The NFL’s Love of Anime

<p><span data-contrast&equals;"auto">When it comes to one of the world’s most contact-happy sports&comma; not many people think to associate anime with American football&period; In the US&comma; anime is still developing in terms of popular culture&comma; and some still see it as a simple cartoon&period;<&sol;span><span data-ccp-props&equals;"&lbrace;&quot&semi;134233117&quot&semi;&colon;true&comma;&quot&semi;134233118&quot&semi;&colon;true&rcub;"> <&sol;span><span data-contrast&equals;"auto">In the 90s and early 2000s&comma; anime series like <&sol;span><i><span data-contrast&equals;"auto">Sailor Moon<&sol;span><&sol;i><span data-contrast&equals;"auto"> and <&sol;span><i><span data-contrast&equals;"auto">Dragon Ball<&sol;span><&sol;i><span data-contrast&equals;"auto"> were often broadcasted on TV on popular networks&period; Other series&comma; though popular at the time&comma; were a bit harder to find&comma; like <&sol;span><i><span data-contrast&equals;"auto">Neon Genesis Evangelion <&sol;span><&sol;i><span data-contrast&equals;"auto">or <&sol;span><i><span data-contrast&equals;"auto">Reborn&excl;<&sol;span><&sol;i><span data-ccp-props&equals;"&lbrace;&quot&semi;134233117&quot&semi;&colon;true&comma;&quot&semi;134233118&quot&semi;&colon;true&rcub;"> <&sol;span><&sol;p>&NewLine;<p><span data-contrast&equals;"auto">Since then&comma; the genre has slowly built a diverse following&period; Fans enjoy the exciting journey each hero faces in the world of anime&comma; full of difficult trials and unforeseeable obstacles&period; In the end&comma; there tends to be a David versus Goliath faceoff in which the hero and their team triumph&period;<&sol;span><span data-ccp-props&equals;"&lbrace;&quot&semi;134233117&quot&semi;&colon;true&comma;&quot&semi;134233118&quot&semi;&colon;true&rcub;"> <&sol;span><span data-contrast&equals;"auto">For men who make their living on a gridiron battlefield in American football&comma; heroes like Tsunayoshi Sawada and Shinji Ikari have a clear appeal when viewed through the lens of a warrior&period; In fact&comma; there&&num;8217&semi;s a surprising amount of overlap in terms of the battle cultures associated with football and anime&period;<&sol;span><&sol;p>&NewLine;<h4 style&equals;"text-align&colon; center&semi;">New England Patriots<&sol;h4>&NewLine;<p><span data-contrast&equals;"auto">From defensive lineman Lawrence Guy to defensive tackle Deatrich Wise Jr&period;&comma; the New England Patriots NFL franchise is <&sol;span><i><span data-contrast&equals;"auto">full<&sol;span><&sol;i><span data-contrast&equals;"auto"> of anime fans&period; Their love is focused around <&sol;span><i><span data-contrast&equals;"auto">Dragon Ball Z<&sol;span><&sol;i><span data-contrast&equals;"auto"> and Goku’s journey to save the planet—though there are a few twists&period;<&sol;span><span data-ccp-props&equals;"&lbrace;&quot&semi;134233117&quot&semi;&colon;true&comma;&quot&semi;134233118&quot&semi;&colon;true&rcub;"> <&sol;span><span data-contrast&equals;"auto">Defensive tackle Adam Butler is more of a Vegeta than a Goku&comma; and rather than save the planet&comma; Guy&comma; Butler&comma; and Wise Jr&period; go into Super Saiyan mode to boost the Patriots&&num;8217&semi; <&sol;span><a href&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;www&period;oddschecker&period;com&sol;us&sol;football&sol;nfl&sol;super-bowl"><span data-contrast&equals;"none">upcoming Super Bowl odds<&sol;span><&sol;a><span data-contrast&equals;"auto"> to continue their team’s legacy of championship titles&period;<&sol;span><span data-ccp-props&equals;"&lbrace;&quot&semi;134233117&quot&semi;&colon;true&comma;&quot&semi;134233118&quot&semi;&colon;true&rcub;"> <&sol;span><span data-contrast&equals;"auto">However&comma; there seems to be a generational divide&period; Some prefer <&sol;span><i><span data-contrast&equals;"auto">Dragon Ball<&sol;span><&sol;i><span data-contrast&equals;"auto">&comma; while others prefer <&sol;span><i><span data-contrast&equals;"auto">Dragon Ball Z&period;<&sol;span><&sol;i><span data-contrast&equals;"auto"> For Guy&comma; he transitioned from <&sol;span><i><span data-contrast&equals;"auto">Dragon Ball <&sol;span><&sol;i><span data-contrast&equals;"auto">to <&sol;span><i><span data-contrast&equals;"auto">Dragon Ball Z<&sol;span><&sol;i><span data-contrast&equals;"auto"> to follow Goku’s story chronologically&period;<&sol;span><span data-ccp-props&equals;"&lbrace;&quot&semi;134233117&quot&semi;&colon;true&comma;&quot&semi;134233118&quot&semi;&colon;true&rcub;"> <&sol;span><&sol;p>&NewLine;<p><span data-contrast&equals;"auto">Others&comma; like Derek Rivers and Keionta Davis&comma; only share a passing <&sol;span><a href&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;www&period;theringer&period;com&sol;nfl&sol;2019&sol;1&sol;30&sol;18203209&sol;new-england-patriots-super-bowl-anime-club"><span data-contrast&equals;"none">fandom with the Dragon Ball world<&sol;span><&sol;a><span data-contrast&equals;"auto">&period; They may not be quoting the franchise like the others listed above&comma; but they know how to react in the locker room when hit with a fake Kamehameha wave&colon; slow-motion dodging&period;<&sol;span><span data-ccp-props&equals;"&lbrace;&quot&semi;134233117&quot&semi;&colon;true&comma;&quot&semi;134233118&quot&semi;&colon;true&rcub;"> <&sol;span><span data-contrast&equals;"auto">Meanwhile&comma; there are quite a few <&sol;span><i><span data-contrast&equals;"auto">Naruto<&sol;span><&sol;i><span data-contrast&equals;"auto"> fans&period; Butler is a fan of doing hand signals from the show in order to gauge whether or not newcomers to the Patriots are up-to-snuff with their anime knowledge&period; Memorizing the playbook isn&&num;8217&semi;t the only mandatory homework&comma; it seems&period;<&sol;span><span data-ccp-props&equals;"&lbrace;&quot&semi;134233117&quot&semi;&colon;true&comma;&quot&semi;134233118&quot&semi;&colon;true&rcub;"> <&sol;span><&sol;p>&NewLine;<h4 style&equals;"text-align&colon; center&semi;"><span data-contrast&equals;"auto"><a href&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;cdn&period;pixabay&period;com&sol;photo&sol;2018&sol;09&sol;30&sol;23&sol;34&sol;dragon-ball-3715010&lowbar;1280&period;png"><img class&equals;"aligncenter size-large" src&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;cdn&period;pixabay&period;com&sol;photo&sol;2018&sol;09&sol;30&sol;23&sol;34&sol;dragon-ball-3715010&lowbar;1280&period;png" width&equals;"1280" height&equals;"720" &sol;><&sol;a><&sol;span>Cameron Jordan&comma; New Orleans Saints<&sol;h4>&NewLine;<p><span data-contrast&equals;"auto">As one of the NFL’s most highlight-reel ready athletes&comma; it may surprise many to learn that New Orleans Saints defensive end Cameron Jordan has a Crunchyroll subscription&period; Or&comma; more accurately&comma; he’s <&sol;span><i><span data-contrast&equals;"auto">had<&sol;span><&sol;i><span data-contrast&equals;"auto"> one&period;<&sol;span> <span data-contrast&equals;"auto">He began with <&sol;span><a href&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;www&period;crunchyroll&period;com&sol;anime-feature&sol;2020&sol;03&sol;30&sol;crunchyroll-all-stars-cameron-jordan-is-the-nfls-most-hardcore-anime-fan"><span data-contrast&equals;"none">classics like <&sol;span><i><span data-contrast&equals;"none">Dragon Ball<&sol;span><&sol;i><span data-contrast&equals;"none"> and <&sol;span><i><span data-contrast&equals;"none">Yu-Gi-Oh&excl;<&sol;span><&sol;i><&sol;a><span data-contrast&equals;"auto"> before advancing to deeper cuts in the anime world&comma; like <&sol;span><i><span data-contrast&equals;"auto">Reborn&excl; <&sol;span><&sol;i><span data-contrast&equals;"auto">And <&sol;span><i><span data-contrast&equals;"auto">DanMachi&period;<&sol;span><&sol;i><span data-contrast&equals;"auto"> What began as a love for cartoons turned into a deep appreciation for the storytelling&comma; visual style&comma; and fantastical elements of anime&period;<&sol;span><span data-ccp-props&equals;"&lbrace;&quot&semi;134233117&quot&semi;&colon;true&comma;&quot&semi;134233118&quot&semi;&colon;true&rcub;"> <&sol;span><&sol;p>&NewLine;<p><span data-contrast&equals;"auto">Jordan says talking anime is one of the first topics he broaches with new Saints teammates&period; Currently&comma; he says many players are reading the manga that started off classics like <&sol;span><i><span data-contrast&equals;"auto">Naruto<&sol;span><&sol;i><span data-contrast&equals;"auto">—though Jordan won’t appreciate anyone trying to push <&sol;span><i><span data-contrast&equals;"auto">Boruto <&sol;span><&sol;i><span data-contrast&equals;"auto">on him&period;<&sol;span><span data-ccp-props&equals;"&lbrace;&quot&semi;134233117&quot&semi;&colon;true&comma;&quot&semi;134233118&quot&semi;&colon;true&rcub;"> <&sol;span><span data-contrast&equals;"auto">His favorite anime character&quest; Saitama from <&sol;span><i><span data-contrast&equals;"auto">One-Punch Man<&sol;span><&sol;i><span data-contrast&equals;"auto">&period;<&sol;span><span data-ccp-props&equals;"&lbrace;&quot&semi;134233117&quot&semi;&colon;true&comma;&quot&semi;134233118&quot&semi;&colon;true&rcub;"> <&sol;span><&sol;p>&NewLine;<h4 style&equals;"text-align&colon; center&semi;">Mike Daniels&comma; Green Bay Packers<&sol;h4>&NewLine;<p><span data-contrast&equals;"auto">Mike Daniels&comma; currently a free agent though he made his name with the Packers&comma; is another elite athlete with a Crunchyroll obsession&period; In fact&comma; he got his start a while back playing with Lawrence Guy&comma; who’s now head of the Patriots anime club&period;<&sol;span> <span data-contrast&equals;"auto">For Daniels&comma; the anime backchannel that exists in the NFL isn’t odd at all&period; He credits his first Shonen Jump forays into anime with helping him develop his own fighter spirit&period;<&sol;span><span data-ccp-props&equals;"&lbrace;&quot&semi;134233117&quot&semi;&colon;true&comma;&quot&semi;134233118&quot&semi;&colon;true&rcub;"> <&sol;span><&sol;p>&NewLine;<p><span data-contrast&equals;"auto">After all&comma; <&sol;span><a href&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;www&period;shonenjump&period;com&sol;mangaplus&sol;whatismangaplus&sol;"><span data-contrast&equals;"none">Shonen Jump<&sol;span><&sol;a><span data-contrast&equals;"auto"> has plenty of high-octane battle scenes that appeal to athletes who spend their days honing the physical body then battering into others in a stadium&period; But Daniels &lpar;along with an NBA athlete&comma; Johnny O’Bryant&rpar; has done more than harness anime to get hyped up in the locker room&period;<&sol;span><span data-ccp-props&equals;"&lbrace;&quot&semi;134233117&quot&semi;&colon;true&comma;&quot&semi;134233118&quot&semi;&colon;true&rcub;"> <&sol;span><span data-contrast&equals;"auto">In 2017&comma; the pair headed to San Diego Comic-Con in full Naruto cosplay&period; For Daniels&comma; it was about representing his own interests&comma; as well as showcasing to NFL and anime fans that the crossover between sports and art exists and that anyone can find their place in both&period;<&sol;span><span data-ccp-props&equals;"&lbrace;&quot&semi;134233117&quot&semi;&colon;true&comma;&quot&semi;134233118&quot&semi;&colon;true&rcub;"> <&sol;span><&sol;p>&NewLine;<p style&equals;"text-align&colon; center&semi;"><em>This article contains sponsored links&period;<&sol;em><&sol;p>&NewLine;