Fantasy Football Costs Companies $500 Million A Week

I believe this. 

According to a study released two years ago by outplacement consultants Challenger, Gray and Christmas, fantasy football players in the workplace conservatively cost the U.S. economy about $500 million a week in lost productivity, slightly more than $9 billion during a 17-week season.

The Chicago firm based that on actual fantasy research conducted by players, such as scouring injury reports or making trades, which it estimated to occupy workers for more than an hour a week. It also added that fantasy football aficionados spend more than a half hour a day just thinking about their teams.

1. Owen:

   I’ve been a reader of your blog for a LONG time, but never responded until now…

   As someone who is as fiscally minded as you are, as well as one who is knowledgeable about the workplace as you are, I wouldn’t expect a short and pointed response like yours on news like this.

   $500M per week lost because workers spend 1 hour a week on their fantasy football lineups?  That’s pretty easy math and a nice story, but that’s not the whole truth, is it?

   How many of those people are salaried employees?  Salaried employees are not paid by the hour, but are paid to “perform a task"… And the last time I looked around my office, or talked to friends that are also salaried employees, we can’t remember the last time we put in a 40 hour week, much less a week less then 40 hours… So, then, how is this figure determined?  It can’t be by lost time…

   As we like to always say about political speeches - let’s actually do the math here…

   One hour a week of work computer time to take a break from the 45-50+ hours a week one spends working… that’s nothing to complain about or call “lost productivity"…

   If I have to punch a time clock to do my job - fine, then this is a problem… but if it is, then I want to know where my overtime pay is…

   -Dave

   Posted by on September 05, 2008 at 2148 hrs




2. Not to mention any business that concerned about how employees are spending their day can use proxy monitors like Websense that do a terrific job of blocking any site that contains any information useful for fantasy football.  Don’t ask me how I know how effective they are. 

   *shrug* How many millions of dollars are “lost” every week by employees reading about baby bumps on TMZ, arguing on Slashdot, or obsessively reloading hurricane radar maps?

   Posted by HeatherRadish on September 06, 2008 at 0951 hrs