Should you talk about sports in a job interview?

We've all heard about the three major topics to avoid in the workplace in general - politics, religion, and you-know-what.  Inherently this should apply in a job interview as well.  But what about the topic of sports?  There are so many directions that it could go that it could possibly be considered controversial.  It could spiral into talking about gambling, consumption of alcohol, and much more that has nothing to do with one's ability to perform a job.

So how do you approach the topic, if at all, during the course of a job interview?  I have a few ideas and decided to make it another week of dos and don'ts to provide a few guidelines.

Do make it interesting and unique.  How many of you knew the story behind the baseball in my photo this week for the blog?  It is the ball that Kyle Schwarber of the Chicago Cubs hit out of the park for a home run in the series against the Cardinals.  The Cubs decided to leave it there, enshrine it for the postseason, and hope it provides some good luck.  Talking about something like this does not take you into the rabbit hole of past misery as a longtime Cubs' fan.  It is almost more of a human interest story and can be intriguing to anyone, including someone who isn't a Cubs' fan.

Don't make it personal.  You could bring up this same story about Schwarber's ball and immediately complain about Steve Bartman from 2003.  Or how the umps were terrible in Game 1 of the NLCS.  Or how the Cubs are doomed this year after a hot start.  Then the conversation becomes about you instead of the story.  And you're not looking to go into any in-depth conversations with these discussions.  Instead it should be more of an ice-breaker or quick topic.

Do bring up past sports' accomplishments if relevant.  If you have been on any kind of sports team you could likely point to teamwork, working toward a common goal, accomplishing that goal, learning in defeat, and much more.  Companies want to hire motivated employees that know how to work on a team, even during tough times.

Don't dwell in the past.  While many good attributes of athletics and sports can translate into success in the workplace, it isn't always 100% correlation.  If all you're looking to do is re-tell a story about how you threw four touchdowns in the state championship game or once won a basketball tournament in eighth grade where you were the MVP it may begin to look like you are just boasting.  And possibly have even lost a step since then.  You always want to look forward and incorporate how what you learned will help in the future.

Do ask questions and LISTEN to what teams a hiring authority may cheer for.  If you allow them to open the door about a particular topic, you may be able to share a memory or a thought.  The critical part here is to be doing a lot more listening than talking.  If you find out this person cheers for your team's arch rival, you may not want to continue with the dialogue.  It could bring out some bad blood.

Don't assume a person cheers for a team because of geography.  Again, to my last point, if you ask some good questions you may find out that someone who grew up on the East Coast still cheers for someone they liked on the West Coast from their childhood.  I have a colleague here at Capstone who cheers for the Yankees and Jets.  Why, you may ask?  Because her dad was a die-hard fan and growing up that is all she heard about.

Lastly, like anything in life, everything in moderation.  Gauge your audience and use the sports' topic to your advantage if you can, but don't rely upon it too much.  It should be a tool in a much larger tool bag that you can pull out if necessary, or leave in the bag for another day.