New York Lawyer
December 26, 2002

Q:
I have been encouraged by my colleagues to play on a sports team for an apparently non-competitive, just-for-fun game. While I welcome the opportunity to meet new people, the plain truth is that I am very bad at sports. Any kind of sport. I always have been.

The first impression I would leave with people on the team is that I can't play -- a fact which they may (not necessarily intentionally) hold against me.

What should I do?

Submit Your Question

Find More Answers

A:

Many people cringe at the thought of displaying their laughable athletic abilities before co-workers. But the fact is that playing sports within legal workplaces is widespread and, ideally, a great way to interact with colleagues and get to know people. And those informal relationships can, of course, lead over time to even more things -- better case assignments, advancements, you name it. So if you can join in and don�t suffer too much, it�s a worthwhile thing to do. Sometimes there are even client teams to play (although a prudent firm might be expected to lose gracefully in those situations).

Excelling at sports within a work environment can distinguish you, properly or not. (In Cameron Stracher�s account of working with a large law firm, Double Billing, he pulls himself out of obscurity -- and wins praise from partners -- not with excellent legal work but by winning a running race.) And of course there�s a gender dimension to this question. You don�t mention if you�re male or female, but there probably remain fewer expectations that women will want to (or subtly be required to) participate in sports events than men. (However, both men and women can gain fame in their workplaces with stellar performances.)

I�d say you need to gauge how casual and "fun" the sports in your workplace actually is. Sometimes these games really are noncompetitive and just an excuse to run around and bond together. The players are more interested in having people get together and have fun than in proving their slam-dunking prowess. Or, even if some cut-throat folks are involved, there might be enough laid back types and a sufficiently tolerant atmosphere that there isn�t too much pressure on lame players. Other times the participants are deadly serious, unforgiving of those who can�t dribble to save their lives. I�d ask someone who�s involved how competitive your colleagues get. If they�re overly intense I�d suggest you bag it. It puts too much unnecessary strain on you.

Here are some tips. If you decide to go out (a good idea since you were specifically invited to do so), maneuver things so you�re playing inconspicuous positions that require less skill and interaction. Play right field in baseball and not short stop or center field; in basketball, guard an opposing player who�s also not superstar material. If you decide not to play, tell those who harangue you to shoot hoops with them that it�s not your thing, but that you�ll be happy to watch them play as a spectator and go out drinking with them afterwards.

Also, be assured that there are lots of other ways to bring yourself to people�s attention so you fulfill the "informal networking" requirement without subjecting yourself to social agony. Consult the myriad marketing and networking manuals out there to get some ideas that are more consonant with your own personality.

Sincerely,
Holly English
Principal Consultant, Values at Work