue skimming though USA Today to get a gist of some things. The reality is I rather read Foreign Affairs, The Economist, WSJ and Barrons.
Same if I'm in another country or meet someone from another. German? I'll ask about the Love Parade and Octoberfest. Quebec? Ask them what they do on Jean Baptiste Day. Chinese or Korean ask where they go for winter and summer festivals. For something domestic pretty much all cities have a tv affiliate and their websites can be found in seconds. Same with newspapers.
My workplace is like that to. But I don't socialize with the co-workers really. I just clock in, do my work, clock out. That's it. You can find people with similar interests outside of work.
i often find that cab drivers or eating establishments make small talk revolving around sports which is annoying since im not into talking about sports. but since i have now a good alibi (cancer treatment) I just say i haven't been following teams as my life has changed and i don't care about it anymore. then the topic changes to better things
I only like baseball and i find it good to just go to a game but not to gab about it
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