About fours days ago, images and videos began to circulate of Dallas Cowboys defensive weapon, Micah Parsons, at various public events and recreational activities in Japan.
The sight of him fraternizing with Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud at baseball games and sumo wrestling activities has made for some very entertaining content.
However, it has also sparked questions and concerns among Cowboys fans about whether the Parsons’ focus is on the right things at this point in the year.
He has to be very careful because as soon as he messes up or has a bad game they will say he wasn’t focused/prepared for the season.
— AMP (@AmpDsports1) May 8, 2024
Whether it’s his podcast, his Super Bowl week activities, or other public appearances, the issue of whether or not Parsons is too distracted seems to come up constantly.
Although Micah’s actions shouldn’t require defending considering that he’s currently under no professional obligation to attend team activities or remain in the U.S., let’s play along and discuss some of the reasons this Asian excursion is completely sensible.
Micah Parsons’ side quests in Japan
The most popular posts related to Micah’s time in the Land of the Rising Sun have been related to him throwing the first pitch at a baseball game, going head-to-head with sumo wrestlers, and bantering with C.J. Stroud.
The sight of one of the star players of America’s Team being roughed up by a 300+ pound trained fighter, but it does align with Micah Parsons’ interest in different styles of combat.
Last offseason, Micah took up boxing to enhance his defensive skills. Perhaps sumo wrestling has some transferrable benefits as well. The video above suggests that may indeed be the case.
But what if it’s bigger than Micah?
This past March, the NFL added five new markets to its Global Markets Program, and Japan was one of them.
According to their press release, “First launched in 2022, the Global Markets Program awards NFL clubs international marketing rights to build brand awareness and fandom beyond the U.S., through fan engagement, events and commercial opportunities.”
Now, the rights to the Japanese market were granted to the Los Angeles Rams, not the Dallas Cowboys.
But is it crazy to think that the NFL might send one of their most outgoing and high performing athletes overseas to acquaint Japanese residents with the NFL brand?
Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones played a pivotal role in bringing NFL football back to Los Angeles in 2016. This is evidence that sometimes the growth of the league is more important than franchise boundaries.
Additionally, many of the posts have been made from Bleacher Report’s X account. Bleacher Report is the platform that hosts Micah Parsons’ podcast, The Edge.
Considering that, perhaps this tour of Japan is a way to fulfill obligations to Bleacher Report while also promoting the NFL brand.
While all of these are perfectly good reasons for such an adventurous offseason, none of them are the true purpose of this trip.
Micah Parsons – Supporting the international growth of football
Micah Parsons is an ambassador of sorts, but not for the NFL in this case.
Parsons and Stroud were sent to China and Asia to represent the Gridiron Imports Foundation, a nonprofit organization that helps “football players from around the world attain opportunities to play football and pursue their education at the high school and college level in the United States.”
The foundation offers:
- Financial assistance for expenses such as insurance and travel
- Recruiting assistance and education consulting with the goal of acquiring scholarships
- Affordable showcases for prospects to connect with American coaches
- Cost effective college tours to demonstrate skill and scholarship potential
According to their website, Gridiron Imports has placed young athletes from 30 different countries in U.S. high schools and colleges. Some of these athletes are from conflict-impacted countries such as Ukraine and Israel.
Also, Micah Parsons and C.J. Stroud are not the first NFL players to assist with these endeavors.
In March, Steelers quarterback Justin Fields and Raiders defensive tackle Christian Wilkins went on a similar European tour for Gridiron Imports. They visited Italy, Austria, Germany, and the Netherlands.
Parsons also went to Europe for the Gridiron Imports Foundation in 2023 with Jacksonville Jaguars safety Andre Cisco. They visited six countries in 21 days.
While in China and Japan this year, Parsons and Stroud have hosted 10 youth camps in Beijing, Shanghai, and Tokyo.
The public appearances and activities that have taken place outside of those camps were organized by FlexWork Sports Management, a partner of the Gridiron Imports Foundation.
FlexWork is a marketing company that specializes in athlete appearances and brand activations among other services.
So, this might be an annual occurrence for Parsons. Perhaps this year, his association with Bleacher Report happened to publicize his work in a different way.