March Madness

On Tuesday, (3/19) March Madness, the tournament to find the best university basketball team in the United States, begins.  The tournament begins with 68 teams and runs for three weeks.  Americans love to watch these games.  In fact, so many people watch these games that it is a problem for businesses.  Workers can't get their work done because of the basketball games.  Here is an article from The Los Angeles Times:

March Madness Productivity Loss?  It's a Slam Dunk, Poll Says

By Ricardo Lopez

March 13, 2013, 10:31 a.m.

March Madness kicks off Tuesday, and productivity will plummet (decrease a lot) as nearly a third of workers will spend as much as three hours per day watching the college basketball tournament, a survey released Wednesday found.

In its annual poll, the outplacement firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas Inc. estimates that the almost monthlong tournament will cost American companies $134 million in "lost wages" as an estimated 3 million workers spend between one to three hours watching hoops (basketball).

Employers: Brace yourself for slower Internet speeds as online streaming is expected to zap networks' bandwidth, the firm warns.

"March Madness will definitely have an impact on the flow of work, particularly during the first week of the tournament," John A. Challenger, chief executive at the firm, said in a statement. "Starting the day after selection Sunday (March 17), people will be organizing office pools (for gambling), researching teams and planning viewing parties."