column
Arrilwan Adyami expresses his joy at the moment he won the Rice Bowl Photo: Kazushi Nagatsuka
determine the pinnacle of domestic American footballrice bowlwas held at Tokyo Dome on January 3,Fujitsu FrontiersAfter a thrilling good match rarely seen in recent years,panasonic impulsedefeated 29-21.
“Crossover athlete measurement meeting” to produce the first NFL player
■ Transition of the top rice bowl of the Japanese American football world
Fujitsu, who won the rematch of last year’s tournament, has now achieved its second consecutive victory. In total, it was the 7th crown of the throne, which is the second place in history.
American football is not very popular in Japan, and it is not often featured in the media on a daily basis. However, on the other hand, the Rice Bowl is actually one of the most historic matches in Japan, with this year being the 76th.
The changes in the history are also interesting because they are not often seen in other sports. The first Rice Bowl was held in 1948, not long after the end of the Pacific War, but at that time it was a competition between east and west university all-star teams, and this format continued until the 36th tournament in 1983. From 1984, it was changed to a match between the student champion and the adult champion.
Japan in the 1970s and 1980sNFLAn American football boom includingKyoto University GangstersorNihon University PhoenixThere was also the prosperity of student teams such as this, and the National Stadium, which was the venue at the time, attracted more than 30,000 to 40,000 spectators. However, it seems that this much was included).
Since 1992, consistentlyTokyo DomeHowever, in the 2000s, working people (since 1997x-leagueThe team began to hire authentic American players, and the students became unable to compete, and from the 75th tournament (2022), the format was changed to a decisive battle for the adult team (Student Japan The final match will be held in late DecemberKoshien Bowlbecame).
From the 2022 season, the top 8 teams of the top division X1 Super “rice bowl tournament” was held, giving more teams a chance to advance to the Rice Bowl.
The fact that the Rice Bowl became a match between adult teams is historic considering that this match was originally a match between only student teams, and that university teams continued to dominate the popularity and ability. I can say that.
I mentioned above that there was a difference in ability between working adults and students, but why did this situation occur?
It’s definitely in the increase in American players. With the influx of authentic players with large stature and excellent athletic ability, the level of the league has definitely risen. Since the 2010s, each team has begun to adopt quarterbacks (QBs), who are the stars of American football and the center of the absolute team, one after another.
■ NFL offer refusal come to Japan
Arrilwan Adyami, Fujitsu’s defensive back Photo: Kazushi Nagatsuka
Most of the foreign players who come to the X League dream of joining the NFL and were invited to training camps, etc., but were not able to reach it.
However, there are some players who came to Japan and stayed there for a long time, winning league titles and individual titles, and finding success in their lives.
Fujitsu, which won the Rice Bowl this time,Arrilwan Adyamiis one of the people who has contributed to raising the level of American football in this country while admiringly adapting to life and football in a foreign country.