It was a Monday night, not a Super Sunday, but an estimated 100 people had assembled for a viewing party for Super Bowl XLIX between the New England Patriots and Seattle Seahawks on massive screens at a public viewing event in Tokyo.
There was a time when the NFL was closer to fans like these. In past years, they could have actually gone to an NFL game in Japan.
Unfortunately for Japanese NFL fans, it's been a decade since Japan hosted an NFL game, an American Bowl preseason matchup between the Indianapolis Colts and Atlanta Falcons at Tokyo Dome, a contest featuring Peyton Manning and Michael Vick.