Bosses around the country are bracing for the inevitable plummet in productivity from all employees that are interested in shifting brackets, office pools and their hometown team competing in this year’s NCAA national championship tournament. According to this annual survey conducted by staffing firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas, Inc., 50 million Americans are expected to participate in March Madness pools this year and $1.2 billion will be spent on lost productivity hours during the first week of the tournament.

If you are part of that 50 million and you’ve got a boss that’s keeping an extra close eye on you over the next couple weeks, there are a number of ways to feed your March Madness addiction without tipping off the higher ups to your insatiable thirst for checking score updates every 30 seconds.

Mobile + Privacy Filter + Wireless Audio for the win

If not obvious already, streaming video or checking on your brackets using your work PC can be risky business. In addition, any company that tracks your online usage will be able to see what sites you are visiting. You would be much better off isolating all your March Madness needs to a mobile device like a smartphone or tablet. Of course, that’s assuming you have a stable, anonymous Wi-Fi connection to use or you have a heck of a data plan that can handle a bit of video streaming.

If you don’t have a tablet yet, you are fairly safe going with any recent iOS, Android or Windows tablet. The NCAA has released an app for all of these tablets (iOS, Android, Windows Phone) and you can stream games directly to them. Even the Kindle Fire HD line of tablets has access to the NCAA app for live streaming, despite the platform’s reputation to slowly add third party applications. Be aware that streaming non-CBS games will require authentication with your premium cable or satellite TV provider.

In order to keep prying eyes off your mobile device, 3M makes a screen protector for tablets, smartphones and laptops that’s specifically designed to protect your privacy. Basically, it restricts the field of vision for anyone that’s looking at the device from a different angle than you. For example, you can keep a March Madness video stream open on your tablet and everyone that passes by your desk will just see a black screen, basically as if the tablet was turned off.

Check Amazon Price on 3M Privacy Filter

But what about the audio? If you have already invested in a Bluetooth headset for calls, consider popping that onto your ear and streaming the audio from the video stream over Bluetooth. If anything, you will look like you could be talking a call and your office mates will leave you alone. Assuming you are allowed to listen to music in the office, you could also use a pair of regular wireless headphones. If you use a wired pair, the cord is something of an obvious tell when it’s connected directly to your tablet or smartphone.

Check Amazon for Deals on Bluetooth Headsets

Of course, if your office is limiting bandwidth in order curtail video streaming, it’s time to switch to audio. Westwood One is audio streaming coverage of all games on their site and you can also find those streams on the TuneIn Radio app for iOS, Android and Windows phones. Also, if you pay for premium radio, SiriusXM is streaming all the games as well as ESPN Radio coverage / commentary during the tournament.

If You Must Use Your PC, You Can Never Be Too Careful

For all the people stuck with their work PC, here’s a collection of other privacy tools that will help you hide your incurable need to watch your bracket slowly devolve into a mess of terrible choices. Seriously, why didn’t you just listen to Nate Silver this year?!

Rearview Monitor Mirror

Ideal for spotting anyone sneaking up behind your cubicle, this concave mirror allows you to spot anyone spying on your work. So, if you need to Alt+Tab away from your brackets, this early warning system will help. Oh and what does the acronym stand for? “Chimp Has Invincible Monkey Powers”

Check Amazon for the Monitor Mirror

The Big Red Panic Button

While the NCAA has include a “Boss Button” of sorts within the NCAA Web application, this is a physical version of that concept that allows you to customize the action that happens on your computer over the USB connection. Want to launch a spreadsheet? No problem. Want to fire up your Web browser with the company site? Easy.

Check Amazon for Big Red Panic Button

Pro Level: Build Your Own Laser Tripwire that Tweets Photos

Do you have a bit more technical knowledge than the average cubicle drone? Check out this detailed guide at Instructables to learn how to build your own laser tripwire system that both tweets and triggers webcam photos. Setup this little device discretely near your cubicle and receive a tweet alert each time someone breaks the field. Sneaky, Sneaky.

Stuck in the office? Here’s how to sneak in your March Madness fix

It’s late August, and that means football. The NCAA college football regular season kicks off August 29th and the NFL regular season starts September 5th. A month after that, the NHL season begins, and a month after that, the NBA.

You gotta have a big TV for sports, and unless you already have an 80″ behemoth (see below), let’s face it, your TV can stand to get bigger.

Buying TVs online is a tricky prospect because you should always check out a TV’s picture in person before making a final purchase decision. However, many of the best TV deals are online. So if you’re in the market for a TV, it pays to do some research before checking out the online deals.

At Ben’s Bargains, we come across a lot of fantastic savings on HDTVs. Here are 10 great TV deals that will make your football-watching a lot more awesome this fall.

All the TVs below have either plasma screens or 120Hz and above LED LCD panels, which are ideal for a sports-viewing experience because they can handle fast-motion objects without blurring.

Plus—if you care about this sort of thing—some of the TVs listed here have 3D-capability, which will actually become relevant as more games are broadcast in 3D—Monday Night Football will be aired in 3D starting in 2014.

1) This Samsung PN43F4500 43″ 720p 600Hz Plasma HDTV (pictured at right) is $380 shipped from Best Buy. It may be no-frills and 720p, but at this size it’s not noticeable. Plus, as a plasma TV, it’s well-suited for sports. A great value.

2) At the other end of the spectrum, the Panasonic Viera TC-P60VT60 60″ 1080p 600Hz 3D Smart Plasma HDTV is $1,813 shipped with coupon code from East Coast TVs. This premium set has got some of the best black levels out there, plus all the features you’d expect in a modern TV like built-in Wi-Fi, 3D picture and apps.

3) For smaller rooms, Amazon is selling the LG 42LA6200 42″ 3D 1080p 120Hz LED Smart HDTV for $630 with free shipping. This is an excellent price, as this new 2013 model is still selling for around $750 from most retailers. The 50″ model (50LA6200) is $849 shipped from Adorama.

4) As its members know, Costco is a fantastic place to find good deals on HDTVs. There’s a 5% non-member surcharge on purchases, but if you’re going to get a TV, it might be worth buying the $55 membership. The Vizio M551d-A2 55″ 1080p 240Hz 3D Smart LED HDTV is $1,050 shipped for members ($1,100 at Amazon but out of stock).

5) The LG 50LN5700 50″ 1080p 120Hz LED LCD Smart HDTV is $679 with free shipping from US Appliance. It’s around $730 from Amazon and almost $900 everywhere else. This matte-finish, edge-lit LED TV has gotten great reviews for its value and ease of use.

6) Amazon and Best Buy are currently selling the comparable Panasonic Viera TC-L50E60 50″ 1080p 120Hz LED Smart HDTV for $700 with free shipping. Panasonic is known for its great Plasma TVs, but the 2013 Viera E60 line has gotten good reviews.

7) From LG’s new 2013 lineup with built-in Google TV, the LG 55GA6400 55″ Cinema 3D 1080p 120Hz LED LCD HDTV (pictured at left) is $950 shipped with code at Paul’s TV. This stylish TV has gotten some rave reviews from buyers, and it’s a great buy for a 55″ 3D HDTV under $1,000.

8) eBay Daily Deals are a great resource for HDTV deals. Every day at 8AM Pacific, eBay posts its Daily Deals, and sometimes you’ll find HDTVs at incredible prices from mainstream retailers, like this 55″ Samsung 3D LED Smart HDTV that was selling for $1,500.

9) Dell has recently been bundling gift card deals with their HDTV offers. The cards are usually between $150 and $300 and is a good deal if you’re planning on getting one of its PCs. Some of its recent deals have included this Samsung PN51F5300 51″ 1080p Plasma HDTV (2013 model) for $650 shipped with a $125 Dell Gift Card.

10) Last but not least, if you’ve got money to burn and a huge room, the 2013 Sharp AQUOS LC-80LE650 80″ 120Hz Smart LED HDTV (pictured at right) is $3,300 shipped from Amazon. You’re generally not going to find this for under $4,000 from reputable retailers. But clearly, this TV is awesome by virtue of being bigger than everybody else’s TV.

If you have a specific TV model in mind that’s not listed here, you can create deal alerts (registration required) so you won’t miss it the next time it appears on Ben’s Bargains. If one of the deals above is expired, you can also click the deal alert icon (the bell) on individual posts to receive an instant email alert.

You’re also welcome to send us tips or suggestions. Good luck!

10 Great TV Deals for Football Season