Pure Madness: 1 in 3 Americans will play hooky from work during NCAA Tournament

NEW YORK — Over a third of Americans plan on playing hooky from work in order to watch March Madness.

No work, all play

The new OnePoll survey of 2,000 Americans found that 37 percent of those polled plan on calling out sick or just skip work without an excuse in order to catch the NCAA basketball action.

If you’re an employer, it’s a safe bet that you should expect a bit less from your employees during the college basketball tournament – even if they do show up on time.

Nearly half the poll (46%) say they will be a lot less productive at work while March Madness is on television. Over four in ten (43%) say they actually plan on watching at least some of the games while on the clock.

If you think the Super Bowl is the most fun sporting event of the year, you might want to reconsider. The survey found 48 percent of respondents agree that March Madness actually takes that crown.

What’s all that bracket?

It wouldn’t be the tournament without people putting on their Nostradamus caps and filling out their own brackets.

Four in 10 have or plan to participate in a bracket pool with friends or colleagues, with the average respondent entering three of them. A third plan to enter four or more this year.

Of those participating in a bracket pool, the average respondent plans on betting $44 during these friendly competitions. However, don’t bet on having a perfect bracket at the end of March. The odds of that happening are a staggering one in 9.2 quintillion!