March Madness isn’t just a basketball tournament — for many Americans, it’s also a workplace distraction.
Every spring, millions of fans fill out brackets predicting the winners of all 67 NCAA tournament games. But because many matchups tip off during the workday, the tournament often unfolds alongside meetings, emails, and deadlines.
To understand how much March Madness spills into working hours, Action Network surveyed more than 3,000 U.S. workers about their viewing habits and bracket behavior.
We asked three questions:
- Have you ever skipped or adjusted work to watch tournament games?
- What would you give up for a guaranteed perfect bracket?
- How much time do you spend following the tournament each day?
The results show that for many fans, the tournament doesn’t stay outside the office. Workers admit to watching games during work hours, adjusting their schedules to keep up with the action, and even giving up everyday comforts for the dream of a perfect bracket.
We also analyzed the results state by state to see where March Madness has the biggest impact on the American workday.
Key Findings
- 1 in 4 U.S. workers (24.6%) admit to watching tournament games during work hours.
- 21% say they’ve taken a vacation day just to watch games.
- 1 in 4 Americans (25%) would give up their favorite team winning the tournament for a perfect bracket.
- 21% say they’d give up beer for a year to lock in a perfect March Madness bracket.
- Fans spend an average of 1.5 hours per day following the tournament, with roughly one-third spending two hours or more tracking scores and brackets.
- Colorado has the highest share of workers watching games on the job (41%).
- All that bracket-checking adds up — March Madness could cost the U.S. economy more than $13 billion in lost productivity.
For fans looking to add even more excitement to the tournament, many follow the action through sports betting platforms — including using a bet365 Bonus Code to place wagers on tournament matchups.
Have You Ever Skipped or Adjusted Work to Watch Tournament Games?
For many fans, March Madness doesn’t stay outside the office.
1 in 4 U.S. workers (25%) admit to watching tournament games during work hours, showing how the event regularly spills into the workday.
Some workers go even further to keep up with the action. 21% say they’ve taken a vacation day to watch games, 17% have left work early, and 11% admit they’ve called in sick during the tournament.
Still, 53% of workers say they’ve never adjusted their schedule to follow the tournament.
The States Most Likely to Watch Tournament Games at Work
Workplace viewing varies widely across the country. These states report the highest share of workers watching games during work hours:
- Colorado — 41%
- Washington — 38%
- Nebraska — 35%
- West Virginia — 33%
- Mississippi — 32%
What Would You Give Up for a Perfect Bracket?
A perfect bracket — correctly predicting every game in the NCAA men’s college basketball tournament — is one of the rarest feats in sports. But plenty of fans say they’d make real sacrifices to achieve it.
Bracket competitions and fantasy-style contests have also become a major part of the tournament experience, with many fans using platforms like Sleeper to compete with friends using a Sleeper Promo Code.
1 in 4 Americans (25%) say they would give up their favorite team winning the tournament if it guaranteed them a perfect March Madness bracket.
Others would trade everyday comforts. 21% say they’d give up beer for a year, while 17% would sacrifice video games or fantasy football.
Some fans are willing to go even further. 10% say they would skip a family wedding, 7% would miss a family member’s funeral, and 5% would give up intimacy for a year for bracket perfection.
Still, 40% of Americans say they wouldn’t give up anything at all.
States Most Willing to Sacrifice Their Team for a Perfect Bracket
- Illinois — 38%
- West Virginia — 36%
- Kansas — 35%
- New York — 35%
- Oklahoma — 33%
How Much Time Do Fans Spend Following the Tournament?
For many fans, March Madness becomes a daily routine.
Americans spend an average of 1.5 hours per day checking scores, updating brackets, or watching tournament games.
While 33% say they don’t follow the tournament during the day, many fans stay closely engaged. 20% spend less than an hour, while 34% spend two hours or more following the action.
The States Spending the Most Time Following the Tournament
Some states appear especially invested in the tournament. These states report the highest average daily time spent following games and brackets:
- Washington — 2.4 hours
- Indiana — 2.2 hours
- North Carolina — 2.2 hours
- Georgia — 2.1 hours
- Michigan — 2.0 hours
The Productivity Cost of the Tournament
The NCAA men’s college basketball tournament doesn’t just cost fans time. March Madness may also cost the economy billions in lost productivity.
Americans spend an average of 1.5 hours per day checking scores, updating brackets, or watching tournament games.
With seven tournament game days falling on weekdays, that adds up to 10.5 hours of potential workday distraction per employee.
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, each lost hour of productivity costs the U.S. economy about $107.22.
That means the average worker who follows the tournament could represent roughly:
- 10.5 hours × $107.22 = $1,125 in lost productivity per worker
To estimate the national impact, we scaled that number across the U.S. workforce:
- 167 million Americans are employed
- About 12% of Americans follow college basketball
- That equals roughly 20 million workers likely to follow the tournament
After adjusting for workers who are off the job due to vacation or illness, the number of actively working fans drops to about 11.6 million employees.
The result is significant:
- 11.6 million workers × $1,125 = $13.1 billion
In other words, March Madness could cost the U.S. economy more than $13 billion in lost productivity.
How This Compares to Last Year
Last year’s Action Network survey estimated that March Madness could cost the U.S. economy roughly $20.9 billion in lost productivity. That higher estimate was driven by fans reporting significantly more time spent following the tournament — an average of 2.4 hours per day.
In this year’s survey, the average dropped to 1.5 hours per day, reducing the estimated productivity loss to about $13.1 billion. While the tournament still represents a major workplace distraction, the results suggest fans may be spending less time tracking games during the workday than they reported last year.
Expert Insight
March Madness may be best known for buzzer-beaters and bracket upsets, but the tournament also has a measurable impact on the workday.
“March Madness is one of the few sporting events that unfolds almost entirely during business hours,” said an Action Network analyst. “When millions of fans are checking scores, updating brackets, or streaming games throughout the day, it inevitably spills into the workplace.”
“The time adds up quickly,” the analyst added. “What might feel like a few quick score checks can turn into hours across the tournament — and when you scale that across the U.S. workforce, the economic impact becomes significant.”
Methodology
The research was commissioned by Action Network and conducted online by Research Without Barriers (RWB).
The survey was carried out among 3,032 U.S. workers to understand how March Madness affects workplace behavior, including how often employees watch games during work hours, adjust their schedules, and follow tournament updates throughout the day.
All research was conducted in accordance with the MRS Code of Conduct (2023) and the ICC/ESOMAR International Code on Market, Opinion and Social Research. Research Without Barriers is registered with the Information Commissioner’s Office and complies with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and the Data Protection Act (2018).
Sources
- Research Without Barriers (RWB) — March Madness workplace survey (2026)
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics — Productivity and labor cost estimates
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics — Employment statistics
- YouGov — U.S. sports fandom data
- NCAA — March Madness tournament structure and scheduling
Full survey dataset:
March Madness workplace survey data
