The Magic City Classic will not be held for more than a month but interest in the annual rivalry game between Alabama’s flagship Division I HBCUs is already high.
A recent television report indicated that 400 online tailgate parking spots for the matchup between Alabama A&M and Alabama State in Birmingham sold out in 3 minutes.
The capacity at Legion Field, where the game has been held for years, is back up to 100 percent following the lifting of COVID-19 protections. In 2021, attendance was listed at 28,096.
Many festivities are held in conjunction with the game, including a pep rally, comedy show, scholarship breakfast, concert/festival, soirees, alumni gatherings, 2-hour parade, and a popular “Battle of the Bands” between AAMU’s Marching Maroon and White Band and ASU’s Mighty Marching Hornets. Festivities begin the week of Saturday’s game.
Alabama A&M leads the all-time series 44-39-3. The Bulldogs won last year’s meeting 42-28.
This year’s game is scheduled for Oct. 29 at 2:30 p.m. CT.