As March Madness tips off, workplace productivity goes to the bench
March Madness is known for buzzer-beaters and bracket upsets, but for many American workplaces, the annual college basketball tournament also brings a measurable hit to productivity.
More than one in four U.S. workers admit to watching NCAA tournament games during work hours, according to a new survey commissioned by the online betting service Action Network. With many games tipping off on weekdays, fans often find themselves tracking scores, updating brackets or streaming games alongside emails and meetings. The survey was conducted online by Research without Barriers to understand how March Madness affects workplace behavior. The data was broken down by age, state, gender and relationship status with a slim margin of error.
The survey of 3,032 random U.S. workers found that American fans spend an average of 1.5 hours per workday following the tournament. With seven tournament days on weekdays, that amounts to about 10.5 hours of watching hoops per employee over the course of March Madness.
Now figure in data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, which estimates lost productivity comes to about $107 per hour. Action Network analysts calculated that each worker who follows the tournament represents roughly $1,125 in lost productivity. After accounting for vacation and sick time, the authors of the study estimates about 11.6 million employees are actively following the tournament during work hours. That brings the total economic impact to roughly $13.1 billion.
“March Madness is one of the few sporting events that unfolds almost entirely during business hours,” said Ben Mendelowitz, a research analyst with Action Network. “When millions of fans are checking scores, updating brackets or streaming games throughout the day, it inevitably spills into the workplace.”
The estimate is notably lower than last year’s figure of $20.9 billion. Mendelowitz said the decline is largely driven by fans reporting less time spent following games during the workday, down from an average of 2.4 hours per day in last year’s survey.
“It’s not entirely clear what’s driving that,” he said. “It could be cost-of-living concerns, job security or smaller workforces. But even with those pressures, people are still finding ways to participate.”
The annual survey found that 25% of workers say they have skipped or adjusted work in some way to watch tournament games. About 21% reported taking a vacation day, 17% said they left work early and 11% admitted calling in sick during the tournament. Still, 53% said they have never adjusted their work schedule to follow the games.
Workplace viewing varies widely by state. According to the Research without Barriers polling, Colorado had the highest share of workers watching games during work hours, at 41%, followed by Washington at 38%. On the flip side, Vermont had the smallest share of workers watching games at work, at 11%, followed by Michigan at 12% and West Virginia at 13%.
States also differed in how much time fans spent following the tournament. Workers in Washington reported spending the most time, averaging 2.4 hours per day. While it did not rank among the states with the highest share of workers watching games at work, North Carolina had the highest percentage of workers who said they were likely to call in sick to watch the tournament. Nearly 59% of respondents in the state said they had skipped or adjusted work in some way, including taking time off, leaving early or working remotely.
Even as reported viewing time declines, the tournament’s pull remains hard to ignore. For many workers, March Madness still means juggling spreadsheets and scoreboards. It also proves that once a year basketball has a way of sneaking into the workday.
Ella Rae Greene, Editor In Chief
