You do not need to know who hit a walk-off home run 59 years ago to win a World Series game for his team.

You do not even need to know how to keep track of fantasy points for whatever league the situation calls for.

But you should probably have an idea of what teams are good, or if you are from a sports-heavy city, you should probably know how the teams there are doing.

This brings to memory a funny video from three years ago when the Chicago Cubs made their historic World Series run.

A reporter went out and interviewed fans on the streets of Chicago about what it was like to see the Cubs doing so well, since they had the chance to win their first Series in 108 years.

One supposed fan said it was great to see a Chicago team doing so well since none of the Chicago teams had any recent success.

The reporter said, “What about the Blackhawks?”

The fan was befuddled when the reporter then added that the Blackhawks won three Stanley Cup titles in five years (2010, 2013, 2015).

Do not be like that befuddled fan.

Sports do not have to be your thing and that is totally OK.

I personally hate politics and hate when people shove it in my face, but I still make sure to know what the most important names and things are within politics.

Knowing just the simple things could help in a variety of situations.

You are out on a date and after explaining your interests, they say they love sports and, specifically, the Cubs, for example.

If they get excited talking about the Cubs and ask, “They’re doing really good this year, who is your favorite player?” you need to have an answer ready.

Falling back to trying to lie or say some random name could land you in hot water. It happens on television all the time.

Now, I am not saying that it would be right for them to leave because you cannot answer that question: be truthful in that scenario.

But just knowing the big names in each league and the big teams, or what teams won a championship recently, will go a long way.

Some employers even ask you things like that when interviewing for a job because they want to know if you are an informed person.

So, you do not need to be a historian or statistician, but know the basics of sports.

Dillan Schorfheide is a junior journalism major. He can be reached at 581-2812 or [email protected].