X-League

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X-League

Sport	American football
Founded	1997?
No. of teams	18
Country	Japan
Current champions	Onward Skylarks
Official website	X-League Homepage

The X-League (not to be confused with Vince McMahon's XFL) is a professional American football league in Japan. Teams in the four-tier league are split into east, west, and central divisions. There is promotion and relegation between the tiers.

The Japanese game is shorter, with quarters lasting 12 minutes instead of the standard 15. The five-game regular season ends with three rounds of playoffs and the Japan X Bowl. In addition, the top corporate team faces the college champion in the Rice Bowl.

As of February 2007, the X League's website lists the following teams:

As One Black Eagles
Asahi Beer Silver Star
Asahi Soft Drinks Challengers
Fujitsu Frontiers
Gakusei-Engokai Rocbull
IBM BigBlue
Watani Sidewinders
Kajima Deers
SRC Kobe Finies
Matsushita Denko Impulse
Nagai Energering Marvies
Nissan Skyliners
Obic Seagulls
Onward Skylarks
Penta-Ocean Construction Pirates
Renesas Hurricanes
Tokyo Gas Creators
Yasuda LA Pirates