One of the things that I miss about not being in an office setting is the camaraderie and things to do in order to make time pass by. One of my favorite ways to do that each year was by partaking in friendly March Madness tournaments and filling out my brackets. I’ve written before about how I love football at both the pro and collegiate levels, but following March Madness comes in a close second. To give you a little background, I grew up in ACC country where college basketball was everywhere and most teams were either good or average at worst. The NCAA Tournament games begin on a Tuesday (next Tuesday to be exact) and start out with games going late into the night and end up with One Shining Moment on a Monday evening early in April. Add to that the growth of some Cinderella teams the last few years and it can be easy to get caught up in the hoopla (pun intended). However, March Madness can be a major headache for employers as people call in sick or watch the games on their computer which impacts productivity. I think it’s the smart employers though that see this and try to use it to help improve employee morale while at the same time allowing employees to enjoy something they might like.
March Madness is About Following the Games
Many companies hate March Madness time as it never fails that employees are trying to watch the games on their computers or constantly checking their phones for the scores. I understand the frustration on many employers’ parts. In light of this, why not meet the employees in the middle and have the games on in lunchrooms, or if there are TVs in the common work area have the games on there? While it may mean you do not get to watch the game as a whole it, it does allow you to follow it casually while at the same time not slowing down the computer network. If you work somewhere that does not do that, simply ask if it’s an option. Don’t be the bad guy though and call in “sick” because you don’t want to miss the game, many employers are just too smart for that.
Fill Out Some Brackets
Half of the fun of March Madness is filling out a bracket. Whether you research it and have certain teams you think will make it to the Final Four, or simply guess it can be fun for many. This can be done in simple paper fashion, or you can use of a number of websites that offer doing this for free like Yahoo. Yahoo allows you set up teams of people that you can compete with or just enter a competition on your own against others with no money on the line. I have also seen this taken one step further by having teams of people go against each other with the winning team getting something like a free lunch at the end of March Madness or by giving them a free hour of vacation for each individual on the team. I will give a disclaimer though that I am not necessarily endorsing gambling on March Madness, nor betting on sports. The numbers, from 2011, show that $12 billion was wagered on the NCAA tournament and only $100 million of that was done through legal means. That is just a crazy stupid number.
Have a Potluck
What sporting event does not go with a potluck? This still holds true with March Madness. Just because it’s a potluck does not mean that is has to be junk food, as you’re likely sitting at a desk. I have seen veggie trays as well as fruit trays hold their own as desirable finger foods at times like this because they can be consumed quickly. I’ve also seen creative snack ideas revolving around teams in the NCAA tournament that always go over well. The point is to have fun with it and be a little creative.
Pick A Team
This final one is a bit like the filling out the brackets section. It gives you a little skin in the game without gambling on March Madness. How this works is that you have each interested employee choose a team, from a hat, that they’ll support and they all put in a certain dollar amount. It can be up to you, but I have seen anywhere from $1-$5 per person. The person who picked the winner will get to win the pot at the end of the NCAA tournament. This allows for some fun, while also some competition to see who might end up with the loot. Just make sure that your employer is fine with such an arrangement before pursuing this option.
Will you be following the NCAA tournament this year, and if so who will you be pulling for? What does your employer do to allow you to enjoy March Madness somewhat?
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At my office we have a tournament. It’s actually the whole first floor of companies. Everyone throws in $5 and the 3 companies each throw in $100 on top. Then we gets points for picking winners. The 3 highest scores win. It’s a lot of fun.
As for who I am picking….I have no idea. The fact that so many mid-majors can beat top teams now makes its great to watch and root for the underdog, but it makes picking winners that much harder.
Jon @ MoneySmartGuides recently posted..Announcing My eBook Giveaway
That does sound like a lot of fun Jon! I bet that can be pretty competitive. I agree, the mid-majors really have taken a big step the last few years which makes it more fun to watch.
Ah, March Madness! It is always fun to fill out the brackets, even if you don’t have any idea about what is going on. Look out for Butler again this year. They have beaten both Indiana and Gonzaga….
Greg@ClubThrifty recently posted..5 Reasons I’m Killing My Mortgage
I know, I’ve always enjoyed filling them out even as a kid. Butler has a great coach. Though, they kept my team…K-State from making the Final Four a few years ago.
Dont forget about the Illini! They beat Butler, Gonzaga, and Indiana this year. But they did get beat up pretty bad by Indiana today.
Ian recently posted..Going Back To College At 30
A few years ago, my brother actually planned his vasectomy around March Madness so that he could sit home and watch the games he wanted without being bothered =)
Holly@ClubThrifty recently posted..5 Reasons I’m Killing My Mortgage
Lol! I don’t know that even that would encourage me to get it done.
Great ideas here, John. I’m not a huge basketball fan, but we used to do stuff like this at work all the time, and even if you’re not a fan of the given sport, the camraderie part of it alone made things like this super fun – and who doesn’t love a potluck? Employers would be smart to encourage this type of bonding between their employees. It simply creates a more productive workplace. People generally do a better job at work when their employer has created a work environment that is supportive and fun.
Laurie @thefrugalfarmer recently posted..Ways to Handle Unexpected Family Expenses
Thanks Laurie! I could not agree more on the encouragement and productivity. It’s the smart firms that take advantage of it and make it fun for all around.
I wasn’t aware of what March Madness was, but I do the March Money Madness on free money finance
pauline recently posted..Bang for your buck, La France edition
Yea, sorry, I should have considered that this is really only applicable to readers in the States.
Dare I admit it that I don’t follow sports? Especially since I live in the center of North Carolina?
Jose recently posted..The Axeman Cometh – Dealing with the Loss of a Job
Yeah I didn’t even watch the Super Bowl this year. I live right outside Baltimore, that’s the only reason I knew who won the damn thing haha.
Johnny Moneyseed recently posted..Traveling without blowing a hole in our wallet
Not a fan of football I take it.
Oh, that’s ok Jose. I’ll give you a pass. Although, you must really not be a fan if you can live in North Carolina and not like basketball.
Hah, you and me both Jose. I always got into similar but nerdier things like constantly staring at a glowing monitor and coding or also staring at a glowing monitor and playing video games
Listen Money Matters recently posted..Plug Your Spending Leaks
I absolutely participate in March Madness and my family has a very competitive league going on for about a decade now. Lots of trash talking
We also are having our housewarming the same weekend as the games (not on purpose but it’s awesome that it worked out that way) so we will be setting up tvs/monitors in three different rooms. I will of course be rooting for the Gophers!
DC @ Young Adult Money recently posted..Spring means Spring Cleaning
Sounds like a lot of fun DC! I think all the TV’s would drive my wife nuts.
Our office has quite a few large LCD televisions that we turn on and enjoy each and every tournament. It is fun, especially during lunch time. Where did you grow up John? I am in ACC country now in NC and it can be crazy around here, especially when the three big teams near me play one another.
Grayson @ Debt RoundUp recently posted..How TurboTax Can Make Your Life Easier
That’s awesome Grayson. My past employer did something like that.
I grew up in Richmond VA. It was always fun watching the games while there because people would get so into it. I grew up when Jordan was at UNC, so it was easy to root for them.
When I was advising, I’d close the office on the opening Friday early and set up shop at a local sports bar. I’d supply appetizers and drinks (to a point….but nobody really ever abused it) to my clients and their friends. By the time I left the business, I had a huge group of clients who’d take the afternoon off just to come watch games with me. It was a great marketing event for me AND I got to watch the games at the same time. I really miss that….
…and of course, the team to beat will be Michigan State. Go Sparty!
AverageJoe recently posted..Rethink Your To-Do List: Throw Out Your Problem Tasks
That’s an ingenious idea Joe! I bet it was a great marketing event for you and shows your creative thinking. I would miss it too.
Sorry, I’ll have to be pulling for the Cats!! Go State!
That is an INSANE amount of money to be betting on anything, let alone sports! Holy guacamole!
I have to admit that the only March Madness I like is the blogging stuff at Free Money Finance…bahahaha…well, that and the fact that my birthday is this month
The Happy Homeowner recently posted..How Happiness Saves You Money
I agree Jen, and I bet that number is on the conservative side.
At my previous job, March Madness was a big deal!! I’m not really into it, though
Mackenzie recently posted..Dear College Newbie…
Yea, it is at a lot of places. My past employer hated it because so many people would try and watch it on their computers and would severely slow down the network.
Great post! Always a tough call between your favorites and the realistic favorites… Thanks for this.
Thanks Tony!
The NCAA Tournament is my favorite sporting event. I love those first couple of days when, if you’re lucky, you can find a place with big screen TVs set up to show all games–sometimes four–simultaneously. Bliss!
Kurt @ Money Counselor recently posted..H&R Block Tax Snafu
It is definitely a close second for me Kurt. I would have multiple TV’s on, though I fear it would drive my dear wife nuts.
I’m Canadian so I don’t really get into the whole March Madness. I am however obsessed with Canucks hockey and I go crazy when they make the Stanley Cup playoffs. I always particpate in the office hockey pool and it’s great fun
Girl Meets Debt recently posted..My Nail Polish Collection 2013
Yea, I’d imagine not. I bet you’re happy that hockey is back on finally.
Hi John,
I too am a huge football fan but at the NFL level. I never have been a fan of basketball but there is something about march madness that gets me to watch the games. Besides the #1 seed over the #16, most games are very close and come down to the wire. Not to mention the upsets. Maybe it has something to do with the college players doing something the NBA players do not do, play defense.
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I am not as much of a basketball fan as I used to be, but still love the tournament. Lol, yea, they do not play much defense in the NBA.
Two things that I’ve never been able to get into: watching basketball and collegiate level sports.
I do remember that my gym teacher for my Freshman and Junior years of high school was a big March Madness guy and had us all pick teams from the brackets out of a hat. Then he picked one for the entire class. -Both mens and women’s. If the team you picked won the championship, you got 5 points added to your grade for the marking period. Junior year, I jumped a full letter grade.
Edward Antrobus recently posted..How Much Would You Pay to Save Time & Effort?
I can understand that, though I think watching collegiate level sports is the more interesting of the two.
I had similar things like that when I was in Jr high/High School. It was always nice to get a good bump for doing nothing really.
I can understand how people find collegiate sports more interesting, just as I enjoy watching a minor league game more than a major league game. Less polish, more mistakes. But I only ever went to one baseball game each year and didn’t really care about the names on the jerseys, so it worked. But for football, I do like following the players and there is just too much turnover. Those athletes keep graduating for some reason!
Edward Antrobus recently posted..The Case Against Minimalism
Yep, darn those kids for graduating.
I’m not into many sports unless it’s football (soccer) or rugby so my employer wouldn’t have to worry about me although I’d still tuck in if there was a potluck.
Canadian Budget Binder recently posted..How Smoking Affected The Cost Of Our Life Insurance Premium
I figured we could count on you for a good potluck Mr. CBB.
I absolutely love March Madness John! I watch as much as I can of it and it’s great because the some of the games seem to be on a bit earlier so works well for me being in the UK. Really enjoyed the tournament a couple of years back with Jimmer Fredette and Kemba Walker running the show. (hope my memorys correct there!)
Money Bulldog recently posted..6 Year Old Girl runs up a £900 Bill on a ‘Free’ App!
I would imagine that you could get some of the games earlier as they’re on at all times those first few rounds. Yep, your memories are correct.
Filling out brackets for all the NCAA pools is always fun, even though I never win! The only thing that could make tournament time better is if I could watch the games while at work. Doubt my employer will be open to putting games on any of the TV’s in the common areas
The First Million is the Hardest recently posted..How To Avoid Fraud When Booking Your Next Trip Online
Yea, I think I have one once maybe…but it is still fun. You should ask, you never know. My old employer was pretty conservative yet they were still willing to.
The first weekend of March Madness is the best four days on the yearly sports calendar. You just can’t top it. Usually my brackets are completely blown apart by that first Sunday. This year proves to be exciting as there are many really good teams (especially in the Big Ten) but no one has proved to be invincible. Looking forward to it again…and dare I say it…O-H-I-O…Go Bucks!
Brian @ Luke1428 recently posted..Ways We Lie About Money
I agree, I think this year is going to be interesting. With how no one has been safe at the #1 spot, I think we may be in for a wild ride this year.
I suck at March Madness brackets because I always pick Kentucky. It’s like bad luck if I don’t. Last year, it was great, but I think I’m going to strike out this year.
Kim@Eyesonthedollar recently posted..Are Graduate Degrees Worth the Money?
Lol! I do the same thing with my team on one of my brackets. You never know this year, it’s been a very crazy year in college basketball.
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Love this post! My fav time of year! Glad I work from home so I can sneak in a lot of the Thursday/Friday games which are typically the best of the tourney! So excited
Kyle James | Rather-Be-Shopping.com recently posted..Blog Spotlight: 10 Questions With Pauline of Reach Financial Independence
Thanks Kyle! That’s my hope this year now that I work from home, though I don’t know how much work I’ll actually get done.
Such fun ideas…especially loving the pot luck! I miss those brackets at work…fun times.
femmefrugality recently posted..Financial Wisdom from Irish Proverbs
I am missing them myself too. Oh well, I’ll take the working from home any day.
Great ideas for follow the NCAA tourney.
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Thanks Thad!
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I must live under a rock, but I had no idea March Madness caused such an issue for employers. This sounds sexist, but maybe it’s because I work for a non-profit and there are very few men. I know there are women who are huge basketball fans (my sister), but the folks I work with must not be.
KK @ Student Debt Survivor recently posted..My Spending Life Stages
I don’t think it’s sexist at all KK, I think a lot of it is relative. I think the bigger issue is for big employers where they have a lot of people on computers and watching the games which slow down the network plus a lot of people tend to call in sick. My old employer would black out the first two weeks and would not allow anyone to take the time off.
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