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NDaGame Entertainment 2008 HBCU Classic Football Event

"Classic" games have occurred for more than 80 years across historically black college and university campuses. Many of them resulted from team rivalries between minority institutions, while others have developed through business ventures of private investors. The concept of a "classic" game has evolved over the years and in some instances have transcended from being much more than just a football game and morphed into a true cultural extravaganza. Classic participants return year after year to be a part of the excitement and atmosphere of "black college football." They look forward to experiencing the school pageantry, spirit, camaraderie and the beat of the marching bands during the halftime show.

History

It all began in 1924 when Alabama State College and Tuskegee Institute met in the Turkey Day Classic in Montgomery, Alabama. Today, Black College Football Classic Games have become an integral part of the fall athletic environment at Historically Black Colleges and Universities. In some cases these games outdraw homecoming as the most well attended event on a school's football schedule.

Classic Games generally fall into three categories.

First you have traditional rivalries that have grown so large that school stadiums can't accommodate the number of people planning to attend. The same schools play each year, and bragging rights are on the line for the next twelve months. These traditional rivalries are often scheduled around holidays like Labor Day and Thanksgiving but aren't necessarily limited to those two dates.

The largest of these traditional rivalries include North Carolina Central vs. North Carolina A&T (Aggie-Eagle Classic), Norfolk State vs. Virginia State (Labor Day Classic), Jackson State vs. Tennessee State (Southern Heritage Classic), Benedict vs. South Carolina State (Palmetto Capital City Classic), Tennessee State vs. Florida A&M (Atlanta Football Classic), Prairie View A&M vs. Grambling State (State Fair Classic), Morehouse vs. Tuskegee (Morehouse-'Skegee Classic), Alabama State vs. Alabama A&M (Magic City Classic), Jackson State vs. Alcorn State (Capital City Classic), Fort Valley State vs. Albany State (Fountain City Classic), Grambling State vs. Southern (Bayou Classic), and Florida A&M vs. Bethune Cookman (Florida Classic). Alabama State vs. Tuskegee Institute (Turkey Day Classic).

The second category of Classic Games features a host school playing a different opponent each year. These games are usually held off-campus in large venues and carry all the pageantry associated with big time football. Often ancillary activities are scheduled, focusing on the benefits associated with being in the city with the large stadium. Bethune-Cookman plays in the Gateway Classic in Jacksonville, Florida. Alabama State always schedules a game in Mobile, Alabama known as the Gulf Coast Classic. Virginia Union's Gold Bowl is always a big event in Richmond, as is the Fish Bowl where Shriners from throughout the east coast gather in Tidewater Virginia to witness a game hosted by Norfolk State.

The third category includes events that have an identity of their own where different teams are invited each year. Grambling State and Morgan State met in Yankee Stadium in 1968 before 64,000 fans. Now, the New York Urban League sponsors an annual Classic Game at the Meadowlands in East Rutherford, New Jersey. Long before the NFL Colts moved to Indianapolis, the Indiana Black Expo convinced the local sports commission to partner in the sponsorship of a Black College Classic game. Now, the first week in October culminates with the Circle City Classic, which has featured a variety of match-ups over the past 20 years. The Circle City Classic has become a Midwest homecoming for fans that seldom get to experience a black college football game.

Regardless of the category, Classic Games provide all the excitement of a post-season bowl game. Fans get to visit a city away from campus to watch their favorite team play in a large stadium. There are usually extra activities like golf tournaments, step shows, and beauty pageants to spice up the event. Larger parking areas contribute to expanded tailgating before, during, and after the game. And then there is the battle of the bands at halftime and in the fifth quarter—after the game—for schools to showcase their artistic talents.

Demographics

Twenty years ago, only a handful of classics existed. Today, about 40 annual games bear the name. Dozens of black college football classics sprang up in the 1990s as promoters saw how lucrative the games were in New Orleans, Indianapolis and other cities. Title sponsors, including State Farm, Verizon, McDonald's and Coca-Cola, have responded to the college-educated, middle-class crowds they draw.

The typical Indianapolis Circle City Classic goer is a 35-year-old, college-educated homeowner with a medium income of more than $60,000. And its related activities -- such as the $20-a-head Greek step shows, galas, nightclub admissions and corresponding get-better-acquainted breakfasts -- lure visitors who pump $20 million into the city.
The Atlanta Football Classic, an annual contest between Florida A&M University and Tennessee State University, and related activities draw about 150,000 people, who spend an estimated $35 million at hotels, restaurants, parties and vendor strips, according to sponsors. The game typically sells out the 70,000-seat Georgia Dome. (Some 80,000 fans come for the other events.)
Orlando's Florida Classic, where FAMU and Bethune Cookman College mix it up, sells about 70,000 tickets each year to the Citrus Bowl Stadium.
The 66th annual Magic City Classic in Birmingham, presented by Pepsi, achieved an all-time attendance record of 68,593 fans for 2007 and brought crowds upwards of 130,000 people in and around the stadium on game day.
The State Farm Bayou Classic, including over 200,000 fans who descend upon the city to take part in the festivities, pumps more than $30 million into the New Orleans economy, annually.
The 66th annual Magic City Classic in Birmingham, presented by Pepsi, achieved an all-time attendance record of 68,593 fans for 2007 and brought crowds upwards of 130,000 people in and around the stadium on game day.
The State Farm Bayou Classic, including over 200,000 fans who descend upon the city to take part in the festivities, pumps more than $30 million into the New Orleans economy, annually.

Black College Classic Games cover the country from New York to San Diego; Cleveland to Dallas, and they often attract large crowds looking to get a taste of the HBCU experience both on and off the field. The following is a copy of the 2007 schedule of some of the HBCU Classics in our region.

NDa' Game Entertainment and Bama Hip Hop plans to schedule a mix of these Classic games near our home state along with selected Homecoming rivalries and produce a mobile showcase event, a tailgating/block party and show, to be on site at the center of the game day locations during the 2008 season thereby tapping into an already present audience seeking activity and entertainment before, during and after the game itself. With this unique yet proven entertainment venue, a concert hall without walls, presented in a festival style manner and certainty of crowd attendance, our sponsors will unquestionably get the advertising views they are seeking from this consumer market segment.