English language news coverage of American football in Japan. 日本のアメリカンフットボールを英語で報道。
English language news coverage of American football in Japan. 日本のアメリカンフットボールを英語で報道。
The crew takes a look at look back at all the games played during the X League Super quarterfinals on the road to the Rice Bowl!
The Gridiron Japan crew is honored to be joined by Obic Seagulls QB Tyler Kulka to talk about his team's wine over the Nojima Rise in today's X League Super playoff opener.
With our good friend John on assignment covering sumo, Greg and Aaron look at the upcoming first round of the X League Super playoffs, and try to answer the age old question, just who can stop the Fujitsu Frontiers?
The 2020 X League Championship Game. Featuring the Fujitsu Frontiers and the Obic Seagulls.
Professional football in Japan, often referred to as the X-League, is a unique sports spectacle. Combining the precision of American football with the passion of Japanese athletes, this league has been steadily growing in popularity. It showcases a thrilling blend of homegrown talent and international influences, offering a unique gridiron experience.
BJ is a former all-star linebacker with the X-League's Obic Seagulls where he played for approximately 11 years prior to his retirement. His final game was a member of Team Japan in 2023 when he played in the Dream Bowl against the Ivy League all-stars. When not co-hosting the Gridiron Japan podcast, during the day BJ is serves as the defensive line coach with Tokyo University.
The unofficial fourth member of the podcast is Aaron Ellis, who is presently the starting quarterback for the Dentsu Caterpillars and a regular guest on the Gridiron Japan podcast. Aaron is an alumnus of the University of Saint Francis, in Joliet, Illinois, and was named MVP of the X-League Area division in 2022.
Local Japanese coverage of the then St. Louis Cardinals and San Diego Chargers contest in the 1976 Mainichi Star Bowl in Japan. This was the first NFL game played outside of North America. The Cardinals won the game 20-10, which was played, as most games were then, in a baseball parks, this one being the now demolished Korakuen Stadium in Tokyo.
Decades ago on a hot August Japanese night, with a notable lack of hype or fanfare, the Chargers and Cardinals met in a Week 3 preseason matchup that marked the first time an NFL game had been played outside of North America. No two NFL teams had ever traveled farther to meet on the football field, and though it was a relatively meaningless exhibition game, the Mainichi Star Bowl -- as it was labeled by its local sponsors -- it provided a trove of memories for the men who played in it, with its eye-opening cultural discoveries.
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