Report: Fantasy football sacks productivity

CHICAGO, ILL.
August 18, 2008 6:02am

Fantasy football could turn out to be a nightmare for employers this year, according to a report Monday from outplacement company Challenger, Gray and Christmas Inc.

With the majority of players spending at least an hour a day managing their teams, there is little doubt workplace productivity will suffer as the NFL kicks off its season on Sept. 4, Challenger says.

Challenger says it conservatively estimates the cost to employers for paying unproductive workers could be as high as $9.2 billion over the 17-week NFL season, The estimate is based on the average annual earnings of fantasy football participants and the amount of time they spend online managing their teams during the workday.

However, John Challenger, chief executive officer of Challenger, Gray and Christmas, insists that trying to stop workers from managing their team on company time may decrease employee morale, resulting in further decreased productivity.

Approximately 17 million Americans play fantasy sports annually, with about 13.6 million playing fantasy football, according to the Fantasy Sports Trade Association. A separate group, the Fantasy Sports Association, found that 70 percent of fantasy football participants earn between $50,000 and $149,000 per year, with the average falling near $80,000.

Taking the average, Challenger calculated that fantasy sports players, on average, earn about $38 per hour. With recent data from the Fantasy Sports Association indicating that fantasy football participants spend an average of nearly 1.19 hours per week researching and managing their teams at the office, the cost to employers amounts to $45.22 in lost wages per worker each week.

This may not seem like much, but multiplied across the population of fantasy football players the weekly sum of wages paid to unproductive workers rises to $614,992,000. Expanded through the 17-week NFL season, total damages reach nearly $10.5 billion.

“Obviously, there are daily distractions in the workplace that are universal, whether it’s a trip to the washroom or sharing celebrity gossip around the watercooler. Fantasy football is just one more of these distractions. Most employers understand that not every minute of the day is dedicated to work. In fact, in today’s 24-7 global economy, it is likely that work bleeds into our personal lives. As a trade-off, employers should expect and allow workers’ personal lives to seep into the workplace,” says Mr. Challenger.

“Managers should only crack down on those whose work is clearly suffering from the added distraction. An across-the-board ban on all fantasy football or sports websites could backfire in the form of reduced morale and loyalty. The result could be far worse than the loss of productivity caused by 10 to 20 minutes of team management each day,” he says.

In a 2006 Ipsos Survey, 40 percent of respondents said fantasy sports participation was a positive influence in the workplace. Another 40 percent said it increases camaraderie among employees. One in five said their involvement in fantasy sports enabled them to make a valuable business contact.