The inaugural Wasabi Fenway Bowl, which was scheduled to take place Wednesday at the Red Sox’s historic ballpark, has been canceled due to the number of COVID-19 cases impacting the University of Virginia’s football roster, Fenway Sports Management announced Sunday.
The Fenway Bowl was one of four college football bowl games set to be held at an active Major League Baseball stadium during the 2021-22 bowl season, along with the Pinstripe Bowl at Yankee Stadium, the Holiday Bowl at Petco Park and the Guaranteed Rate Bowl at Chase Field.
The Cavaliers were slated to take on the SMU Mustangs in the 2021 edition of the Fenway Bowl. The pandemic also caused the postponement of the college football bowl game last year.
"Though we all are disappointed that the Wasabi Fenway Bowl will not be played this year, we are grateful to our community partners, sponsors, volunteers, and stakeholders for their hard work to introduce college bowl season to Fenway Park," Fenway Sports Management said in a statement. "We’d like to extend that appreciation to both schools and fanbases for their enthusiastic support. We look forward to seeing everyone at the 2022 Wasabi Fenway Bowl."