Watch Luffy go long.

They say that baseball is the great American pastime, but I’d argue there’s an even bigger one. It involves larger-than-life people constantly putting themselves at risk in the name of teamwork and a battle of strength and wits that’s so intense you can only see it once a week.

I’m talking, of course, about anime and manga, and for one day one of its most successful and famous titles, One Piece, is going to help out this growing sport of football that I’ve been hearing a lot of good things about. On 3 December, the Los Angeles Rams and One Piece Game Collaboration Day will be held at SoFi Stadium as the Rams take on those landlubbers, the Cleveland Browns.

This will be the first time any Japanese characters have appeared during a Rams game and will feature the characters appearing one after another on monitors and other digital signage around the venue. There will also be an original video showcasing the world of One Piece, shown on the stadium’s 360-degree Infinity Screen during the game.

Also, much like the kiss cam seen at many professional sports games, the staff at SoFi will place a 30,000,000-berry bounty on the heads of random people in the audience and put them up on the big screen.

And of course, it wouldn’t be a collaboration day without freebies for the spectators. Every pirate knows the value of a good towel on the open seas, which is why everyone in attendance for this day will receive a special edition LA Rams x One Piece towel.

▼ Actual towel may look different.

To ensure the real One Piece fans don’t dilly-dally, there are also clear bags featuring images from the mobile game One Piece Bounty Rush and the One Piece Card Game for the first 10,000 spectators.

▼ Actual bags may look different

For those who can’t attend the game, the LA Rams website will also feature One Piece banners during the days leading up to 3 December. They’re more than just a pretty face, however, and clicking on them will take you to the new English-only One Piece information site, One Piece Links.

Having taken over huge venues like Times Square and Tokyo Big Sight, it’s nice to see One Piece take the time to help out a fledgling sport like football. When you go to see all your favorite characters on 3 December, be sure to check out the game too. This crazy little sport’s got a lot of moxie and I think it might just go places in the future.

Images: ©Eiichiro Oda/Shueisha, Toei Animation, Bandai Namco Entertainment Inc.
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