The Rice Bowl, which decides the best American football in Japan, is expected to end this year. A person concerned revealed on the 6th. The Japan Association will hold an extraordinary board meeting later this month to make the final decision. Since 1984, the Rice Bowl has been held as a Japanese championship in which representatives of working people and students compete against each other. In recent years, the difference in ability has become remarkable as the working people have won 12 consecutive victories, and it was judged that the role of the current method has ended. From next year onward, we will consider holding a new method such as the X-League championship final.
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It’s time to change one of the New Year’s sports traditions. January 3rd of this year will be the last rice bowl in which the champions of working people and students will face each other. Obic won the tournament for the first time in seven years. Kwansei Gakuin also performed well in the first half, but in the end it was 35-18. Due to the influence of the new coronavirus, the match time was shortened from 15 minutes to 12 minutes in one quarter (Q), but allowed 12 consecutive victories for working people. The average score during the consecutive wins for working adults is a double score of 32-15, which is almost the same. It was certain that the fun of the game had diminished.
The Rugby Japan Championship had the same method until 1996, but after that it became a tournament, and in 2017 the student quota disappeared. There is a big difference in experience in martial arts. OBIC Ohashi head coach (HC) said, “The peak of contact is after the late 20s,” and Kwansei Gakuin Omura said, “There is too much difference in power.”
Every time there was a big difference, there were voices asking the significance of the event. There were also growing concerns about the safety aspects of the students. Under such circumstances, the Japan Association established the Rice Bowl Review Working Group (WG) in August last year. With the chairman of the University of Tokyo, Mori HC, who has experience as a representative of Japan, he has held discussions six times until October.
Students are four years old, but there are no restrictions on the number of years for working adults, and the life span of athletes is extended. With the addition of American players and professional Japanese players, the frameworks of the two are different. From the student dominance until the early 90’s, the ability was reversed, and the difference was widened.
The WG’s recommendation that the Rice Bowl had fulfilled its original role was presented at the Japan Association Board of Directors in November. The Japan Student Association and the Japan Society of Adults will soon conclude their opinions. After that, an extraordinary board of directors of the Japan Association was held to reach a conclusion, but the majority of the opinions accepted the proposal.
Except for this year, when admission is restricted due to the corona, even if it becomes a member of society, more than 30,000 spectators gather almost every year. The value of holding a bowl game on January 3rd is high. From next year onward, we will discuss continuation in a new way. It is said that there are plans such as the championship deciding match of the adult X-League, which is the top league in Japan, and the revival of the original East-West student All-Star match.
◆ Rice Bowl The Japanese championship of American football, where working people and student representatives play against each other to decide the best in Japan. It has been held 38 times until this year, and the working people have won 12 consecutive wins, 26 wins and 12 losses. This tournament began in 1948 as an East-West student selection competition. To commemorate the 50th anniversary of the birth of American football in Japan, the Japan Championship was held on January 3rd every year from 1984, and the Tokyo Dome was held from 1992. In the bowl game, the name is the name of the special product of the venue, so it was named after the rice, which is the staple food of Japan.
◆ First student and working person Matsuoka of Nihon University defeated Renown in 1985 and brought the first number one in Japan. The following year, in 1986, he joined Renown and defeated Kwansei Gakuin University to become the number one in Japan for the second consecutive year. He became the first student and member of society to become an MVP and was inducted into the Hall of Fame last year.
◆ Kyoto University’s Tokai, the number one in Japan four times in total, won the Renown opponent in a row in 1987 and 1988, and both won MVP. After joining Asahi Breweries, he defeated Kyoto University and Kwansei Gakuin in 1993 and 1994 to win consecutive championships, becoming the best in Japan four times in total. I was inducted into the Hall of Fame last year.
◆ Towing the 4th consecutive victory Obic’s Sugawara has achieved the 4th consecutive victory since 2011 against Kwansei Gakuin University. In 2006 and 2007 during the Hosei era, he was defeated in a row. Received the most MVP awards for the third consecutive year from 2011.
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