Temple University Athletics
Temple Advancing American Football and Intercollegiate Athletics in Japan
5.23.18 | Football
On Sunday, Temple football players and head coach Geoff Collins returned to campus for the first time after nine-day trip to Japan.
Temple, in partnership with the Dome Corporation (exclusive licensee and distributor for Under Armour in Japan) and Temple University Japan (TUJ), had meetings with several universities in Japan and held three various football clinics at universities across the country.
The main goal of the trip was to discuss the restructuring of the college athletics system in Japan and the formation of a NCAA-like governing body for college athletics. Right now, there are only club teams at colleges in Japan, and those teams are funded only through member payments.
Dr. Jeremy Jordan, associate dean of Temple's School of Sport, Tourism & Hospitality Management (STHM), said that the talks went well and progress is being made to help further support college athletics in Japan.
"It was a great opportunity to brand Temple University. It was a great opportunity to brand Temple University Japan," Jordan said. "It was really helpful to have a head coach go and talk about his experience and the types of things that they could achieve by restructuring how athletics is in Japan. I think it was great to have students there to talk about their experience."
This is a project that Temple has been at the forefront of for the last two years, but with the addition of players and Coach Collins on the trip, Jordan was able to tailor it more towards student-athletes.
"We're really trying to approach the project from the student-athlete experience and how structuring college athletics different in Japan may allow universities to provide more of these types of services and support which will ultimately help the student-athletes," Jordan said.
Jordan believes that while there is work to be done in terms of creating a cohesive organization or association, the foundations have been put in and it's only a matter of time before more significant steps are taken.
"They are continuing to work on it. I think the government is still planning on having an association for college athletics in Japan," Jordan said.
The eight-player contingency that accompanied Coach Collins were hand-picked, and Collins couldn't have put together a better group of players for the trip.
"I know we chose the right eight guys to go. The eight guys that went with us were picked for very specific reasons," Collins said. "They were engaging, they were positive the entire week...their level of excitement, their level of coaching, it was amazing to see those guys embrace the situation that they were in, the culture they were in and do an unbelievable job."
They also had a jam-packed itinerary, some of the highlights being a Yomiuri Giants baseball game, a sumo wrestling tournament, visiting the U.S. Embassy and looking out at the Tokyo skyline over 1,600 feet in the air in the Tokyo Skytree, the largest tower and second-tallest building in the world.
Now back home, Coach Collins and his players had time to reflect on what ended up being a once-in-a-lifetime trip for all who went.
"They [Dome] even got us up on a billboard in Shibuya, which is basically Times Square on steroids, so there was me and Frankie Juice ane Ventell Bryant up in the heart of that district which was awesome," Collins said. "We had an absolute blast."
When the group first landed in Tokyo, it came as a culture shock to a few players, this being their first time traveling to Japan.
"When we got to the airport and we were driving in, I was really surprised by how spread out the city was, but everywhere you go, there's still tall buildings and it's just an absolutely massive city," redshirt sophomore C Matt Hennessy said.
It took time for the players to not only get adjusted to the time difference and jet lag, but the culture as well.
"After the third day, I started picking up different things that you were supposed to do and what was okay to say and do. I found out early that walking and eating isn't a thing there," redshirt senior OL Jaelin Robinson said.
The decision process to see who from the team was going was very long and time-consuming, as many different factors were considered. Once the players got the call, the feeling was a mixture of excitement and honor.
"It was exciting. I didn't know what to expect going to Tokyo, just not being able to understand their way of life, not knowing what's over there, but I was eager to find out," redshirt senior OL Michael Dogbe said. "It meant that the coaches thought highly of me...to see that they thought highly of me and that I was one of the guys who they felt could go on the trip was all pretty awesome."
While in Japan, the eight players took a three-credit course "Sport, Culture, and Tourism in Japan," where they wrote daily blog entries in Japan. They were also required to write pre- and post-essays, comparing their expectations for the trip and what they actually experienced. The trip exceeded the expectations of everyone, especially in terms of the Japanese sports culture.
"Actually being at a Yomiuri Giants game, I was really surprised by how intense it was. You would've thought it was Game 7 of the World Series, the way that they were into the game. They were going nuts," redshirt senior QB Frank Nutile said.
A new culture also brings some eye-opening experiences and surprises. The entire contingency raved about how the people were very welcoming and the streets were spotless wherever they went.
"The people there are very polite, very pleasant people...They were very accommodating, they actually enjoyed helping us, especially if we had trouble going somewhere, they didn't mind going out of their way to show us where something was at," redshirt sophomore DT Dan Archibong said.
The clinics were well-received from the players. They gave first-hand instruction to players, and despite the initial language barriers, they were able to communicate through football.
"After every clinic we did, all the kids would surround us and they just treated us like celebrities," junior WR Isaiah Wright said. "Everywhere we went, they wanted to take pictures or just talk to us or just look at us. I think that's pretty cool to be out there and just to see people that genuinely want to be around you."
American football is not the premier sport in Japan, but the eight agreed that there was a lot of talent at the camps, some that could even translate over into the states.
"I was actually really surprised. Some kids are really talented out there," junior LB Shaun Bradley said. "A lot of them have good footwork, fundamentally sound. I can tell they don't do as much weight training as we do, but in terms of the football aspect, they were pretty much on beat."
The food was also a talking point for many as with a new culture comes new and unique food, which Japan didn't come close to lacking, even though there were a fair share of American fast food staples that the players frequented.
"We went to a Korean barbeque place that was pretty much the highlight of my eating experience out there because we got to cook our own meals," junior CB Linwood Crump said. "We also had a lot of bento boxes. We tried some sushi, seaweed, mochi. It was just a great experience trying all those foods."
The trip was an overwhelming success and there's already a desire to go back and continue these trips in the future.
Asked if he would ever go back again, Collins responded, "I wanna do it next year, so I've already got it in the works right now trying to get it done for next year."
Temple, in partnership with the Dome Corporation (exclusive licensee and distributor for Under Armour in Japan) and Temple University Japan (TUJ), had meetings with several universities in Japan and held three various football clinics at universities across the country.
The main goal of the trip was to discuss the restructuring of the college athletics system in Japan and the formation of a NCAA-like governing body for college athletics. Right now, there are only club teams at colleges in Japan, and those teams are funded only through member payments.
Dr. Jeremy Jordan, associate dean of Temple's School of Sport, Tourism & Hospitality Management (STHM), said that the talks went well and progress is being made to help further support college athletics in Japan.
"It was a great opportunity to brand Temple University. It was a great opportunity to brand Temple University Japan," Jordan said. "It was really helpful to have a head coach go and talk about his experience and the types of things that they could achieve by restructuring how athletics is in Japan. I think it was great to have students there to talk about their experience."
This is a project that Temple has been at the forefront of for the last two years, but with the addition of players and Coach Collins on the trip, Jordan was able to tailor it more towards student-athletes.
"We're really trying to approach the project from the student-athlete experience and how structuring college athletics different in Japan may allow universities to provide more of these types of services and support which will ultimately help the student-athletes," Jordan said.
Jordan believes that while there is work to be done in terms of creating a cohesive organization or association, the foundations have been put in and it's only a matter of time before more significant steps are taken.
"They are continuing to work on it. I think the government is still planning on having an association for college athletics in Japan," Jordan said.
The eight-player contingency that accompanied Coach Collins were hand-picked, and Collins couldn't have put together a better group of players for the trip.
"I know we chose the right eight guys to go. The eight guys that went with us were picked for very specific reasons," Collins said. "They were engaging, they were positive the entire week...their level of excitement, their level of coaching, it was amazing to see those guys embrace the situation that they were in, the culture they were in and do an unbelievable job."
They also had a jam-packed itinerary, some of the highlights being a Yomiuri Giants baseball game, a sumo wrestling tournament, visiting the U.S. Embassy and looking out at the Tokyo skyline over 1,600 feet in the air in the Tokyo Skytree, the largest tower and second-tallest building in the world.
Now back home, Coach Collins and his players had time to reflect on what ended up being a once-in-a-lifetime trip for all who went.
"They [Dome] even got us up on a billboard in Shibuya, which is basically Times Square on steroids, so there was me and Frankie Juice ane Ventell Bryant up in the heart of that district which was awesome," Collins said. "We had an absolute blast."
When the group first landed in Tokyo, it came as a culture shock to a few players, this being their first time traveling to Japan.
"When we got to the airport and we were driving in, I was really surprised by how spread out the city was, but everywhere you go, there's still tall buildings and it's just an absolutely massive city," redshirt sophomore C Matt Hennessy said.
It took time for the players to not only get adjusted to the time difference and jet lag, but the culture as well.
"After the third day, I started picking up different things that you were supposed to do and what was okay to say and do. I found out early that walking and eating isn't a thing there," redshirt senior OL Jaelin Robinson said.
The decision process to see who from the team was going was very long and time-consuming, as many different factors were considered. Once the players got the call, the feeling was a mixture of excitement and honor.
"It was exciting. I didn't know what to expect going to Tokyo, just not being able to understand their way of life, not knowing what's over there, but I was eager to find out," redshirt senior OL Michael Dogbe said. "It meant that the coaches thought highly of me...to see that they thought highly of me and that I was one of the guys who they felt could go on the trip was all pretty awesome."
While in Japan, the eight players took a three-credit course "Sport, Culture, and Tourism in Japan," where they wrote daily blog entries in Japan. They were also required to write pre- and post-essays, comparing their expectations for the trip and what they actually experienced. The trip exceeded the expectations of everyone, especially in terms of the Japanese sports culture.
"Actually being at a Yomiuri Giants game, I was really surprised by how intense it was. You would've thought it was Game 7 of the World Series, the way that they were into the game. They were going nuts," redshirt senior QB Frank Nutile said.
A new culture also brings some eye-opening experiences and surprises. The entire contingency raved about how the people were very welcoming and the streets were spotless wherever they went.
"The people there are very polite, very pleasant people...They were very accommodating, they actually enjoyed helping us, especially if we had trouble going somewhere, they didn't mind going out of their way to show us where something was at," redshirt sophomore DT Dan Archibong said.
The clinics were well-received from the players. They gave first-hand instruction to players, and despite the initial language barriers, they were able to communicate through football.
"After every clinic we did, all the kids would surround us and they just treated us like celebrities," junior WR Isaiah Wright said. "Everywhere we went, they wanted to take pictures or just talk to us or just look at us. I think that's pretty cool to be out there and just to see people that genuinely want to be around you."
American football is not the premier sport in Japan, but the eight agreed that there was a lot of talent at the camps, some that could even translate over into the states.
"I was actually really surprised. Some kids are really talented out there," junior LB Shaun Bradley said. "A lot of them have good footwork, fundamentally sound. I can tell they don't do as much weight training as we do, but in terms of the football aspect, they were pretty much on beat."
The food was also a talking point for many as with a new culture comes new and unique food, which Japan didn't come close to lacking, even though there were a fair share of American fast food staples that the players frequented.
"We went to a Korean barbeque place that was pretty much the highlight of my eating experience out there because we got to cook our own meals," junior CB Linwood Crump said. "We also had a lot of bento boxes. We tried some sushi, seaweed, mochi. It was just a great experience trying all those foods."
The trip was an overwhelming success and there's already a desire to go back and continue these trips in the future.
Asked if he would ever go back again, Collins responded, "I wanna do it next year, so I've already got it in the works right now trying to get it done for next year."
Players Mentioned
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