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.

A new survey by the University of Oregon’s Warsaw Sports Marketing Center determined that 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?”

• Madden Players – 83% correct
• Non-Madden Players – 47% correct

What is the purpose of sending a man in motion before an offensive play?

• Madden players – 59% correct
• 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 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.

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.