Bracket distraction: Workplaces lose big during tournament

The NCAA basketball tournament marks one of the largest productivity losses for American employers, including a few in Summit

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BY ASHLEY DICKSON
summit daily news
Summit County, CO Colorado
March 26, 2008

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SUMMIT COUNTY — It’s no secret that we Americans love our sporting events. Sports aficionados anxiously await the arrival of the Superbowl, the Olympics, All-star games, and playoffs like unofficial holidays that require undivided attention from viewers.

Yet the pinnacle of the American sports obsession comes during the month of March when the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament takes center stage.

According to the consulting firm Challenger, Gray and Christmas, the tournament generates an estimated $1.2 billion in productivity loss, marking one of the largest losses for American employers.

The $1.2 billion is based on the assumption that 22.9 million employees, which makes up 20 percent of the workforce, will spend an average of at least 13 minutes a day following the games both online and on television.

Since 1982 CBS has held the broadcasting rights to the NCAA tournament and now with free online broadcasts of all the games it is becoming easier to watch a lot of the action right in the office.

Given many of the games early on in the tournament are played during the workday rather than at night, watching the games online is a crafty alternative to calling in sick.

Local resident Andrew Lawrence is hesitant to admit how much of his day is spent keeping up with tournament results. An avid sports fan, Lawrence tries to maintain focus while doing work in the office but still keeps the CBS sports website as his home page.

“I have to admit, I keep my bracket under the keyboard on my desk and check the scores online all the time,” said Lawrence, who would not disclose his employer for fear that his daily routine could be spoiled.

“I probably spend more than an hour each day checking scores online and even check them on my phone when I’m away from a computer. Then when I get home it’s right there on TV, but at least then I don’t have to feel guilty about it,” Lawrence added.

For three weeks in March, the NCAA tournament enjoys the undivided attention of millions of sports fans nation wide, and the uncertainty associated with the fast-moving elimination makes staying up-to-date an addicting past time.

In an effort to capitalize on this growing addiction, CBS launched March Madness On Demand in 2006, a free website that offers coverage of all 63 games minus any interviews or press conferences.

CBS has even gone so far as to place a so-called “Boss Button” on the March Madness website, so employees who watch the games in the office can feel safe.
If an employer should walk by, a quick hit on the “Boss Button” displays a mock spreadsheet across the screen, making it look as if the employee is hard at work crunching numbers.

“The Boss Button is great, but I’m pretty sure employers are catching on to it,” Lawrence said. “Besides if you look closely you notice that the spreadsheet is a breakdown of products consumed while watching sporting events. Those aren’t exactly the kind of stats I’m researching for work.”

According to the New York Times, CBS’s March Madness on Demand website saw 1.75 million users during the first round games of the tournament, a 122 percent increase from last year.

Basketball fanatics will have to wait until April 7 to see which team will emerge as the new champions, and when that date comes it will be time to toss out the bracket sheets and get back to work.

Ashley Dickson can be reached at (970) 668-4629, or at adickson@summitdaily.com.