Survey says: Playing Madden increases your NFL IQ

EA has announced the results of a survey conducted by University of Oregon’s Warsaw Sports Marketing Center which show that Madden NFL players’ football IQ was 60 percent higher than non-players.

The study tested the general American football knowledge of 15,000 Madden 09 players against your average non-Madden playing NFL fan. The results spoke for themselves.

"For 20 years, EA Sports has been committed to delivering a truly authentic football experience with the Madden NFL franchise," said EA Sports president Peter Moore.

"The findings of the Football IQ study demonstrate the authenticity of the game and how much smarter gamers have become about the sport because of it. It also represents the impact this iconic game has had on the way football is played and experienced, both by players and fans."

Madden NFL sold 5.25m copies in the US last year putting the American Football title in second place being Wii Play in the all format charts.

Full thing after the break.

By Mike Bowden

REDWOOD CITY, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--What does it mean to bring an 8th man into the box? If you're looking for the correct answer, you're more likely to receive it from an EA SPORTS Madden NFL player than from someone who doesn’t play Madden. EA SPORTS, a label of Electronic Arts Inc., (NASDAQ: ERTS - News), announced today the results of a new survey by the University of Oregon’s Warsaw Sports Marketing Center, that determined fans who play the Madden NFL video game series are more knowledgeable about the game of football than people who don’t play the game. The survey found that Madden NFL players’ football IQ was 60 percent higher than people that don’t play Madden.

The study, which surveyed over 15,000 EA SPORTS Madden NFL players and NFL fans, tested respondents in five categories of football knowledge: Game Situations, General Knowledge, History, Rules and Business of Sport.

“It’s amazing to see how much football knowledge Madden NFL players have especially when you compare it to people that follow and know the sport well,” said Paul Swangard, Managing Director of the Warsaw Sports Marketing Center at the University of Oregon. “We also found the more time they spent playing EA SPORTS Madden NFL the higher they scored on the survey.”

Out of a total of 36 questions, Madden NFL players answered on average 22 questions correct while people who do not play Madden NFL answered only 14 correct. Madden NFL players scored higher in each survey category, most notably in the General Knowledge and Business categories, where Madden NFL players scored 79 and 63 percent higher, respectively. Questions where Madden NFL players scored particular higher include:

* What does it mean to bring an “8th man into the box?”
o Madden Players – 83% correct
o Non-Madden Players – 47% correct
* What is the purpose of sending a man in motion before an offensive play?
o Madden players – 59% correct
o Non-Madden Players – 19% correct

“For 20 years, EA SPORTS has been committed to delivering a truly authentic football experience with the Madden NFL franchise,” said Peter Moore, president of EA SPORTS. “The findings of the Football IQ study demonstrate the authenticity of the game and how much smarter gamers have become about the sport because of it. It also represents the impact this iconic game has had on the way football is played and experienced, both by players and fans.”

The More You Play, the Smarter You Are

The survey also shows a correlation between the total hours of playing Madden NFL per week and football IQ, as scores increased the more a gamer played Madden NFL. A Madden NFL gamer who rarely plays the game attained an average score of 20.4, less than one hour a week scored 20.9, one to five hours per week scored 21.4, six to ten hours per week scored 22.4 and a Madden NFL gamer who plays more than ten hours a week earned an average score of 22.7.

About the Madden Football IQ Survey

The Madden Football IQ survey was conducted by University of Oregon’s Warsaw Sports Marketing Center in conjunction with Electronic Arts Inc. in July, 2008. The study included more than 15,000 surveys that were completed online. Survey results are nationally representative, and the margin of error for is the survey is ± 3 percent.

About the James H. Warsaw Sports Marketing Center

Established in 1993, the James H. Warsaw Sports Marketing Center is one of the world’s premier sports education and research programs. Housed within the University of Oregon's Charles H. Lundquist College of Business, it has become a model for sports-business programs across the country. The program offers degrees at both the undergraduate and graduate level and is active in industry outreach through its consulting, research and annual events including the Women in Sports Business Symposium.

About Madden NFL 09

Madden NFL 09, the First Sports Game That Adapts To You, introduces more than 85 new features and enhancements. Whether you are a seasoned veteran, or a franchise rookie, Madden NFL 09 will continuously asses your skills and adjust the gameplay to keep the experience both fun and challenging, all while training gamers to become better Madden players. Madden NFL 09 also includes a brand-new broadcast presentation package featuring Cris Collinsworth and Tom Hammond, online leagues, and the most realistic graphics in franchise history. NFL legend and current New York Jets Quarterback Brett Favre dons the cover of Madden NFL 09.

Madden NFL 09 was developed in Orlando, Florida by the award-winning EA Tiburon studio, which also produces NCAA® Football, Tiger Woods PGA TOUR® and NASCAR® racing.

Madden NFL 09 is available for the Xbox® and Xbox 360® video game systems from Microsoft, PlayStation®2 and PLAYSTATION®3 computer entertainment systems, Wii™, Nintendo DS™, PSP® (PlayStation®Portable) handheld entertainment system and is rated E by the ESRB.

About EA SPORTS

EA SPORTS is the leading interactive sports software brand in the world, with top-selling titles and franchises including Madden NFL football, FIFA Soccer, NHL® hockey, NBA LIVE basketball, NCAA® Football, Tiger Woods PGA TOUR® and NASCAR® racing.

For more information about Madden NFL 09, please visit http://www.madden09.com/.

EA, EA SPORTS, EA SPORTS Freestyle and POGO are trademarks or registered trademark in the U.S. and/or other countries. John Madden, NFL, FIFA, NHL, NBA, NCAA, Tiger Woods, PGA, and NASCAR are the property of their respective owners and are used with permission. Xbox 360 is a trademark of the Microsoft group of companies and is used under license from Microsoft. “PLAYSTATION” is a registered trademark of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

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