Costly March Madness

The NCAA Division I basketball tournament -- a k a March Madness -- could cost U.S. employers $1.7 billion in lost productivity, according to an annual estimate by consulting and research company Challenger, Gray & Christmas.

Between 28.6 million and 37.3 million workers will be in March Madness pools, according to the Challenger report. Using the higher estimate and assuming 10 minutes daily of wasted time per participating worker, the total productivity loss comes in at $1.7 billion, Challenger figures.