Forget about Blake Griffin, Ricky Rubio, or Stephen Curry. When David Stern approaches the podium tonight at the 2009 NBA Draft, there is one name that may get more attention than all of them combined: EA Sports. As the top sponsor for the draft, the video game manufacturer will have a major presence in a U.S. sporting event for the second week in a row, and Nielsen data reveals why the NBA Draft is an appealing option to place its marketing resources.

More than 2.8 million viewers watched last year as Derrick Rose, the eventual Rookie of the Year, was selected first overall by the Chicago Bulls. More important to a sponsor like EA Sports, though, is the product usage behavior of those viewers.

For example, data from Nielsen’s people meter sample fused with the respondents of MRI’s (Mediamark Research & Intelligence) Survey of the American Consumer reveals the motivation behind EA Sports’ buy:

 -Users of sports video games, where EA Sports is the market leader, had 71% higher ratings compared to the composite NBA draft viewer.

-Participants in fantasy sports leagues – a feature included in EA Sports’ NBA Live franchise – had a whopping 207% higher ratings than the composite.

In an age of consumer empowerment, leagues are doing everything in their power to engage fans. And establishing marketing relationships with fantasy league and video game manufacturers like EA Sports has become a crucial part of that effort.