Gridiron Japan

Gridiron Japan

Join sports journalist John Gunning, star X League quarterback Aaron Ellis, and pro football historian Greg St. James of the Sports History Network, as they cover the Japanese gridiron game.

Episodes

October 14, 2025 4 mins

In conjunction with our good friends at The World of Football podcast (⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.theworldoffootball.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠), we present to you our the early October scores from X League X1 Area and Super play.

Gridiron Japan livestreams over at Gridiron Japan Television on YouTube at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.gridironjapantv.net⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, on Facebook at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.facebook.com/GridironJapan.jp⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, and on⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ X at Gridiron Japan⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

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With Greg on vacation for the week, we reach back into the archives to episode 27, from 2023, when John, BJ and Greg sat down with Antoine Sinclair of the Blue Thunder, to talk about his life and journey to Japan. From Georgia to Japan, and from the rugby pitch to the gridiron, Antoine has had an interesting and varied journey!


Gridiron Japan is available on all platforms, including YouTube (www.gridironjapantv.net) where we livest...

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In conjunction with our good friends at The World of Football podcast (⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.theworldoffootball.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠), we present to you our week 5 scoreboard that covers the third round of 2025 X League Super play (the league plays every other week).

Gridiron Japan livestreams over at Gridiron Japan Television on YouTube at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.gridironjapantv.net⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, on Facebook at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.facebook.com/GridironJapan.jp⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, an...

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September 29, 2025 39 mins

It was another week of upsets in the X League and the crew returns to break it all down as the regular season reaches the halfway point. After which we take a peak at the week four matchups taking place in mid-October.


Gridiron Japan livestreams over at Gridiron Japan Television on YouTube at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.gridironjapantv.net⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠/⁠www.youtube.com/@GridironJapan⁠, on Facebook at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.facebook.com/GridironJapan.jp⁠⁠...

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In conjunction with our good friends at The World of Football podcast (⁠⁠⁠⁠www.theworldoffootball.com⁠⁠⁠⁠), we present to you our week 4 scoreboard that covers the first two rounds of X League Area play (the league plays every other week).

Gridiron Japan livestreams over at Gridiron Japan Television on YouTube at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.gridironjapantv.net⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, on Facebook at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.facebook.com/GridironJapan.jp⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, and on⁠⁠⁠...

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September 22, 2025 41 mins

Coming off their upset win in week 2 of X League Super action over perennial powerhouse, the Fujitsu Frontiers, former University of Arizona Wildcat and now star wide receiver for the Nojima Sagamihara Rise, Tay Cunningham (on Instagram- www.instagram.com/tayvian.cunningham), sits down with the Gridiron Japan crew to talk about his career and life in Japan.


Gridiron Japan livestreams over at Gridiron Japan Television on YouTube ...

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September 19, 2025 40 mins

Week 2 of the X League Super season witnessed the biggest upset in recent Gridiron Japan history and a complete upending of the power rankings! We break it all down in this episode and look ahead to Week 3 where we hope we see more surprises from those teams also seeking to Rise to the challenge.

Gridiron Japan livestreams over at Gridiron Japan Television on YouTube at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.gridironjapantv.net⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, on Facebook at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠...

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In conjunction with our good friends at The World of Football podcast (⁠⁠www.theworldoffootball.com⁠⁠), we present to you our week 3 scoreboard that covers the second week of X League Super play (the league plays every other week). A more indepth of the week that was will be coming out soon, with John, Aaron and Greg talking about the teams and players who shone bright on the way to the Rice Bowl.

Gridiron Japan livestreams over at ...

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September 10, 2025 46 mins

The Gridiron Japan crew sits down with Tokyo Gas Creators' star defensive lineman, St. Louis native Matt McClellan (https://www.instagram.com/sackmamba/ | https://x.com/sackmamba & https://www.youtube.com/@GlobalSackboy), to talk about his journey to Japan where he is leading his team on a quest for championship glory.

Gridiron Japan livestreams over at Gridiron Japan Television on YouTube at ⁠⁠www.gridironjapantv.net⁠⁠, on Face...

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In conjunction with our good friends at The World of Football podcast (⁠www.theworldoffootball.com⁠), we present to you a new weekly (and sometimes bi-weekly or monthly depending upon the sports calendar) segment that gives a rundown of the scores for the top gridiron games played here in Japan, from the top level to the college ranks.

Gridiron Japan livestreams over at Gridiron Japan Television on YouTube at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.gridironjapan...

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The guys return to look back at the week that was in week one of X League Super and do a deep dive on why teams won, lost, regressed and took a step back from 2024. We also talk to Aaron's debut as QB of the Ibaraki Saviors.

Gridiron Japan livestreams over at Gridiron Japan Television on YouTube at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.gridironjapantv.net⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, on Facebook at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.facebook.com/GridironJapan.jp⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, and on⁠ X at Gridiron Japan⁠.

Mark as Played

In conjunction with our good friends at The World of Football podcast (www.theworldoffootball.com), we present to you a new weekly (and sometimes bi-weekly or monthly depending upon the sports calendar) segment that gives a run down of all the scores we can track down for the gridiron games played here in Japan, from the top level to the college ranks, and hopefully even lower as Greg improves his sports research skills.

Gridiron Ja...

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August 25, 2025 60 mins

The Gridiron Japan crew sits down with the new IBM Big Blue TE Tommy Auger. Tommy is an LFA and FCF (Fan Controlled Football) All-Pro, as well as an AFCA All-American. While playing in the LFA he set league records for single season reception, yards and touchdowns. A feat we hope he repeats here in Japan.

Gridiron Japan livestreams over at Gridiron Japan Television on YouTube at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.gridironjapantv.net⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, on Facebook at ⁠⁠...

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On the eve of week one in X-League play in Japan, IBM Big Blue coach Mike Phair returns to the show to talk to the crew about the upcoming season and how his team is shaping up going into his second season as head coach.

Gridiron Japan livestreams over at Gridiron Japan Television on YouTube at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.gridironjapantv.net⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, on Facebook at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.facebook.com/GridironJapan.jp⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, and on⁠ X at Gridiron Japan⁠.

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August 18, 2025 33 mins

With Aaron back in Japan, Greg finds out how he is settling in and how things are going with the savior of his new team, the Ibaraki Saviors. Greg and Aaron give a quick fan and player look and thoughts of the upcoming week 1 games in 2025 X League Super competition. After which they give their thoughts about the topic we covered in last week's show, the 2026 X League restructuring.

Gridiron Japan livestreams over at Gridiron J...

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Gridiron football is back in Japan as we look ahead to the 2025 autumn season. In this episode we look ahead to X League 2026 which has asking all of us here at the show, WTF? We then are joined by Fujitsu Frontier's defense line coach and former Gridiron Japan cohost and take a look at the new players on the roster on Fujitsu. After which we talk about the former and current players of the X League who made big impacts and led...

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July 1, 2025 70 mins

From August 2024, on the eve of week one in 2024 X League play in Japan, Greg and John sit down with Mike Phair, the head coach of IBM Big Blue to talk about his team and the upcoming season. Coach Phair talks about his coaching philosophy and the lessons he learned from coaching in the NFL and CFL. In addition we learn how John almost was a movie star!

Gridiron Japan livestreams over at Gridiron Japan Television on YouTube at ⁠⁠⁠w...

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With the release yesterday of the 2025 X League Super schedule, John and Greg take a look at the games for the six week autumn schedule for the top 12 teams of Japan's top tier gridiron division. The also talk about some of the new names coming to Japan and also not returning to Japan, and also talk a little about why vuvuzelas are frowned upon in sports.

Gridiron Japan livestreams over at Gridiron Japan Television on YouTube at ⁠⁠⁠...

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May 16, 2025 48 mins

The boys are back and live from Japan and Austria (where Aaron is presently playing for the Vienna Vikings of the AFC). In this episode, Aaron reveals his plans for the upcoming fall season, and we review the Rice Bowl upset of the Panasonic Impulse over the Fujitsu Frontiers. We also look at some of the moves being made by teams in the X League and the current state of the gridiron game in Japan.


Gridiron Japan livestreams over...

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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!

Gridiron Japan livestreams over at Gridiron Japan Television on YouTube at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.gridironjapantv.net⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, on Facebook at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.facebook.com/GridironJapan.jp⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, and on ⁠⁠⁠⁠X (Twitter)⁠⁠⁠⁠! Learn more at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.gridironjapan.jp⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ or ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.gridironjapan.net⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

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