Thirty seven percent of American workers say they've participated in fantasy sports competitions during work hours, and more than 1 out of 10 report feeling pressured to participate. (Photo: Shutterstock)

There were probably a lot of tired people at work on Wednesday after the first game of the World Series—and as baseball season ends and football season wends its way toward the Super Bowl, there are only likely to be more.

And that's not good news for the workplace, according to research from Kimble Applications, which finds that 43 percent of employees admit to having watched games over the past year during work hours, when their managers thought they were actually working.

Related: 4 ways to enjoy March Madness without busting office productivity

Not only that, but 37 percent of American workers say they've participated in fantasy sports competitions during work hours, and more than 1 out of 10 report feeling pressured to participate even if they don't want to. That old peer pressure again, rearing its ugly head…

But plenty of folks think that sports and company-wide fantasy leagues are having a positive effect on work, contrary to any evidence otherwise. In fact, 54 percent believe that fantasy competitions or NCAA March Madness pools had a positive impact on culture and engagement.

Not necessarily so workloads; while 36 percent of workers say they're more productive during these times, 22 percent say it has a negative effect on productivity. And that's hard to argue with, considering that 17 percent of workers admit to having falsely called out sick the day after a major sports event, while another 36 percent say they'd consider doing so even if they haven't yet. And that, says the report, “could leave many organizations understaffed with little time to prepare.”

Aside from peppering their speech with annoyingly repetitive sports metaphors, what other effects to sports have in the office? The study also found that men are the biggest fans of fantasy sports at work, with 50 percent of males playing over the past year—compared with just 29 percent of females. In addition, the younger folks are bigger devotees, with just 34 percent of those 35 and older have played in the past year, compared with 42 percent of 18–34-year-old employees.

And last but not least, 29 percent of employees believe that sports rivalries have actually improved their workplace relationships.

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