Current Events > It's official; blackballed from workplace foosball. How do I approach this?

(+) Yeah! (+)

For those unfamiliar, apparently I'm too good at foosball or something because my asshole coworkers (led by our boss of all people, so they all follow suit because they have no balls, obviously) are just refusing to let me on the table. Recap of old topics:





The second image being especially obnoxious considering it was the afternoon and I could've just gotten a jump on rush hour traffic instead of wasting my fucking time.

Anyways, now today. Guy 1 (boss), Guy 2 (boss' go-to), Guy 3, and I are all sitting around shooting the shit. Guy 4 is eating, Guy 5 is out running errands or something. So it's just the four of us. 12:15. Perfect foosball time.

There's a lull in the conversation. I say, "foos?" Guy 1 (boss) shrugs and nonchalantly says "nah, not really feelin' it." Other two have no balls (and are obviously in on this "scheme" so they say nothing, even after I suggest finding a 4th). Fine, maybe they haven't gotten lunch or something and were about to go out. Whatever, people need food. Not a big deal.

So I go back to my desk, and literally (and I'm not misusing that word) 90 seconds later, I hear guy 1 (boss, the one who also said he wasn't feeling it,) say "ready?" and the shuffling of everyone into the foosball room, and the game begins. So here I am, relegated to actually sitting at my desk, isolated, ranting on a message board about pieces of shit who, for whatever petty-ass reason, can't be bothered to play a game of mother fucking foosball with me.

Jesus fucking christ.

Meanwhile the bottom line of the first image still applies, where I can't say anything about it or I'll sound like a kid who didn't get picked to play four-square or some shit. WHICH IS IRONIC IN ITSELF because for something as silly as workplace foosball, that they would go so far to orchestrate this whole scheme to keep me off the table.
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Maybe it's not about your skill level but because you take it much too seriously.
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Foosball is for the devil

you have 2 options:

1) challenge boss to 1 on 1 game of foosball, winner gets table rights, loser can never play again.

2) dress up as a girl and use your name + -ina at the end. I.e. Bob becomes Bobina, Chad becomes Chadina. Then start playing foosball under your new name.

source: 80s movies
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Anteaterking posted...

Maybe it's not about your skill level but because you take it much too seriously.

It's not that. Guy 3 is FAR more intense, to the point of being obnoxious on occasion. I'm just a fairweather player whose talent is similar to everyone else's.

AlternativeFAQS posted...

Foosball is for the devil

According to Community, yes.

KILBOTz posted...

you have 2 options:

1) challenge boss to 1 on 1 game of foosball, winner gets table rights, loser can never play again.

2) dress up as a girl and use your name + -ina at the end. I.e. Bob becomes Bobina, Chad becomes Chadina. Then start playing foosball under your new name.

source: 80s movies

I'd rather do #2 because 1 on 1 foosball is just sad
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Muffinz0rz posted...

According to Community, yes.

I thought that was according to Mrs. Boucher.
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Maybe you stop taking a knee when the anthem is played.
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complain about it on CE
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Muffinz0rz posted...

'd rather do #2 because 1 on 1 foosball is just sad

You know what to do then, muffina
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KILBOTz posted...

Muffinz0rz posted...

According to Community, yes.

I thought that was according to Mrs. Boucher.

I don't know who that is

Were_Wyrm posted...

Maybe you stop taking a knee when the anthem is played.

I actually stand because I don't like sitting down all day

Kaname_Madoka posted...

complain about it on CE

Hell yeah

If they're going to fuck around on company time then so am I
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Muffinz0rz posted...

KILBOTz posted...Muffinz0rz posted...According to Community, yes. I thought that was according to Mrs. Boucher.I don't know who that is

Bobby Boucher's mother from The Waterboy
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KILBOTz posted...

Muffinz0rz posted...

KILBOTz posted...Muffinz0rz posted...According to Community, yes. I thought that was according to Mrs. Boucher.I don't know who that is

Bobby Boucher's mother from The Waterboy

Oh

I haven't seen that in a long time
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Even more bullshit is my boss' schedule

He shows up at 1030 because his boss doesn't come to the office often so he makes liberal use of that.

"Works" from 1030-11, then comes out to shoot the shit with his workplace BFF for an hour

Foosball from 12-1, then lunch + eating in the break room watching TV until ~2

"Works" for another hour

Comes out again around 3 to shoot the shit with aforementioned BFF, then foosball again at 4

Meanwhile I'm the one getting robbed
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Me seeing @Asherlee10 's deleted post


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It's fucking humiliating too when I ask and they refuse. Anyone else asks and it's an instant "yeah!" but I ask and it's "nahh" or worse off, literally no response because they're probably under orders from the boss not to play with me, but they feel too bad straight up refusing.
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it's either because you take it way too seriously or you're not fun to play with

and people usually aren't fun to play with when they take it way too seriously
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Guerrilla Soldier posted...

it's either because you take it way too seriously or you're not fun to play with

and people usually aren't fun to play with when they take it way too seriously

I guarantee you that isn't the case. As I said above, guy 3 is far worse to play with. Not only is he probably the best, but he shit-talks far more than anyone else does, and we keep it pretty tame.
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Sabotage the foosball table when nobody is looking

Are those the only people you can play with? You should start an exclusive foosball club and then they'll be sorry.
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Whats your company doing that you guys can afford so much spare time?
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Pitlord_Special posted...

Sabotage the foosball table when nobody is looking

That's actually not a bad idea, maybe hide the balls or some shit. Problem is there are cameras so if they legit might check them lmao

iron jojo posted...

Are those the only people you can play with? You should start an exclusive foosball club and then they'll be sorry.

I mean the point of foosball is that it's to kill time at work, I'm not gonna go use my free time on foosball when I could just be home doing fuckall

DarthTyrannus83 posted...

Whats your company doing that you guys can afford so much spare time?

Sales

We're just a tiny satellite office so we're way off the radar
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man I really can't imagine this happening to me as an adult

seems really sad, I'm sorry dude
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Maybe just get a Playstation, or a real damn ball and practice keep-ups if youre into soccer or some ****. With freedom like that you can customize your office time pretty well i believe.
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Balrog0 posted...

man I really can't imagine this happening to me as an adult

seems really sad, I'm sorry dude

It actually is sad. Like even it happening to a kid is sad, but having it happen as an adult is even sadder; not just sad for me that it's happening to me, but sad that these fucks are so shallow and/or insecure that they can't be bothered to include someone (who has been in on many games since we got the table, so it's not like they don't think I enjoy playing or some shit) in some misguided attempt to, what, "prank" me?

It's sad as an adult because the kid can go cry about it and the teachers/parents might fix it, but if I say anything about it as an adult, I'll ostracize myself even further.

It's pathetic on both sides, really, but I pity my boss and his insecurities for being the one to orchestrate this whole thing.

DarthTyrannus83 posted...

Maybe just get a Playstation, or a real damn ball and practice keep-ups if youre into soccer or some ****. With freedom like that you can customize your office time pretty well i believe.

The only thing sadder than being the 5th wheel and being alone at my desk is sitting in the corner by myself attempting to have fun and hide the fact that I'm being blatantly disregarded.
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You sound like you take it way too seriously and/or rub it in their faces when you win. Nobody likes people like that. I don't blame any of them for not wanting to play with you.
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Muffinz if your co-workers are blackballing you from table soccer you are probably not as fun to play with as you think

However they are rude af for doing that
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Kajagogo posted...

You sound like you take it way too seriously and/or rub it in their faces when you win. Nobody likes people like that. I don't blame any of them for not wanting to play with you.

Either this or something else that's going on outside of foosball that you're not telling us.
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Kajagogo posted...

You sound like you take it way too seriously and/or rub it in their faces when you win. Nobody likes people like that. I don't blame any of them for not wanting to play with you.

I know there's no way for me to convey the atmosphere over text, but I assure you, there is a line of shit-talking and it is done by both sides and I have never crossed or even come close to it. Mainly because my boss and guy 3 generally play together, so I generally lose 3 of 4 games anyways.

I do remember the last time I played, guy 5 and I beat guys 1 and 2 in a best of three set, and they were exceptionally butthurt that day, and that's when this all seems to have begun.

But again, I don't go around calling my boss "butthurt" or anything. The farthest I'll go is exactly where he'll go, which is like "man, that was too easy" or something tame like that.

Doctor Foxx posted...

Muffinz if your co-workers are blackballing you from table soccer you are probably not as fun to play with as you think

However they are rude af for doing that

bover_87 posted...

Either this or something else that's going on outside of foosball that you're not telling us.

Same as above.

All I have is my word on this, but I blend in with all of them perfectly. I don't cross any lines or talk shit any more than they do. Nobody's ever been hurt by the shittalk here anyways in the 1+ years of having the table, so there's no reason it'd suddenly start now.
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Just because they win, and just because you are buds, does not mean you are fun to play with

There might be more stuff going on though
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Sabotage the workplace in a piecemeal fashion with passive aggressive statements left behind detailing your supremacy in foosball written on torn pizza boxes.
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Maybe they just don't like you.
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masticatingman posted...

Sabotage the workplace in a piecemeal fashion with passive aggressive statements left behind detailing your supremacy in foosball written on torn pizza boxes.

Lol, again, workplace cameras

lubmelubyou posted...

Maybe they just don't like you.

It wouldn't surprise me if this was the case, but again, after over a year of playing, there's no reason they would suddenly dislike me out of the blue. I haven't changed a bit, neither have they.

Secondly, even if that was the case, that's not a healthy workplace attitude to have. When you see these people for 40 hours a week, you're going to have to deal with them. And yes, they will notice when you are a dick to them (as evidenced ITT after like, 1+ weeks of this nonsense)
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These sorts of things always happen for a reason. Doesn't necessarily mean the reason is a good one, and it doesn't mean that reason is your fault, but there's clearly a reason. So you'll pardon me if I'm rather skeptical of this topic.
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bover_87 posted...

These sorts of things always happen for a reason. Doesn't necessarily mean the reason is a good one, and it doesn't mean that reason is your fault, but there's clearly a reason. So you'll pardon me if I'm rather skeptical of this topic.

I've given as much detail as I have; I'm happy to answer any further questions to help ease your skepticism.

The tl;dr of it is, my boss is likely orchestrating some bullshit to keep me off the table, and all the goons are eating it up because he's their boss and they don't have the spine to refuse or tell me because it's "soooo funny"

Please ask anything you feel would help me shed some more light
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The situation is crappy but your options out are somewhat limited. You can confront them, which while direct would be misconstrued as petty. That is, however, the upfront, admirable option.

Alternatively, if you want to take a darker route, learn sleight of hand and turn your attention to simple sabotage. There's a manual from '44 that has a number of interesting options to a mind so inclined...but again, this is the real petty option.

And if neither of those floats your boat, then you've just gotta muscle up and ignore those jerks. It only reflects poorly on them. Find your own, better thing!
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yeah I mean it reminds me of my friends who work at walmart and have to deal with highschool-level drama all the time

only they actually work with highschool kids so it kinda makes sense
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Muffinz0rz posted...

The tl;dr of it is, my boss is likely orchestrating some bullshit to keep me off the table, and all the goons are eating it up because he's their boss and they don't have the spine to refuse or tell me because it's "soooo funny"

depending on the office that is very possibly a solution. I would schedule a meeting with the manager and ask what is going on. Say it is making you feel like you are not a valued member of the team and don't understand what you did to change this behavior.

Just because someone is a manager doesn't mean they always make good personnel decisions. Don't be angry, be calm and ask the source.
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KILBOTz posted...

Muffinz0rz posted...

The tl;dr of it is, my boss is likely orchestrating some bullshit to keep me off the table, and all the goons are eating it up because he's their boss and they don't have the spine to refuse or tell me because it's "soooo funny"

depending on the office that is very possibly a solution. I would schedule a meeting with the manager and ask what is going on. Say it is making you feel like you are not a valued member of the team and don't understand what you did to change this behavior.

Just because someone is a manager doesn't mean they always make good personnel decisions. Don't be angry, be calm and ask the source.

I guess, I mean as much as I want to take the direct approach, that's just going to suck the fun out of the game for everyone; whenever they plan a game, they'll feel obligated to get me, at which point, at the table, it won't be as fun because in the back of their minds, they're like "man we could be playing with guy 4 instead." -- basically, it's like the kid who is left out of a game, runs and tells the teacher, and the teacher says to the other kids, "include him in your game!" -- yeah I'll be playing, but nobody's gonna be happy about it. Myself included.

Anyways lmao y'all gonna love this, I'm getting a better grasp on what exactly the ploy is.

So around 410, prime foosball time, guy 3 messages me on the office skype asking to play. I go sure. I walk over to his desk. "We got two more?" I ask. He kinda nonchalantly says guys 1 and 2 are on their way, implying that he messaged them as well. I sit there for a minute on my phone. Shortly after, guys 1 and 2 walk over, I look up and hop off the table. "Ready?" I ask to guy 1. He blatantly and 100% straight up ignores me, asks to guy 3, the guy who messaged me over, "hey we got a fourth? Maybe guy 4 or 5?" as he gestures to the desks behind ours.

Guy 3 (remember the guy who is way serious about the game, says shit to his teammate like "maybe you should try blocking the shots") doesn't break stride for a moment, saying "yeah I'll go grab guy 4," playing right along like the puppet he is to the boss. Guy 3 goes out of his way to grab guy 4, meanwhile I'm standing right there, arms raised in a questioning manner, saying "am I not playing then?" -- No response from any of them; guys 1 2 and 3 walk right past me, no eye contact whatsoever, to the break room. So, again, being a professional, I calmly walk back to my desk and sit down

Fortunately, guy 4 asks if I want to sub in (whether out of pity or out of ignorance of our boss' plan, I don't know - I think it's the latter tbh, as he's never shown any signs of being "in on it" in terms of his responses to anything foosball related). I thank him and go into the break room, still feigning ignorance of their bullshit, saying "Guy 4 asked me to sub in, he's got some stuff to do" and walk to the open spot. They were silent, all expecting Guy 1 to say something, but the look of what I'm calling "intentional apathy" (going out of his way to ignore me) on his face said plenty. Nevertheless, a game with me is better than no game, I guess, so we played.

Game was fine, I was attempting to watch every word I said, check every mannerism, and see what the fuck may have changed. And I couldn't find a damn thing.

So, at the very least, I know he's playing the "pretend he's invisible" game, which says to me my boss is approximately seven years old.

Good stuff.
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Tell them to fucking git gud
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This sounds like an episode of Workaholics or something

Muffinz0rz posted...

I mean the point of foosball is that it's to kill time at work, I'm not gonna go use my free time on foosball when I could just be home doing fuckall

Ah no I meant at work and then rule the table.
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You have to act in a way that allows you to win multiple games across time

Being a tyrant will allow short term victory, but to be invited back, you have to let them win too.

You see this with rats. The smaller rat will invite the larger rat (a 10% difference in size allows the larger rat to win every time) to wrestle, but the larger rat has to let the small rat win about 30% of the time, or they won't be invited back.

It's why you don't beat your kid in basketball every time. You have to give them a little serotonin rush from victory to keep them coming back.

Couple of possibilities:

Your boss is a time traveller, and prevents you from playing foosball to protect the future. Skynet probably just activated after that last game.

The Reverse Flash is trying to ruin your life.

You're living the plot of a Goosebumps book and your boss is an angry ghost that haunts the table. If you burn the table he'll move on to the afterlife and youll be free. But as the credits begin to roll guy 2 will look at the camera and have glowing eyes and creepy laughter. Freeze frame. The end.
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FursonaNonGrata posted...

This sounds like an episode of Workaholics or something

I'd be getting paid more, that's for sure

iron jojo posted...

Muffinz0rz posted...

I mean the point of foosball is that it's to kill time at work, I'm not gonna go use my free time on foosball when I could just be home doing fuckall

Ah no I meant at work and then rule the table.

I would, but unfortunately it's a tiny office with ~15 people, and there are only 6-7 of us who actually play. The other half have zero interest in the game.

Romes187 posted...

You have to act in a way that allows you to win multiple games across time

Being a tyrant will allow short term victory, but to be invited back, you have to let them win too.

You see this with rats. The smaller rat will invite the larger rat (a 10% difference in size allows the larger rat to win every time) to wrestle, but the larger rat has to let the small rat win about 30% of the time, or they won't be invited back.

It's why you don't beat your kid in basketball every time. You have to give them a little serotonin rush from victory to keep them coming back.

I guess, but I'm not always winning. If anything, I lose more than I win, but it's not so excessively often that people would be like "ugh I hate having Muffinz0rz because we always lose"

I truly think win rate has nothing to do with it. If it did, I'd be on there all the time because guys 1 and 3 relish winning so much that they would love to have me as their opponent.

AlisLandale posted...

Couple of possibilities:

Your boss is a time traveller, and prevents you from playing foosball to protect the future. Skynet probably just activated after that last game.

The Reverse Flash is trying to ruin your life.

You're living the plot of a Goosebumps book and your boss is an angry ghost that haunts the table. If you burn the table he'll move on to the afterlife and youll be free. But as the credits begin to roll guy 2 will look at the camera and have glowing eyes and creepy laughter. Freeze frame. He was the real ghost and boss was the hapless subordinate who took the fall. The end.

sounds about right
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Got called on at lunch because guy 3 was out and guy 5 was eating

Guy 1 (boss) even had me as his partner and we had a lit 3-games series

I wonder if he legit felt guilty about the "pretend he's invisible" game yesterday, though I'm pretty sure I was just called on because it was better than waiting for someone who just started eating to finish
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God this is just dumb

I heard guy 3 come over and ask guy 4 if he was ready to play (while guys 1 and 2 were talking nearby). Guy 4 says he's got some thing to do and gave an estimate of ~5 minutes (which is bullshit in itself because if you'll recall, these are the guys who won't fucking wait ten seconds between matches if the other team isn't there when the first game wraps up).

Hearing this, I wait roughly 60 seconds before going up to go to the bathroom, thinking maybe they'll tag me in since guy 4 is busy. As I do, guy 4 sees me walk past asks if I want to sub in, as he thinks he has more stuff to do than 5 minutes' worth. Great, I think. So I go pee and come back and tell guys 1-3 that I was tagged in. They collectively groan, guy 1 sarcastically/not sarcastically says to guy 2, "I was hoping we wouldn't have to play with him." I sarcastically shrug my shoulders. They sit there for a few more seconds, kinda pondering having to play with me again.

Just as guy 2 begins to stand up from his computer and we start moving, guy four, the one who supposedly had too much to do, walks up to the group and says "we doing this?" Naturally guys 1 and 3 are like "yup let's go!" and leave me to dejectedly walk back to my desk.

Who the fuck does that? Who the fuck tags a guy in and then changes his mind?

Guy 4 got up in like, two minutes, a.k.a the amount of time between him asking if I wanted to tag in and the time it took for me to get back from peeing. So his "5 minutes" estimate was way off. But still, you don't fucking do that.
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TC seems like a buzz kill
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Saquon--Barkley posted...

TC seems like a buzz kill

Holy shit a post that didn't have the word Kaepernick in it
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Saquon--Barkley posted...

TC seems like a buzz kill

how is he a buzzkill for wanting to play a game and everyone around him refusing to play with him? that's not what a buzzkill is, that's the opposite of a buzzkill.