Birmingham Bowl to provide ‘national showcase’ for Magic City

The 14th annual Birmingham Bowl — the Magic City’s college football bowl game — will be played at Legion Field on Thursday, Jan. 2, 2020, at 2 p.m.

ESPN will televise the game, one of several bowls owned by ESPN Events.

The game features teams from the Southeastern Conference and the American Athletic Conference.

“With most students still out for the holidays and families being able to attend together, we look forward to a great turnout and another competitive game right here in Birmingham,” said Mark Meadows, the event’s executive director, in a news release.

In 2018, Wake Forest beat Memphis 37-34. The bowl drew 25,717 fans and had an economic impact of $5.9 million, according to the bowl’s website.

Since the game’s inception in 2006, it has donated $340,000 to local charities, according to the release.

The bowl has also generated more than $150 million in economic impact for the Birmingham area, according to game officials, citing figures from the Greater Birmingham Convention & Visitors Bureau.

Having the game on ESPN also provides “a great national showcase for our city,” Meadows told Iron City Ink in 2018.

Reserved seats are $50, and general admission tickets are $30. Group tickets are also available.

For details, go to birminghambowl.com.