Tickets available for the American Athletic Conference and ACC matchup to be televised on ESPN

Boston, MA – December 4, 2022 – The University of Cincinnati Bearcats and University of Louisville Cardinals will face off in the inaugural Wasabi Fenway Bowl at Fenway Park on Saturday, December 17 at 11 a.m. ET. Jointly produced by Fenway Sports Management and ESPN Events, the Wasabi Fenway Bowl will be televised nationally on ESPN and will mark the first college football bowl game to be played at Fenway Park, and the first Division 1 bowl game to be held in New England. The matchup is a continuation of the historic Keg of Nails series between the Bearcats and Cardinals with their first meeting since 2013.

“The inaugural Wasabi Fenway Bowl will be memorable with the addition of the University of Cincinnati and University of Louisville set to play at Fenway Park on December 17,” said Julie Barry, vice president of global brand and communications, Wasabi Technologies. “We are very excited to establish a new sports tradition in New England along with Fenway Sports Management and ESPN, and we are committed to giving back to our New England community through the game’s Honor Roll program that supports educators and students.”

The Cincinnati Bearcats finished the season at 9-3, coming within a game of playing for the American Athletic Conference Championship. The Bearcats won six consecutive games midway through the season and were ranked as high as number 20 in the Associated Press poll and number 19 in the AFCA Coaches Poll. The team was led by senior linebacker Ivan Pace Jr. and sophomore punter Mason Fletcher, who are both in contention for national awards and All-American honors. The Wasabi Fenway Bowl marks the Bearcats’ 22nd bowl appearance all time and 12th appearance in 15 years. Since 2007, Cincinnati has been to four New Year’s Six bowls and the 2021 College Football Playoff, while winning 70 percent of its games.

“You really couldn’t ask for a better matchup,” said Cincinnati Director of Athletics John Cunningham. “It’s been too long since the University of Cincinnati and Louisville battled for the ‘Keg of Nails.’ We are looking forward to renewing this historic rivalry that will give this game extra significance. I’m thrilled that our student athletes will get to end the season in a rivalry game and have an outstanding bowl experience at an iconic venue such as Fenway Park.”

The Louisville Cardinals finished the season 7-5, winning 5 of its last 7 games.  The team stands second in the nation in sacks and third in turnovers, with a top-20 scoring defense at 20.2 points per game. The Wasabi Fenway Bowl will be the Cardinals’ 25th bowl appearance and head coach Scott Satterfield’s 3rd appearance in just 4 seasons. The team saw tremendous success in terms of player performance, with Yasir Abdullah recording 8 sacks and 13.5 tackles for loss in his path to being named first team All-ACC and Tyler Hudson recording 1,034 yards receiving and a second team All-ACC performance.  

“Our program is excited to be selected to the Wasabi Fenway Bowl and visit a great city like Boston,” said Louisville Cardinals Head Coach Scott Satterfield. “Playing at such an iconic venue will be a special experience for our football program and a great experience for our fans. To be able to resume our long-time series with Cincinnati will be a treat for our players and fans. These two programs have shared some great moments and we are looking forward to continuing that rivalry in the postseason.”

Bowl media day will take place Friday, December 16 with team coaches and captains, and Wasabi Fenway Bowl representatives. Both teams will also participate in special events, including historic tours of the city, while they are in Boston.

Planned Wasabi Fenway Bowl events that will be open to media (schedule & times subject to change):

Additional information will be shared closer to Bowl Week. Media interested in applying for credentials to cover community events, Media Day and the Wasabi Fenway Bowl game are asked to complete the media credential request form.

“We are thrilled with this matchup and with the opportunity for University of Cincinnati and University of Louisville student athletes, coaches, families and fans to experience Fenway Park,” said Wasabi Fenway Bowl Executive Director Brett Miller. “The City of Boston, Wasabi, our Executive Committee, and our foundational partners have worked tirelessly to make the inaugural Wasabi Fenway Bowl a reality. It’s been a wonderful collaboration and we look forward to offering fans a unique experience unlike anything New England has seen before, while building upon the rich history of football at Fenway Park.”

Tickets and further details on the Wasabi Fenway Bowl can be found at the game’s website: www.fenwaybowl.com, on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram @FenwayBowl. For information on group and hospitality options, please visit fenwaybowl.com/groups, email groupsales@fenwaybowl.com, or call 617.226.6001. Fans are also invited to attend the Wasabi Fenway Bowl Pre-Game Fan Fest prior to the game from 8-10:30 a.m. at the House of Blues. The event is free to the general public with a ticketed VIP option that includes a food & beverage package available as well.

About Fenway Sports Management

Fenway Sports Management (FSM) is a global sports marketing firm that specializes in partnership sales, consulting, and the creation of unique and memorable events and experiences. The company serves as the sponsorship sales arm for FSG’s prestigious sports portfolio, including the Boston Red Sox, Liverpool Football Club, the Pittsburgh Penguins, New England Sports Network (NESN), and RFK Racing. In addition to representing FSG’s network of properties, FSM also serves as the exclusive marketing agency for LeBron James through a strategic partnership with LRMR Ventures.

Outside of sponsorship sales, FSM serves as the sponsorship consulting agency to several brands, advising them on how to use sports as a platform to realize their business goals through a variety of services including strategy development, negotiation, and activation. The firm is also an industry leader with its Special Events practice which creates, plans, and executes a broad spectrum of unique sports and entertainment events that range from large-scale, public events at iconic sports venues, to private, corporate events. 

About Wasabi Technologies

Wasabi provides simple, predictable and affordable hot cloud storage for businesses all over the world. It enables organizations to store and instantly access an unlimited amount of data at 1/5th the price of the competition with no complex tiers or unpredictable egress fees. Trusted by tens of thousands of customers worldwide, Wasabi has been recognized as one of technology’s fastest-growing and most visionary companies. Created by Carbonite co-founders and cloud storage pioneers David Friend and Jeff Flowers, Wasabi is a privately held company based in Boston. Wasabi is a Proud Partner of the Boston Red Sox, and the Official Cloud Storage Partner of Liverpool Football Club and the Boston Bruins.

Follow and connect with Wasabi on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and The Bucket.

About ESPN Events

ESPN Events, a division of ESPN, owns and operates a portfolio of collegiate sporting events nationwide. In 2022, the 32-event schedule includes three early-season college football kickoff games, 17 college bowl games, 11 college basketball events, and a college softball event, which account for approximately 400 hours of live programming, while reaching nearly 64 million viewers and attracting over 800,000 annual attendees. With satellite offices in more than 10 cities across the country, ESPN Events builds relationships with conferences, schools and local communities, as well as providing unique experiences for teams and fans. For more information, visit the official website, Facebook, Twitter or YouTube pages.