Ever feel left out of the conversation at work? Ladies, you know what I’m talkin’ about. You pass by the water cooler and the gathering of male co-workers is in a heated debate over whether Ladainian Tomlinson or Adrian Peterson should be the first pick of this year’s fantasy football draft while you’re left thinking to yourself, “Doesn’t Lebron Tomlinson play basketball?” Don’t worry; you’re not the only one.

It’s an age-old problem; for the most part, men love sports and women tend not to share the same face painting, heart stopping, rage-inducing passion for what they view as children’s games. Well I’d like to give some pointers to you Generation Y Women on how to better relate to your male co-workers, and the guys in your personal life, through sports.

We know that career advancement is not all about work, work, and more work. It’s as much about building relationships as it is about work ethic. You’ve got to be able to string together a five-minute discussion during a break with a fellow employee or, more importantly, a boss, if you want to be the first person looked at when that big promotion pops up.

I can’t imagine it feels too good to be amongst a group of males at work with a range of little to nothing to talk to them about besides the constant paper jam. Kind of like being a guy in a nail salon, I guess. Luckily, this doesn’t have to be you any longer.

Here is a short list of Do’s and Don’ts to live by if you want to give off the impression that you have half a clue about the wonderful (but male dominated) fanatical world of sports.

Don’t start a conversation with a line like, “So that Tom Brady is really something, huh?” You need some sort of follow-up response because anyone who knows a thing about sports will know who Tom Brady is and that he’s great. We seriously don’t need you telling us about it.

Do say something simple like, “Brady really lit up the Jets this week.” As long as the information is right and you have some follow up material, this would be a great conversation starter. A perfect follow-up line could be “Their pass D is garbage!” Your goal is to sound somewhat knowledgeable, not to sound like you are aimlessly trying to get our attention and talk to us about something other than the smell seeping out of that IT guy who comes in once a week. Click here to learn what "pass D" (pass defense) is (and lots of other American football tactics), and start practicing phrases like “lit up.” (Hint: it means Brady played really well)

Don’t sit down and watch one minute of SportsCenter and try to have a full conversation about the little piece of information you absorbed. Those of us who like sports probably watch at least an hour of SportsCenter per day (I know, I know….Get a life) and we will expose your severe lack of knowledge. We won’t intend to make you feel stupid, but you’ll probably end up feeling that way anyway.

Do go on espn.com for about fifteen minutes and read a couple of headlines and stories so you have some idea of the important things happening that day. Sports are ever changing. That’s what makes sports beautiful, yet extremely difficult to follow. Ya know, unless you are insane like me. Oh, and have no life. Yep, just like me too.

Don’t turn down invitations to participate in the office athletic activities. I’ll let you in on a little secret – most guys suck at softball, golf, basketball or whatever other IM leagues exist. They just think they’re good!

Do take golf lessons. Learning to play golf at this point in your life, especially if you learn to play it well, will open just as many doors as your college diploma. I’m not kidding. If you’re good, the guys in the office will always want you to come with them on golf outings with clients or bosses. It’s not a male thing, it’s a sport thing. So go ahead and play with the guys.

Don’t attend a company sports outing wearing professional, office-appropriate clothing. It’s called office-appropriate for a reason. Put in some effort. You know you wouldn’t like us showing up to a fancy dinner dressed in jeans and a t-shirt, so don’t show up to a baseball game in high heels and a blouse.

Do look up Alyssa Milano’s new sports clothing line called Touch. It’s kind of expensive, but it looks nice, and we will be way more willing to talk sports with you at the game. Your goal should be to feel like part of the group rather than just the person sitting there eating a hot dog. So grab a beer, sit back, root for the home team, and have a good time.

If you follow these simple dos and don’ts, you will be well on your way to fitting in where you never thought you could – the popular world of office sports talk.

In the coming weeks I’ll be giving more do’s and don’ts and some quick tips for the best sports conversations at work, or even with your boyfriend. Here are few options for getting sports conversations started this week:

1. Behind the Scenes with Michael Phelps

2. U.S. Romps Over Germany in Olympic Men's Basketball

3. Splitsville: Dissecting Favre and the Packers