The Benefits of Fantasy Football

The NFL season is right around the corner (starts Sept 7th) which means fantasy football is even closer.  Drafts will be taking place over the next few weeks if they haven't already.

During this time, you will undoubtedly see articles discussing the "lost productivity" associated with fantasy football leagues.  The logic here is straight forward - if you are spending time discussing or adjusting your fantasy team or league, you are shirking on your job duties.  Along these lines, one recent study concludes that, "A more conservative estimate places the weekly lost productivity [due to fantasy football] number at $500 million."

However, such estimates typically neglect the benefits that fantasy football brings in terms of camaraderie and "social capital."  Fantasy football is a great way to meet and bond with colleagues and also serves as a great discussion topic for those awkward work gatherings.  The aforementioned study recognizes this and notes, "The potential damage to morale and loyalty resulting from a ... ban could be far worse than the loss of productivity."

I would guess the net loss in productivity is relatively small.  Many employees spend some part of their day shirking (some more than others).  Further, participating in a league most likely has some positive spillovers for the part of the day when employees actually are productive.

If you have the chance, join a fantasy league.  Even if you aren't a football fan, employ the strategy of randomly selecting your team and weekly lineup.  At a minimum it is fun trash talking league members who you beat after they have spent hours adjusting their lineup.