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IBARAKI, Osaka Prefecture--Cheerleader Ayari Okada, who roots for the Elecom Kobe Finies in Japan's professional football X League, is once again close to fulfilling her dream of joining the NFL ...

includes cheerleaders, a professional stadium and a nationally televised audience. It all started in 1976, when a handful of new IBM Japan employees gathered together and decided to start a team.

FUKUOKA--Dancing robot dogs named Spot and Pepper humanoid robots have been cheering on the Fukuoka Softbank Hawks baseball team in the absence of flesh and blood fans and cheerleaders. The ...