Shocking news: Fantasy Football hurts work productivity

I often wonder why people do studies like this. It's like that study that was done not all that long ago that proved that men like attractive females. Who could have ever guessed that?

But now we have official proof that fantasy football hurts work productivity, just like the NCAA Tournament.

Close to half of about 260 online poll respondents admitted they use IM programs to discuss Fantasy Football at work. The survey showed that 47% of respondents use IM to discuss Fantasy Football specifically.

Although the study didn't say how the other 53% of company IM time is spent, my guess is that it includes passing along pictures of scantily clad cheerleaders. Or guys talking about how they're going to kill Fred this week because they just picked Ricky Willams up off waivers. Don't worry Fred, Ricky's injured again.

Naturally, someone also had to put a poorly calculated dollar amount on how much Fantasy Football is costing America.

Fantasy Football distractions on the job could cost American businesses as much as $7.4 billion in lost company time this season, according to outplacement firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas. The firm earlier this year revealed its findings, which are based on the premise that the 13.6 million Fantasy Football enthusiasts (an estimate from the Sports Trade Association) each spend an average of 10 minutes of company time per day managing their fantasy teams and players during the National Football League regular season that runs from September through December.

The problem with these studies is always the same thing. They assume that if someone weren't talking about Fantasy Football for 10 minutes every day, they'd be working for those 10 minutes instead.

Let me offer these studies a tip: People hate working. Just because people aren't talking about Fantasy Football doesn't mean they'll suddenly become great workers.

Instead they'll just waste their time by reading a blog like this one.

-WCK