Nihon University used to have an American football team. But then some players smoked a joint — and all hell broke loose.

By Jay Allen

American football (アメフト, ame-futo in Japanese) is a fairly popular pastime in Japan. And lately, it’s also been the source of some controversy. When the dust settled, Nihon University’s football team had been disbanded. And it’s all because a player decided to light up a doobie to relax.

American football in Japan

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Picture: vectorfusionart / PIXTA(ピクスタ)

American football has a modicum of popularity, with teams at both the college as well as semi-professional level. Like baseball in Japan, it’s an American import that somehow took root and took off. Though not nearly as popular as baseball, it’s been a staple sport since American missionary Paul Rusch pulled together the first scrimmage in 1934. It took off after the war in 1950.

Every year, Japan holds the Rice Bowl, a championship playoff that pits the semi-professional X League leader against the top of the collegiate teams (Koshien).

Here’s a brief history of the Rice Bowl — and why some argue it’s not quite a fair contest.

American Football and Japan

In 1925, an American missionary named Paul Rusch traveled to Japan to help the YMCA with reconstruction post-Great Kanto Earthquake. Rusch specialized in youth education and rural development. In 1934, Rusch collaborated with athletic faculty at Rikkyo University to organize the first football game at Jingu Stadium in November 1934.

The match was played between college students and foreign members of the Yokohama Athletic Club. It drew a crowd of 15,000 people, which was unprecedented at the time. The college students won in this landmark game. Three years later, the first football conferences were formulated, with Kanto (Eastern Japan) and Kansai (Western Japan) having their own respective factions.

American football was put on hold during World War II (1939–1945), but was picked up again in the 1950s. Though it has yet to reach the popularity of baseball, the fact that the game has persisted for over 73 years is a testament to the fandom. Moreover, Paul Rusch is known as the “Father of American Football” in Japan, and is memorialized in an MVP trophy of the same name.

The Rice Bowl

As stated earlier, the Rice Bowl is played between the Japan X (semi-professional) champions, and the Koshien (collegiate) champions. Kwansei Gakuin rules the collegiate roost, while the Obic Seagulls hold the most Japan X wins. However, in most Rice Bowls, the professional team usually proves the victor.