Managing World Cup fever at work

Brett added that ESPN is well aware of the fact that most people using the service are accessing it from work. "We hope they can multitask," she says.

The trick, says John Challenger of Chicago-based global employment consulting firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas, is keeping workers focused by channeling World Cup fever through parties and office pools.

"It's hard to bridge cultures, and good companies that have multi-cultural and national workforces look for ways to break down those barriers to build connection and morale and community," says Challenger. "Here's an ideal way to do that."

Challenger points out that employers in the United States have little to worry about until the audience in America reaches a critical mass. Until then, other sporting events loom a bit larger. His firm estimated a total loss in productivity at $3.8 billion during this year's NCAA men's basketball tournament and $780 million for the Super Bowl, making the World Cup's estimated $120 million small peanuts.

Those figures are based on an estimated audience of 2 million people in America for the 2002 World Cup. But early returns from this year's edition indicate that interest is on the rise — 2.4 million Americans watched Team USA’s inaugural game against the Czech Republic on the Walt Disney Co.'s ESPN2 channel.

Slide show   Coiffing for the Cup Soccer fans express their love for their national teams in wildly creative ways with their hair

To be sure, losses in productivity as a result of the World Cup are more than offset by increased spending everywhere but South America, according to the CEBR study. And in Europe and Asia, favorable evening kickoffs for some games make it easier for fans to get in a day's work and arrive home in time.

But invariably there are some who simply cannot handle work and World Cup mania at the same time. "If you've got sports junkies, World Cup fanatics who can't get any of their work done, you might sit down with them individually and work out some kind of plan to help manage their time better," suggests Challenger.

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