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https://www.stadiumtalk.com/s/cities-tha...ent=419848

13: Birmingham

Birmingham seems to be fertile ground for pro football, but not quite ready for the NFL. That may change if the league decides to expand. Birmingham had a World League of American Football team for two years, then was chosen as a flagship market in the startup Alliance of American Football League.

Birmingham is a small city, but one with robust football passion — as support for both the University of Alabama and Auburn University prove. If the state rallied around an NFL team, Birmingham would be a pretty fun market, and one that could serve as regional rival to both the Atlanta Falcons and New Orleans Saints.

We can get the Raiders... for a year.

Quote:Birmingham is a small city, but one with robust football passion — as support for both the University of Alabama and Auburn University prove.

Birmingham already has a major league football expansion franchise. They're gonna play in our new stadium, built with their needs in mind. No need to build bigger and hope they come. They're already here!

I am not convinced it would be properly supported here.

This. We're a football crazed state, but I don't think I could handle going to games on Saturday AND Sunday

(02-06-2019 12:59 PM)ATTALLABLAZE Wrote:  I am not convinced it would be properly supported here.

I don't think there is a chance it would be.

(02-06-2019 01:48 PM)Auburn_Blazer Wrote:  This. We're a football crazed state, but I don't think I could handle going to games on Saturday AND Sunday

This is exactly why an NFL team would do horribly in Birmingham. All the time, money, and attention is already absorbed by Alabama and Auburn. The people who care enough about the NFL to matter are already New Orleans, Tennessee, or Atlanta fans. There's no out of state base to draw from either because all the surrounding states except Mississippi already have teams, and the 12 people who live in Mississippi are probably Saints fans

Metro B'ham's (and Alabama's) choices over the past several decades have placed the region firmly in the camp of minor league cities. The spring football league team fits in well with our new minor league soccer, minor league hockey, minor league baseball, minor league basketball (if it comes) and G5 C-USA collegiate sports.

In the middle of the last century [when B'ham and Atlanta had about equal (350,000) populations] B'ham was in prime position to move up, but the local and state leaderships led the two metro areas in opposite directions. Today B'ham has about 200,000 while Atlanta is moving toward its second million. The most obvious difference today is the new M-B MPF in Atlanta compared with Legion Field in B'ham. Even the new BJCC stadium when completed in the next decade admits to being a minor league facility.

(02-06-2019 05:46 PM)BAMANBLAZERFAN Wrote:  Metro B'ham's (and Alabama's) choices over the past several decades have placed the region firmly in the camp of minor league cities. The spring football league team fits in well with our new minor league soccer, minor league hockey, minor league baseball, minor league basketball (if it comes) and G5 C-USA collegiate sports.

In the middle of the last century [when B'ham and Atlanta had about equal (350,000) populations] B'ham was in prime position to move up, but the local and state leaderships led the two metro areas in opposite directions. Today B'ham has about 200,000 while Atlanta is moving toward its second million. The most obvious difference today is the new M-B MPF in Atlanta compared with Legion Field in B'ham. Even the new BJCC stadium when completed in the next decade admits to being a minor league facility.

like, I don't disagree with you, but a) the city of Atlanta has a population in the 400,000 range and b) it doesn't really matter what happened in the past, all that can be done is from today forward and c) this being a backdoor argument to a dome in Birmingham is idiotic because there's already a tenant for Mercedes Benz Stadium, and there's not one in Birmingham.

(02-06-2019 05:31 PM)mixduptransistor Wrote:  

(02-06-2019 01:48 PM)Auburn_Blazer Wrote:  This. We're a football crazed state, but I don't think I could handle going to games on Saturday AND Sunday

This is exactly why an NFL team would do horribly in Birmingham. All the time, money, and attention is already absorbed by Alabama and Auburn. The people who care enough about the NFL to matter are already New Orleans, Tennessee, or Atlanta fans. There's no out of state base to draw from either because all the surrounding states except Mississippi already have teams, and the 12 people who live in Mississippi are probably Saints fans

& even if there was some wild way that Birmingham could be in consideration - Atlanta, New Orleans, & Tennessee would say hell no.

(02-06-2019 06:51 PM)the_blazerman Wrote:  

(02-06-2019 05:31 PM)mixduptransistor Wrote:  

(02-06-2019 01:48 PM)Auburn_Blazer Wrote:  This. We're a football crazed state, but I don't think I could handle going to games on Saturday AND Sunday

This is exactly why an NFL team would do horribly in Birmingham. All the time, money, and attention is already absorbed by Alabama and Auburn. The people who care enough about the NFL to matter are already New Orleans, Tennessee, or Atlanta fans. There's no out of state base to draw from either because all the surrounding states except Mississippi already have teams, and the 12 people who live in Mississippi are probably Saints fans

& even if there was some wild way that Birmingham could be in consideration - Atlanta, New Orleans, & Tennessee would say hell no.

Seriously, Birmingham is so close to so many other NFL cities it's ridiculous to think that they'll ever put a team in Birmingham

The Bham City Council has supposedly been in discussions with the Raiders to play a game here at Legion Field next season (I would guess).

No idea how much of a discussion, etc.


**** EDIT **** Supposedly they are asking the Raiders to come play their upcoming season in Birmingham.

That would go over well for the other southeastern NFL teams.

(02-06-2019 07:25 PM)the_blazerman Wrote:  The Bham City Council has supposedly been in discussions with the Raiders to play a game here at Legion Field next season (I would guess).

No idea how much of a discussion, etc.


**** EDIT **** Supposedly they are asking the Raiders to come play their upcoming season in Birmingham.

That would go over well for the other southeastern NFL teams.

Like the Dalai Lama, the spirit of Larry Langford never truly dies it simply finds a new vessel

(02-06-2019 12:59 PM)ATTALLABLAZE Wrote:  I am not convinced it would be properly supported here.

Only way it works is setting it up like the packers, ( publicly owned) but the NFL won’t allow it.

(02-06-2019 07:53 PM)mixduptransistor Wrote:  

(02-06-2019 07:25 PM)the_blazerman Wrote:  The Bham City Council has supposedly been in discussions with the Raiders to play a game here at Legion Field next season (I would guess).

No idea how much of a discussion, etc.


**** EDIT **** Supposedly they are asking the Raiders to come play their upcoming season in Birmingham.

That would go over well for the other southeastern NFL teams.

Like the Dalai Lama, the spirit of Larry Langford never truly dies it simply finds a new vessel

Nothing ventured, nothing gained...

Won't happen because...

5. Memphis (considered by many as a better option)
4. New Orleans
3. Nashville
2. Atlanta
1. University of Alabama (not that they could or would stop it, but because their influence within the state of Alabama, particularly in the Birmingham area, is too great. The NFL does not want to compete with that!)

(02-06-2019 06:45 PM)mixduptransistor Wrote:  

(02-06-2019 05:46 PM)BAMANBLAZERFAN Wrote:  Metro B'ham's (and Alabama's) choices over the past several decades have placed the region firmly in the camp of minor league cities. The spring football league team fits in well with our new minor league soccer, minor league hockey, minor league baseball, minor league basketball (if it comes) and G5 C-USA collegiate sports.

In the middle of the last century [when B'ham and Atlanta had about equal (350,000) populations] B'ham was in prime position to move up, but the local and state leaderships led the two metro areas in opposite directions. Today B'ham has about 200,000 while Atlanta is moving toward its second million. The most obvious difference today is the new M-B MPF in Atlanta compared with Legion Field in B'ham. Even the new BJCC stadium when completed in the next decade admits to being a minor league facility.

like, I don't disagree with you, but a) the city of Atlanta has a population in the 400,000 range and b) it doesn't really matter what happened in the past, all that can be done is from today forward and c) this being a backdoor argument to a dome in Birmingham is idiotic because there's already a tenant for Mercedes Benz Stadium, and there's not one in Birmingham.

There is no "backdoor - or any other - for a MPF in B'ham. That ship sailed 2 decades ago and the land for it has been allocated for the new stadium. B'ham - and its university - must NOW adjust its dreams to its minor league reality. Any larger dreams are as dead as our "large dreamers", Larry Langford and Joe Volker. BTW, Atlanta did not build the M-B MPF out of its pockets alone. Like B'ham, it needed the support of its metro area and the state - and GOT IT.

Until the AFL tried to place teams in Atlanta and Dallas, the NFL had not looked south of D.C. When the AFL made its moves, the NFL jumped in to place the Falcons and the Cowboys in those cities. The AFL had to move those teams to Miami and KC respectively. Had B'ham and Alabama not been mired in other priorities involving civil rights, we might have had a chance in that time frame, but as you say, that is the past. NOW B'ham is surrounded by NFL teams and is considered to be a part of their market share.

(02-06-2019 11:27 PM)BAMANBLAZERFAN Wrote:  

(02-06-2019 06:45 PM)mixduptransistor Wrote:  

(02-06-2019 05:46 PM)BAMANBLAZERFAN Wrote:  Metro B'ham's (and Alabama's) choices over the past several decades have placed the region firmly in the camp of minor league cities. The spring football league team fits in well with our new minor league soccer, minor league hockey, minor league baseball, minor league basketball (if it comes) and G5 C-USA collegiate sports.

In the middle of the last century [when B'ham and Atlanta had about equal (350,000) populations] B'ham was in prime position to move up, but the local and state leaderships led the two metro areas in opposite directions. Today B'ham has about 200,000 while Atlanta is moving toward its second million. The most obvious difference today is the new M-B MPF in Atlanta compared with Legion Field in B'ham. Even the new BJCC stadium when completed in the next decade admits to being a minor league facility.

like, I don't disagree with you, but a) the city of Atlanta has a population in the 400,000 range and b) it doesn't really matter what happened in the past, all that can be done is from today forward and c) this being a backdoor argument to a dome in Birmingham is idiotic because there's already a tenant for Mercedes Benz Stadium, and there's not one in Birmingham.

There is no "backdoor - or any other - for a MPF in B'ham. That ship sailed 2 decades ago and the land for it has been allocated for the new stadium. B'ham - and its university - must NOW adjust its dreams to its minor league reality. Any larger dreams are as dead as our "large dreamers", Larry Langford and Joe Volker. BTW, Atlanta did not build the M-B MPF out of its pockets alone. Like B'ham, it needed the support of its metro area and the state - and GOT IT.

Until the AFL tried to place teams in Atlanta and Dallas, the NFL had not looked south of D.C. When the AFL made its moves, the NFL jumped in to place the Falcons and the Cowboys in those cities. The AFL had to move those teams to Miami and KC respectively. Had B'ham and Alabama not been mired in other priorities involving civil rights, we might have had a chance in that time frame, but as you say, that is the past. NOW B'ham is surrounded by NFL teams and is considered to be a part of their market share.

Atlanta did not have the support of it's metro area. The money for MBS came from Fulton County hotel taxes. The City of Atlanta has roughly the same relationship with the rest of metro Atlanta as the City of Birmingham does with the rest of metro Birmingham, which is to say a poor one

(02-06-2019 05:46 PM)BAMANBLAZERFAN Wrote:  Metro B'ham's (and Alabama's) choices over the past several decades have placed the region firmly in the camp of minor league cities. The spring football league team fits in well with our new minor league soccer, minor league hockey, minor league baseball, minor league basketball (if it comes) and G5 C-USA collegiate sports.

In the middle of the last century [when B'ham and Atlanta had about equal (350,000) populations] B'ham was in prime position to move up, but the local and state leaderships led the two metro areas in opposite directions. Today B'ham has about 200,000 while Atlanta is moving toward its second million. The most obvious difference today is the new M-B MPF in Atlanta compared with Legion Field in B'ham. Even the new BJCC stadium when completed in the next decade admits to being a minor league facility.

Actually, the ‘city’ population are just over 200k for Bham & 463K for Atl, 2016 figures. The metro area populations are 1.2’ish million & 6’ish million.