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

Horseface is set to invade your fantasy league

The beginning of the fantasy football season is always a great time. Everyone has legitimate reasons to think they can win and everyone can't wait for Week 1 to start. Nothing can ruin the moment.

Except this. Shannon "Horseface" Sharpe has joined DimeSports.net as a spokesman and contributor. In addition to serving as a spokesman, Sharpe will also "write" a weekly column tabbed Sharpe's Corner - a weekly overview of who's hot and who's not - and do the pick of the week during the season. You can sure as hell bet we'll be keeping track of that.

I really like this pick he made last year.


But back to Horseface actually writing. I could be wrong, but I think Sharpe getting his own column is one of the signs of the apocalypse.

Here's what the great linguist had to say about his new role:

"To be involved with DimeSports.net is a real exciting opportunity for me," said Sharpe. "I can extend my knowledge of X's and O's along with championship gridiron experience, to fans and fantasy league players alike."

Anyone who follows Sharpe's advice for fantasy football shouldn't be in a fantasy football league. At least we're more likely to be able to understand him when he's writing rather than speaking. And that's because someone's writing for him.

-WCK