World Cup Fever Grips the Globe

June 23, 2010 -- Does it sound like a swarm of hornets have descended on your co-worker's office?

Are you periodically hearing shouts and cheers of delight and frustration from your otherwise quiet neighbors?

Do your friends suspiciously sneak away from work for a few hours at a time and return with a bit of a buzz?

Do not be alarmed -- it's just World Cup fever, a bug that has swept the planet faster and stronger than swine flu and could have an impact on global productivity. (And that hornet sound is just the vuvuzelas, the love 'em or hate 'em horns that the South African soccer fans blow throughout the World Cup matches.)

Two weeks into the month-long tournament it's clear that while Americans boast of a World Series and a Super Bowl, there is nothing that compares to the magnitude of the World Cup for global interest and fan fervor.

A simple request via Twitter, Facebook and e-mail for anecdotes from around the world about how people are watching World Cup games touched off a flood of responses including many creative viewing habits.

Many soccer fans are simply saying "Adios" to work and leaving the office to catch their team's matches. Those who cannot sneak away during work hours are turning to ESPN3.com for live streaming video of the World Cup or logging onto Internet radio.

Cell phones, iPhones, Blackberries -- soccer fans said they are employing them all to catch the games while not risking losing a job.

The BBC reported today that Internet traffic in the United Kingdom rose by almost a third during England's critical game against Slovenia as soccer fans tuned into the network's live online stream.

An executive from ESPN, which is broadcasting the games on television and online, joked to the Wall Street Journal earlier this month about the company's expectations for online World Cup viewing.

"The intention is to affect the overall work productivity of the North American continent," joked ESPN Executive Vice President John Skipper. "I'm not positive that we'll see it on the news that we brought down corporations' Internet networks, but I'm willing to try."

It looks like ESPN may be getting its wish. Bars in downtown Washington, DC, were packed by game time today, with patrons lined up over an hour before the start to secure a place inside.

People in business suits mingled with fans in soccer jerseys at the standing room only watering holes. In the nation's capitol, a city known for its international population and transient sports fans that still root for their home teams, the World Cup brought fans together during working hours.

Frank Konczakowski, who works for a software and trade association and was proudly sporting a Team USA jersey said that he was "technically" working during the US-Algeria match.

"My boss is out on travel, so I will be checking my phone e-mail every now and then," he told ABC News.

At The Mighty Pint, Monica, who declined to give her last name or her employer, said that everyone at her workplace is watching the games, so supervisors try to assign work that "doesn't take a whole lot of focus."