or the last 10 years, Scott Phillips has taken the first Thursday and Friday of the NCAA Division I basketball tournament off of work to cheer for his Wisconsin Badgers.  One year he went to Las Vegas and planted himself in a bar for a week, which was great.  But the worst year was the one he couldn’t get his two traditional days off at all.  Phillips was forced to content himself by bringing a pocket size television to the bank and watching from his desk on the tiny screen.

"The reception really sucked and watching a game on a two-inch screen really sucked,” Phillips said.

That’s why Phillips was happy to hear that the first 56 games of the tournament will be streamed on the Internet this year, providing high-quality coverage, commentary and pre- and post-game press conferences, from any workstation around the country.  College Sports Television signed a multi-year deal with CBS Sportsline and the NCAA for the exclusive video streaming rights for out of market game coverage of the tournament.

“If for some reason I could not take the day off, I would love the opportunity to watch it online,” Phillips said.

March Madness fans can watch their favorite teams and update their brackets without having to call in sick or fly across the country.  All they need is $20.

University of Michigan sports fan Jessica Sandoval, a Brooklyn elementary school teacher, considers the fee minuscule considering she has flown across the country multiple times for football games and just paid $1,000 to change the season tickets that have been in her family for 40 years to her name.

“I think as far as marketing it’s a wonderful idea,” said Sandoval, 22, who admitted she’s gotten ill over basketball games before.  “Following it live online would be much more interesting than watching a screen refresh every 30 seconds on ESPN play-by-play.”

CSTV believes the market is right for broad ban coverage.

“In a way the Internet is the perfect vehicle for an event like March Madness,” said Brian Bedol, president and CEO of CSTV.  “Here you’ve got multiple games going on in different parts of the country and if you’re a real fan the only way to follow is over a broad ban connection.”

Although the ability to watch from the office means employees won’t have to call out sick in order to watch the games at a bar, the broadcast joins the list of Internet distractions that can take people away from actually work.

“I’ll probably have it in a window on my computer screen,” said Harry Mateer, a research analyst at Lehman Brothers and University of Connecticut fan.  “It will probably decrease my work productivity by 15 percent.”

Ed Ripple, a vice president at Morgan Stanley, sees an upside to the streaming broadcasts. 

“Today’s work force is leaner and appreciably more competitive,” Ripple said.  “Managements have no option to reduce head count, which only increases the pressure on the remaining employees.  The stirring of the pot within the workplace with basketball or super bowl pools, helps employees add a new level to their relationships.”

However, there are some fans who refuse to give up their March Madness traditions, no matter how advanced the technology.

“Watching the game in a bar is about a thousand times better than watching or listening online,” said Tim Gaiennie, an LSU fan.  “At a bar there is a crowd, probably a lot of LSU people.  There is a fun atmosphere at a bar.  If I watch online, that means I’m alone.”