My floormates, friends, and sports

My floormates, friends, and sports

I go to college now (duh), and I have a big... problem I guess. I absolutely have no interest in sports. Normally not a big deal but at my dorm, my whole floor (well, much of the campus) is obsessed with sports, especially seeing as my school is a major basketball powerhouse (and the football team is doing okay). Problem is, it's hard to make more friends (than the ones I have back home, which is 30 minutes to the east). If I hang out exclusively with geeks (who don't like sports) and such, it'll be hard to get girls. Another thing: at my dorm your best friends are supposed to be your floormates; the corollary to this is that it is damn near impossible to really talk to other floors because they all ask "why aren't you on your floor?", give you creepy looks, and blow you off. But when all of them like sports a bit too much (and I don't), making friends with them is damn near impossible. The question is: how do I handle this situation?

Also, my roommate doesn't like sports (well, maybe likes a little bit) either, but I don't have anything in common with him either. His interests lie almost exclusively with church, playing his bass, and listening to (ska? jam band?) music like mxpx, less than jake, etc. He hangs out almost exclusively with one or two people on the floor with the exact same tastes in music. He also doesn't get any tang (or have many other friends here at all, but then again, he's from far away). The thing that helps him at least be friendly with others is his somewhat quiet, soft, sober personality (against me, the weird bombastic outgoing drunk).
Okay, so I do have at least one thing in common with at least half the floor: I drink.

Another trivial thing about my floor: we're all in this group called a living-learning community (pretty common at a lot of colleges). Now, you might think that we are a bunch of study-together hardworking types. WRONG. We're the biggest slackers at our dorm (which is the party dorm already, which says something). Our varsity drinking team is undefeated (or, not...?). We don't study together that much (a few of us do our calculus together, but I never get involved and probably should, if it's important at all). In short, all the good things promised in this thing never happened, and I'm probably more screwed because of it (thank you parents for forcing me in this worthless waste of time).

I probably should just walk to hang out in the other dorms, but all of the other dorms are a thirty minute walk up a giant hill away (no driving there, the parking cops are nazis with "wrong zone"). This brings up a good point: is it okay to just walk to other dorms/floors and just start talking to people (this late in the year), or is that considered creepy (especially considering that it's not the start of the year anymore)?

And probably the biggest question of this thread: are the first impressions mostly permanent or can I make friends with my floormates or whatever (as in "second-chance")?

 

What are you, a communist heathen?

 

Make friends with people in your classes. Chances are they don't live on your floor, so that gives you a reason to go to other floors or dorms. It's not hard- use the class as a topic of conversation. People are always willing to ***** about the professor or a test. This is also a good tactic for talking to girls. Just plan to study with someone or get an assignment done together or something, and if you get along it's not too hard to go from there.

As for the sports thing- I've always played sports, and never much cared about watching them. I'll do it if others are and enjoy it well enough, but I never make a point of it. I don't find it a big deal, even around people really into sports. First off, if you're willing to talk about it to get to know them, you really don't need to know much to join in. I peruse the sports threads here and that usually leaves me informed enough to have a conversation. A little small talk skill makes it easy to fill in the obvious information and leave it to them to fill in specifics- it makes them feel smart that they know it and if done cleverly will leave them feeling good about the conversation without ever realizing that you knew less than them. BS is quite the fine art.

If you don't want to go that route- I have yet to meet a person who talks about sports and nothing else. Get them going on what you have in common- partying. Drinking games, fav beers/drinks, girls, whatever. If you're friendly and confident people will respond to it.

The other thing I've noticed is that if people get the vibe that you feel awkward, they'll assume you have a reason to be. Be confident, act like you belong and people will assume you do. I used to have trouble fitting in and breaking into groups when I was younger. Nowadays I have no problem entering into a group and dominating the whole room. Start watching people who you see commanding attention from people and controlling the flow of conversation- they are relaxed and confident. It's a thing that takes time to learn how to do, but assuming people won't accept you is the best way to make sure most of them won't.

 

Don't you know that beer is the ultimate social lubricant? Just show up to any party that your floormates are throwing/crashing, and make friends with them that way.

Also about the sports, you may not like basketball or football but it'd be very wise to at least get to know the basics of your team. Who are the coaches, the star players, your team's ranking etc. so that you can at least sound like you know what's going on.

 

As long as he doesn't drink yours, I don't see what the problem is.

 

No, you're thinking of emu oil. Makes everyone so slick they just glide right off each other.

 

I really don't care about sports, although it seems as if everyone else around me does. If you really want to make friends that badly, then go talk to those people anyway, who cares what floor you're on?