The unofficial online home for fans of the UAB Blazers. Part of Collegiate Sports Nation (CSN).

I keep hearing we need a multipurpose facility over and over, but can someone please tell me a single event that wanted to come to Birmingham but didn't because we didn't have a 70,000 seat stadium?

The SEC Championship game is not coming back. Alabama football is not coming back. The Birmingham Bowl is never going to draw that many people. Bruce Springsteen is never going to play Birmingham.

We should build a 40,000 or less open air football stadium, and we should expand the BJCC Arena. A 70,000 seat domed stadium is going to suck every penny out of the rest of the BJCC project.

With a smaller open air stadium combined with an expanded BJCC Arena we get:
* A great football venue for the primary tenant (UAB) instead of a crap Tulane-in-the-Superdome situation. A situation we will be saddled with for 50 years.
* A venue that would be acceptable for soccer
* A much better venue for the Birmingham Bowl and the number of attendees it attracts
* A venue for bigger concerts and shows. Yes, it won't be the Georgia Dome, but newsflash, this isn't Atlanta or Indianapolis
* A venue that can attract actual sporting events that we are likely to get like NCAA Tournament rounds, the Super 6, and others

(02-09-2017 02:10 PM)BAMANBLAZERFAN Wrote:  The GA Dome currently contracts for over 200 events (only a relatively few are sports events) EVERY year, and B'ham could probably lure some of those to our more centrally located city IF WE HAVE A COMPETITIVE FACILITY. By this time in 2018, the GA Dome is slated to become a parking lot. Where will those conventions go that can't use (afford?) the M-B Dome?

I'm sorry, you are just completely out of touch with reality if you think Atlanta is harder to get to than Birmingham and that all Atlanta has going for it is the Georgia Dome

We are not competing with Atlanta. That ship sailed 40 years ago, and the sooner people realize it, the better.

(02-09-2017 10:37 AM)iam4uab Wrote:  

(02-09-2017 10:23 AM)mixduptransistor Wrote:  

(02-09-2017 10:15 AM)iam4uab Wrote:  

(02-09-2017 09:59 AM)BlazerGreen Wrote:  When I hear "dome", I can't take the discussion seriously. Birmingham doesn't need an indoor "multi purpose facility". The NFL, NBA, or MLS is never coming to Birmingham. We need a modern open air stadium built for college football.

Not without people with a dream and vision to bring the city to a place where it could happen.

The MLS...*maybe* but it's a stretch. We don't need a 70,000 seat dome for the MLS anyway. Most MLS stadiums are around 20,000 capacity.

NFL or NBA is definitely not. Too close to existing markets, way, way, way too small of a market in and of itself.

The time to sign on to the dream of getting a major league team here was when MAPS was voted down. All of the investment and growth that would've come to Birmingham post-MAPS ended up in Memphis, Nashville, New Orleans, Charlotte, Oklahoma City.

It's time to be realistic and focus on what we already have and what we know we can do. We know we have a Division 1A football team in town with a huge story and huge backing, and we can create a great college atmosphere. A dome is a boondoggle and will just be the final nail in any real future for Birmingham and will just guarantee our place in mediocrity forever.

I don't necessarily disagree. But I also think it's extremely short-sighted to just accept that Birmingham will never reach the levels of other great cities in America.

No matter how far out of reach we think it is right now, to not dream and believe that Birmingham's best days are ahead will be the very thing that makes that true.

I can tell the reason that Atlanta has a Dome and is building a second Dome is because its (they are) a part of the Convention Center. It means you can use that space year round in any weather for events.

(02-09-2017 06:09 PM)mixduptransistor Wrote:  

(02-09-2017 02:10 PM)BAMANBLAZERFAN Wrote:  The GA Dome currently contracts for over 200 events (only a relatively few are sports events) EVERY year, and B'ham could probably lure some of those to our more centrally located city IF WE HAVE A COMPETITIVE FACILITY. By this time in 2018, the GA Dome is slated to become a parking lot. Where will those conventions go that can't use (afford?) the M-B Dome?

I'm sorry, you are just completely out of touch with reality if you think Atlanta is harder to get to than Birmingham and that all Atlanta has going for it is the Georgia Dome

We are not competing with Atlanta. That ship sailed 40 years ago, and the sooner people realize it, the better.

No, but you are competing against Macon and College Park, GA.

(02-09-2017 06:33 PM)panama Wrote:  

(02-09-2017 06:09 PM)mixduptransistor Wrote:  

(02-09-2017 02:10 PM)BAMANBLAZERFAN Wrote:  The GA Dome currently contracts for over 200 events (only a relatively few are sports events) EVERY year, and B'ham could probably lure some of those to our more centrally located city IF WE HAVE A COMPETITIVE FACILITY. By this time in 2018, the GA Dome is slated to become a parking lot. Where will those conventions go that can't use (afford?) the M-B Dome?

I'm sorry, you are just completely out of touch with reality if you think Atlanta is harder to get to than Birmingham and that all Atlanta has going for it is the Georgia Dome

We are not competing with Atlanta. That ship sailed 40 years ago, and the sooner people realize it, the better.

No, but you are competing against Macon and College Park, GA.

First of all, Bham isn't competing against Macon. Chattanooga, Memphis, Greenville, SC, Louisville, and Jacksonville perhaps, but not Macon. College Park is essentially Atlanta. I don't think we're competing with them either.

(02-09-2017 06:06 PM)mixduptransistor Wrote:  I keep hearing we need a multipurpose facility over and over, but can someone please tell me a single event that wanted to come to Birmingham but didn't because we didn't have a 70,000 seat stadium?

The SEC Championship game is not coming back. Alabama football is not coming back. The Birmingham Bowl is never going to draw that many people. Bruce Springsteen is never going to play Birmingham.

We should build a 40,000 or less open air football stadium, and we should expand the BJCC Arena. A 70,000 seat domed stadium is going to suck every penny out of the rest of the BJCC project.

With a smaller open air stadium combined with an expanded BJCC Arena we get:
* A great football venue for the primary tenant (UAB) instead of a crap Tulane-in-the-Superdome situation. A situation we will be saddled with for 50 years.
* A venue that would be acceptable for soccer
* A much better venue for the Birmingham Bowl and the number of attendees it attracts
* A venue for bigger concerts and shows. Yes, it won't be the Georgia Dome, but newsflash, this isn't Atlanta or Indianapolis
* A venue that can attract actual sporting events that we are likely to get like NCAA Tournament rounds, the Super 6, and others

It's nice to see someone with common sense. There is no need for Bham to have a 70K dome for all of the reasons you stated. The ONLY professional sports league that seems even remotely feasible in Bham right now is the MLS and that is because they are still expanding. I'd still consider that a long shot. Bham needs a stadium suitable for UAB, the Bham Bowl, the Classic, and soccer. What I think is a bigger need is an upgraded civic center complex. The BJCC is terribly outdated and it needs to be modernized. I think if that happens Bham can again host tournament games, bigger concerts, and bigger conventions.

(02-09-2017 06:33 PM)panama Wrote:  

(02-09-2017 06:09 PM)mixduptransistor Wrote:  

(02-09-2017 02:10 PM)BAMANBLAZERFAN Wrote:  The GA Dome currently contracts for over 200 events (only a relatively few are sports events) EVERY year, and B'ham could probably lure some of those to our more centrally located city IF WE HAVE A COMPETITIVE FACILITY. By this time in 2018, the GA Dome is slated to become a parking lot. Where will those conventions go that can't use (afford?) the M-B Dome?

I'm sorry, you are just completely out of touch with reality if you think Atlanta is harder to get to than Birmingham and that all Atlanta has going for it is the Georgia Dome

We are not competing with Atlanta. That ship sailed 40 years ago, and the sooner people realize it, the better.

No, but you are competing against Macon and College Park, GA.

I don't even know what that means, is that supposed to support or debunk the need for a 70,000 seat dome? Saying Birmingham is competing with College Park is like saying Memphis competes with Homewood.

(02-09-2017 08:22 PM)mixduptransistor Wrote:  

(02-09-2017 06:33 PM)panama Wrote:  

(02-09-2017 06:09 PM)mixduptransistor Wrote:  

(02-09-2017 02:10 PM)BAMANBLAZERFAN Wrote:  The GA Dome currently contracts for over 200 events (only a relatively few are sports events) EVERY year, and B'ham could probably lure some of those to our more centrally located city IF WE HAVE A COMPETITIVE FACILITY. By this time in 2018, the GA Dome is slated to become a parking lot. Where will those conventions go that can't use (afford?) the M-B Dome?

I'm sorry, you are just completely out of touch with reality if you think Atlanta is harder to get to than Birmingham and that all Atlanta has going for it is the Georgia Dome

We are not competing with Atlanta. That ship sailed 40 years ago, and the sooner people realize it, the better.

No, but you are competing against Macon and College Park, GA.

I don't even know what that means, is that supposed to support or debunk the need for a 70,000 seat dome? Saying Birmingham is competing with College Park is like saying Memphis competes with Homewood.

Memphis has no pantless statue, but Homewood has no NBA team. Advantage Memphis.

(02-09-2017 07:30 PM)BlazintheATL Wrote:  

(02-09-2017 06:33 PM)panama Wrote:  

(02-09-2017 06:09 PM)mixduptransistor Wrote:  

(02-09-2017 02:10 PM)BAMANBLAZERFAN Wrote:  The GA Dome currently contracts for over 200 events (only a relatively few are sports events) EVERY year, and B'ham could probably lure some of those to our more centrally located city IF WE HAVE A COMPETITIVE FACILITY. By this time in 2018, the GA Dome is slated to become a parking lot. Where will those conventions go that can't use (afford?) the M-B Dome?

I'm sorry, you are just completely out of touch with reality if you think Atlanta is harder to get to than Birmingham and that all Atlanta has going for it is the Georgia Dome

We are not competing with Atlanta. That ship sailed 40 years ago, and the sooner people realize it, the better.

No, but you are competing against Macon and College Park, GA.

First of all, Bham isn't competing against Macon. Chattanooga, Memphis, Greenville, SC, Louisville, and Jacksonville perhaps, but not Macon. College Park is essentially Atlanta. I don't think we're competing with them either.

I mentioned cities with mid sized convention centers. College Park has the Georgia International Convention Center which is adding a 3500 arena for the Hawks D League team.


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(02-09-2017 06:06 PM)mixduptransistor Wrote:  I keep hearing we need a multipurpose facility over and over, but can someone please tell me a single event that wanted to come to Birmingham but didn't because we didn't have a 70,000 seat stadium?

The SEC Championship game is not coming back. Alabama football is not coming back. The Birmingham Bowl is never going to draw that many people. Bruce Springsteen is never going to play Birmingham.

We should build a 40,000 or less open air football stadium, and we should expand the BJCC Arena. A 70,000 seat domed stadium is going to suck every penny out of the rest of the BJCC project.

With a smaller open air stadium combined with an expanded BJCC Arena we get:
* A great football venue for the primary tenant (UAB) instead of a crap Tulane-in-the-Superdome situation. A situation we will be saddled with for 50 years.
* A venue that would be acceptable for soccer
* A much better venue for the Birmingham Bowl and the number of attendees it attracts
* A venue for bigger concerts and shows. Yes, it won't be the Georgia Dome, but newsflash, this isn't Atlanta or Indianapolis
* A venue that can attract actual sporting events that we are likely to get like NCAA Tournament rounds, the Super 6, and others

I've seen Bruce Springsteen in Birmingham TWICE....

(02-09-2017 10:53 PM)CourtsideBlazer Wrote:  

(02-09-2017 06:06 PM)mixduptransistor Wrote:  I keep hearing we need a multipurpose facility over and over, but can someone please tell me a single event that wanted to come to Birmingham but didn't because we didn't have a 70,000 seat stadium?

The SEC Championship game is not coming back. Alabama football is not coming back. The Birmingham Bowl is never going to draw that many people. Bruce Springsteen is never going to play Birmingham.

We should build a 40,000 or less open air football stadium, and we should expand the BJCC Arena. A 70,000 seat domed stadium is going to suck every penny out of the rest of the BJCC project.

With a smaller open air stadium combined with an expanded BJCC Arena we get:
* A great football venue for the primary tenant (UAB) instead of a crap Tulane-in-the-Superdome situation. A situation we will be saddled with for 50 years.
* A venue that would be acceptable for soccer
* A much better venue for the Birmingham Bowl and the number of attendees it attracts
* A venue for bigger concerts and shows. Yes, it won't be the Georgia Dome, but newsflash, this isn't Atlanta or Indianapolis
* A venue that can attract actual sporting events that we are likely to get like NCAA Tournament rounds, the Super 6, and others

I've seen Bruce Springsteen in Birmingham TWICE....

Yeah. The last time he was here was at least a decade ago. He's not coming back to play the BJCC.

(02-09-2017 01:27 PM)BandGrad Wrote:  

(02-09-2017 10:40 AM)cb4029 Wrote:  Sorry, but I see all this a just a photo op, and the whole stadium situation going nowhere fast. The time for talk is over. I'd also take the dome over a stadium. If we want a stadium, then build our own.

IIRC, we tried to build a stadium. That was the straw that broke the BOT's camel. It wasn't two years later, Carol Garrison was fired, we lost the football program, lost an athletic director because he wouldn't carry the status quo, and are where we are now. You don't think they're going to change their minds now do you?

We also didn't have a foundation or the ability to fund raise. Once Ray is gone, we can jam a fully funded stadium down the BOTs throat.

Trying to tell what conventions didn't come to B'ham because of a lack of competitive facility is like trying to tell what UAB football would have looked like with a supportive UA System BOT from the beginning in the 1990s. No one can definitely prove what has never happened.

What I can say is that B'ham and Atlanta had practically identical population numbers during my first decades (40s & 50s) of life - about 350,000. B'ham Barons played their AA baseball team - the Crackers - in the Southern League along with the Nashville Vols, the Memphis Chicks, the Chattanooga Lookouts and the New Orleans Pelicans. What happened since then is due to the segregationist City Commission and 19th century style Alabama state government (which we still have in 2017). It has been repeated many times that Six Flags Corp approached B'ham first but was rebuffed by the Commission's insistence that it be a "White only" park like most of the other existing city parks.

I find the idea appalling that the only reason to build anything of substance in the city should be defined solely by a sport usage. I did not originate the over 200 events figure for the GA Dome. That quote came from the Dome's manager after the storm rendered it damaged forcing the movement of the SEC BB tournament to GA Tech.

Building smaller and cheaper was the hallmark of the City Commission, and I feel despair to hear their mantra repeated today. Intentionally aiming to compete for the bottom rung is not going to make B'ham (nor UAB) great in this century.

(02-09-2017 11:46 PM)BAMANBLAZERFAN Wrote:  Trying to tell what conventions didn't come to B'ham because of a lack of competitive facility is like trying to tell what UAB football would have looked like with a supportive UA System BOT from the beginning in the 1990s. No one can definitely prove what has never happened.

What I can say is that B'ham and Atlanta had practically identical population numbers during my first decades (40s & 50s) of life - about 350,000. B'ham Barons played their AA baseball team - the Crackers - in the Southern League along with the Nashville Vols, the Memphis Chicks, the Chattanooga Lookouts and the New Orleans Pelicans. What happened since then is due to the segregationist City Commission and 19th century style Alabama state government (which we still have in 2017). It has been repeated many times that Six Flags Corp approached B'ham first but was rebuffed by the Commission's insistence that it be a "White only" park like most of the other existing city parks.

I find the idea appalling that the only reason to build anything of substance in the city should be defined solely by a sport usage. I did not originate the over 200 events figure for the GA Dome. That quote came from the Dome's manager after the storm rendered it damaged forcing the movement of the SEC BB tournament to GA Tech.

Building smaller and cheaper was the hallmark of the City Commission, and I feel despair to hear their mantra repeated today. Intentionally aiming to compete for the bottom rung is not going to make B'ham (nor UAB) great in this century.

That storm was nine years ago. Time to update your mantra.

(02-09-2017 11:57 PM)Memphis Blazer Wrote:  

(02-09-2017 11:46 PM)BAMANBLAZERFAN Wrote:  Trying to tell what conventions didn't come to B'ham because of a lack of competitive facility is like trying to tell what UAB football would have looked like with a supportive UA System BOT from the beginning in the 1990s. No one can definitely prove what has never happened.

What I can say is that B'ham and Atlanta had practically identical population numbers during my first decades (40s & 50s) of life - about 350,000. B'ham Barons played their AA baseball team - the Crackers - in the Southern League along with the Nashville Vols, the Memphis Chicks, the Chattanooga Lookouts and the New Orleans Pelicans. What happened since then is due to the segregationist City Commission and 19th century style Alabama state government (which we still have in 2017). It has been repeated many times that Six Flags Corp approached B'ham first but was rebuffed by the Commission's insistence that it be a "White only" park like most of the other existing city parks.

I find the idea appalling that the only reason to build anything of substance in the city should be defined solely by a sport usage. I did not originate the over 200 events figure for the GA Dome. That quote came from the Dome's manager after the storm rendered it damaged forcing the movement of the SEC BB tournament to GA Tech.

Building smaller and cheaper was the hallmark of the City Commission, and I feel despair to hear their mantra repeated today. Intentionally aiming to compete for the bottom rung is not going to make B'ham (nor UAB) great in this century.

That storm was nine years ago. Time to update your mantra.

Yet some still think and talk like it's still 1963 and they seem to feel they can still talk down to the remaining citizens and leaders of the city. BTW, In 1950 Alabama had 9 members in the U.S. House. Today the state is projected to drop to 6 from its present 7. It is the ONLY southern sunbelt state projected to lose representation in 2020. What does that tell about Alabama's leadership?

(02-09-2017 08:06 PM)BlazintheATL Wrote:  

(02-09-2017 06:06 PM)mixduptransistor Wrote:  I keep hearing we need a multipurpose facility over and over, but can someone please tell me a single event that wanted to come to Birmingham but didn't because we didn't have a 70,000 seat stadium?

The SEC Championship game is not coming back. Alabama football is not coming back. The Birmingham Bowl is never going to draw that many people. Bruce Springsteen is never going to play Birmingham.

We should build a 40,000 or less open air football stadium, and we should expand the BJCC Arena. A 70,000 seat domed stadium is going to suck every penny out of the rest of the BJCC project.

With a smaller open air stadium combined with an expanded BJCC Arena we get:
* A great football venue for the primary tenant (UAB) instead of a crap Tulane-in-the-Superdome situation. A situation we will be saddled with for 50 years.
* A venue that would be acceptable for soccer
* A much better venue for the Birmingham Bowl and the number of attendees it attracts
* A venue for bigger concerts and shows. Yes, it won't be the Georgia Dome, but newsflash, this isn't Atlanta or Indianapolis
* A venue that can attract actual sporting events that we are likely to get like NCAA Tournament rounds, the Super 6, and others

It's nice to see someone with common sense. There is no need for Bham to have a 70K dome for all of the reasons you stated. The ONLY professional sports league that seems even remotely feasible in Bham right now is the MLS and that is because they are still expanding. I'd still consider that a long shot. Bham needs a stadium suitable for UAB, the Bham Bowl, the Classic, and soccer. What I think is a bigger need is an upgraded civic center complex. The BJCC is terribly outdated and it needs to be modernized. I think if that happens Bham can again host tournament games, bigger concerts, and bigger conventions.

I agree with this. Open-air is what's most suitable and will allow for the funding to be there for the arena and convention hall renovation. A complete gut and re-do of the arena can have almost as big of an impact as the stadium IMO.

RE: Open air stadium preference:
(A) Has ESPN agreed to move the bowl game (which they own) to the smaller (by about half) BJCC stadium?
(B) Has the Magic City Classic organizer agreed to such a move as well?
© If UAB winds up as the sole regular tenant, (6 home games most seasons), will its rental charges increase to reflect its solitary tenant status?
(D) Some posters said that including soccer capability means moving sideline seating much farther from the FB field sideline. Is this true? UAB has its own new soccer facility, but this is a BJCC project so it may still be done that way.
(E) The description of renovation of Legacy Arena stated it will remain about the same capacity as now. How will that make it more attractive to those events now played elsewhere?

A: I'm positive ANY new facility will have improved technical broadcast capacity than what Legion Field offers and a SOLD OUT stadium creating a demand for tickets will be much more acceptable for any promoter/producer.

B: moving the Classic is done with the stroke of a pen at city hall. It has to be staffed by the city and those personnel will go where the city tells them.

C: UAB will NOT be the sole regular tenant. Expect HS games.

D: the increased sidelines for soccer can easily be changed by retractable seating in the lower levels. Its already done in many places.

E: addition of suites and other amenities @ Legacy Arena will make it more attractive but this is where a NEW indoor event center becomes more attractive

I find it interesting that the city is floating the notion that they are totally supportive of UAB football.

True they have done a lot of stuff in support but they were totally against renewing the taxes that were going to be needed to fund the new stadium.

Instead they wished to jack up a 1% sales tax in place of the Jefferson County tax.

(02-10-2017 07:20 AM)the_blazerman Wrote:  I find it interesting that the city is floating the notion that they are totally supportive of UAB football.

True they have done a lot of stuff in support but they were totally against renewing the taxes that were going to be needed to fund the new stadium.

Instead they wished to jack up a 1% sales tax in place of the Jefferson County tax.

This was the stance of most Jefferson County municipalities. They all wanted the Jeff Co tax gone so they could raies their local taxes by that same 1%. That's one of the only local tax municipalities have any control over since...property taxes are controlled by Montgomery...