By: Mahari A. McTier
It’s Magic City Classic time again in the Magic City! The Magic City Classic rivalry between the two largest Historically Black colleges in the country is coming up this weekend. Alabama A&M University Bulldogs and the Alabama State University Hornets will take place at Legion Field Saturday. As usual, the game is expected to bring thousands of fans and millions in revenue for metro Birmingham.
It’s time for new outfits, reuniting with friends, and parties galore. When I was born I was wrapped in black and gold swaddling cloth. I was born into an ASU family. With my mother being a former Miss Alabama State University my destiny as a future Hornet was sealed at conception. We traveled from Montgomery to Birmingham every year to be amongst the thousands of visitors who came to Birmingham to spend money and partake in the Magic City Classic festivities.
This article is not about the entertainment aspect of the classic, instead the business of the classic. The Magic City Classic is a huge revenue event for the City of Birmingham and the entire region. The economic impact of the classic averages between $15 and $20 million annually. Yes, I said $20 million! Who is benefiting financially from the Magic City Classic? The obvious benefactors are hotels, clubs, restaurants, transportation, and gas stations just to name a few. On average more than 7000 rooms are sold with an average stay of 2.75 days. How many hotels do African-Americans own in Birmingham? The City of Birmingham hires transportation services companies to transport fans to and from the game. I don’t know of any African-American owned transportation services companies in Birmingham positioned to do this work. I don’t know of any African-American owned gas stations, but I was recently informed that some did exist. If you know where they are, please let me know. How many African-American owned restaurants are people going to frequent during the week for upscale dining? We have some of the best mom and pop restaurants in the country, but when it comes to casual and fine dining our options are almost nonexistent. Outside of a few party promoters, t-shirt sellers, beauty and barbershops, chicken and barbeque restaurants who in the big scheme of things are making pennies of the $15 to $20 million on the table, we are not getting paid. I can go on and on highlighting sectors of business that will make millions during the Magic City Classic festivities where African-Americans are not players, but I want us to start thinking about how we can position ourselves to win.
A few years ago I was fortunate to serve on a task force that was organized by Charles Steele, National President for the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. The Super Bowl was coming to Jacksonville, Fla. and we were responsible for making sure that African-American businesses and contractors benefited from the $500 million to a $1 billion economic impact. We worked diligently to structure joint ventures to give contractors capacity to handle larger jobs. We hosted business recruitment fairs that brought Black businesses to the table along with city officials and other stakeholders to strategically position Black businesses get opportunities. Our efforts were successful. Millions of dollars were made by Black owned businesses.
I encourage Birmingham and organizations like the Urban League to look at these opportunities through a broader lens than a concert and gala. We need to focus on a forensic analysis of the economic impact and where the money is going and position Black businesses to win in Birmingham. At some point we must be more that consumers.
I would encourage a task force be put together to address opportunities for minority businesses to do business with all conventions and major events that come to the city. I would also like to expand a concept created by my friend and fellow Dr. Jesse Lewis, Sr. Innovator, Rickey White titled “I am The Classic Empowerment Expo.” The expo includes a job fair, panel discussions on business, health and entertainment, as well as a vendor fair. The vendor fair can be huge for small business owners. envision thousands of visitors strolling through a convention hall supporting Black businesses, a beautiful thing!
Let’s enjoy events like the Magic City Classic and other major events that come to the city, but let’s not just focus on the fun and miss opportunities to be empowered. Happy Classic and go Hornets!
(Mahari A. McTier is a Financial Advisor with Tier 1 Advisors, LLC and can be reached at maharimctier.tier1@gmail.com.)
