When you have a love of sports, it can take over your life in a couple of ways. Trying to do anything but watching the Superbowl on Superbowl Sunday is pretty much not going to happen, and forget about scheduling a vacation when the world series is on. But did you know that a love of sports can actually help to give your career a boost?

Not only will it help you to bond with people that you wouldn’t normally associate with, but it can help in a number of job situations too. So although doing an online MBA will always be a good thing for your career, here are just a few of the reasons why being a sports fan can actually be a good thing and how it can help you to be better at what you do (proof for all of the haters that all of that TV time is justified).

Ice Breakers

In interviews, when you’ve started a new job, are working with new people, or just for dealing with clients, being able to break the ice is really important. It can put everyone at ease, and the job will get much done quicker if everyone is agreeing and seeing eye to eye. And one of the best ice breakers? Sports chat. Asking about teams or seeing who watched what game can be a good way to break the ice. If someone isn’t interested, then they won’t be interested. But for those that are, it is a great way to bond and makes things much simpler for getting your work done and having to work alongside them.

Just be wary with this one, though. If you are not interested in sport but pretend to be, it will really show with sports fans. So make sure that you are not pretending, otherwise it could have the opposite impact for your career.

Client Facing Roles

In a similar vein, breaking the ice with clients and customers can be what your business is all about. When they feel comfortable with you and are happy with what your business is all about, they are going to be much more likely to buy or join you. So being able to break the ice with your clients and customers is a vital step to business success.

Promotions

When you have something in common with the people that you are working with, it shows. You will have a much better atmosphere at work, and people will enjoy spending time with you. So where things like promotions come into play, as long as you are able to prove that you are competent at the job, people that get along with you are much more likely to want you around. So talking to people about your passions and finding out if they are a fan too, can be a good thing. Use it to your advantage when it comes to work and getting to know people. Politics and family issues can be dodgy ground at work. But sports chat is light-hearted and much more fun.