The March Madness Myth

Anyone that considers him or herself a real basketball fan, and works in corporate America surely knows or has at least heard about the March Madness Myth. Basically the myth says that during March Madness the productivity loss, because of said March Madness costs companies $1.7 billion dollars or more. There is a reason why this is a myth but first things first.

For now, let us assume that people working in offices and cubicles are drones that can work from nine till five without thinking about anything but work. The problem with this theory is that people slack off, a lot! They do pretty much anything just to avoid doing work, of course not everyone is like that but a lot of people, dare I say the majority is like that. Now you’re probably thinking “OK so why is there such a huge perception of a productivity loss during March Madness?” First of all you can’t truly measure productivity in today’s corporate environment. You can measure numbers like profits and losses and there’s the rub.

Of course there is some productivity loss because of the 2012 NCAA tournament or other major events like the Olympics or World Cup. Saying that it’s 1.7 billion USD or more though is a big stretch. When this myth first surfaced, the economy was already in decline so the billions in losses attributed to college basketball could have very well been a side effect of the Housing and Stock Market crash!

Again let us assume that the march madness myth is correct and that there really is a huge decline in productivity. You can’t measure everything with immediate results because results come in all shapes and sizes. If people don’t think of themselves as drones they are bound to make a better impression in that all so important business meeting or sales pitch. Sometimes knowing some random facts or having an interest in something that might appear to the manager as a huge waste of time can be very helpful when you want to create trust with a client.

Business isn’t just numbers and results, people want to do business with people they like and they want it to feel right and that’s why a personal touch is necessary for bringing in that contract not just profits and margins. Regardless, just like most basketball fans, I can’t wait for 2012 March Madness to get here!

Lorenzo Charles, Dead After Bus Accident

The basketball player, Lorenzo Charles who settled N.C. State’s 1983 NCAA championship with a game-winning dunk, died on June 27 in the afternoon in a bus accident on Interstate 40.  He was the driver of an Elite Tours bus that crashed at exit 290 close the I-40/N.C. 54 interchange in western Raleigh.

A Raleigh police spokesperson, Jim Sughrue, corroborated Charles was the bus driver.

Firefighters used the jaws of life to remove the body of Charles from the bus.

The crash blocked two lanes of westbound Interstate 40 at Chapel Hill Road in West Raleigh throughout rush hour traffic.

The rumors of the death of Charles spread rapidly and extensively between Wolfpack followers and others whom he had contacted.

Mark Gottfried, new NCSU head basketball coach played against Charles in the 1985 NCAA competition.  The two recalled regarding that game, a Wolfpack win, when Charles visited the latest coaching staff previous week on campus.

Gottfried said, “He had a big smile on his face, and he was so full of life.  We lost a great one, and I’m not just talking about the basketball player. He had a great personality.”

Charles’ reach in the world of sport went further than his involvement on the court.  He drove for the Duke Lacrosse team and turned into a component of the family, according to Coach John Danowski.  Danowski had Charles speak to the team throughout the NCAA tournament in 2010, prior to the Blue Devils won the national title.

Danowski added, “It’s great that he scored that winning basket, but he was so much more than that.  Everyone here loved him. We are all heartbroken.”

Gotfried tweeted his condolences Monday night, “My heart goes out to the family of Lorenzo Charles. We lost a great person. Just reconnected last week. Will never forget his smile!”