ESPN’s First Take airs live episode from Legion Field ahead of Magic City Classic
Reading time: 4 minutes
Every year, the Magic City Classic brings people from all over the state to Legion Field for the annual rivalry game between Alabama State and Alabama A&M.
But the Classic is about more than the 60 minutes of football played on the field.
And Friday morning, the excitement crossed state lines as ESPN’s First Take came to town to share the scene with a national audience.
First Take, ESPN’s daily morning show starring Stephen A. Smith, brought their set to the 50-yard line at Legion Field on Friday. Analysts Cam Newton and Ryan Clark were also in the building along with host Amina Smith.
“I’ve never been here before but I’ve always heard about it… The show is here for y’all. The show is here because we want to make sure an national audience sees what HBCUs are all about, what HBCUs represent… Y’all have made us so proud. There’s so much talent from HBCUs that are getting recognized more and more every single day… We continue to show that nobody can stop us.”
Stephen A. Smith
Alabama State and Alabama A&M kick off Saturday afternoon at 2:30PM as the Hornets try to extend their winning streak to four games in the rivalry series.
Keep reading to see more from Friday’s episode including both head coaches’ appearance on ESPN.
First Take on ESPN
The live show was open to the public as fans started pouring into Legion Field for front row spots as early as 7AM, two hours before the start of the show.
The Alabama State and Alabama A&M marching bands were on each side of the crowd + the Disney on the Yard drumline, along with drum major Mickey Mouse, helped get the fans excited throughout the morning.
It is early in the morning but the energy here is through the roof.
Amina Smith, ESPN First Take host
While much of the show was like a regular episode with several NFL and NBA related debates happening, there were a couple of discussions that were Alabama centric.
This weekend may be all about the Magic City Classic rivalry but the crew took some time to debate what the best rivalry in college football is. And while Stephen A. Smith + Ryan Clark chose Ohio State-Michigan, Cam Newton spoke up for the Iron Bowl which got plenty of cheers from the crowd.
The focus shifted back to the Alabama State-Alabama A&M rivalry later on in the first hour with Hornets coach Eddie Robinson Jr. + Bulldogs coach Sam Shade joining the panel just in front of the crowd.
Both coaches spoke about what the game and the week in Birmingham means to both schools but more importantly to the entire community.
“Where else would you rather be than Birmingham, Alabama?”
Sam Shade, Alabama A&M
ESPN’s First Take at Legion Field (Caleb Turrentine / The Bama Buzz) 
ESPN’s First Take at Legion Field (Caleb Turrentine / The Bama Buzz) 
ESPN’s First Take at Legion Field (Caleb Turrentine / The Bama Buzz) 
ESPN’s First Take at Legion Field (Caleb Turrentine / The Bama Buzz) 
ESPN’s First Take at Legion Field (Caleb Turrentine / The Bama Buzz) 
ESPN’s First Take at Legion Field (Caleb Turrentine / The Bama Buzz) 
ESPN’s First Take at Legion Field (Caleb Turrentine / The Bama Buzz) 
ESPN’s First Take at Legion Field (Caleb Turrentine / The Bama Buzz) 
ESPN’s First Take at Legion Field (Caleb Turrentine / The Bama Buzz) 
ESPN’s First Take at Legion Field (Caleb Turrentine / The Bama Buzz) 
ESPN’s First Take at Legion Field (Caleb Turrentine / The Bama Buzz)
The two schools had plenty of fun Friday morning as well as ESPN set up a couple of friendly competitions including a 40-yard dash between two students (Alabama A&M won) and the two mascots (Alabama State won).
There was another competition between students with each school being represented in a quarterback throwing challenge and a route running challenge, which were both won by Alabama State as the Hornets took the competition scoreboard 3-1.
Some other representatives from the community got to appear on ESPN including:
- Magic City Classic ambassador Pastor Mike Jr.
- Alabama A&M commentator Thai Floyd
- Alabama State president Dr. Quinton T. Ross
Who do you think wins the 84th Magic City Classic at Legion Field this weekend? Let us know by tagging The Bama Buzz on Instagram, X, Facebook + LinkedIn.
