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Same reason the $EC left, even though their offices are still in the 'ham.

Georgia Dome = shiny new. Legion Field = not so much.

The irony is now Georgia Dome = not so much.

Archibald
http://www.al.com/opinion/index.ssf/2014...rt_opinion

http://www.al.com/opinion/index.ssf/2014...er_default

When we can put up half the money we can get an OCS. That is the reality. That is what we have been charged with. Dome has NOTHING to do with it. Play there until we can afford to build one. I don't see UTSA complaining about theirs. it's loud in there.

Oh and after we tear LF down our options are Hoover met or what will be not only the nicest facility in C-USA but in the country. Win a couple bowls and we are the next team to progress up.

We can sit and complain about it and everyone certainly has that right or we can face the reality of it and improve our program. In the mean time we will be building much needed facilities for not only football but some of our Olympic sports.

Build the dome. It is a facility that is sorely needed. I hope that this time it's serious and that Bell has gotten the corporate community to buy in. I think with all the positive momentum downtown with Region's Field and the new entertainment district/Westin, the chances are much better to get this project done. The question is will the state help us out (we know Jeffco can't afford to pitch in).

I don't know if the dome necessarily kills the OCS, but it will be a far superior option to Legion Field. It would be a brand new facility, probably the nicest in the conference, and would be a feather in our hat the next time conference realignment happens. It's an area of town that people are familiar and comfortable visiting as opposed to Legion Field. Plus the new entertainment venue and Westin will provide a cool environment outside the dome. FWIW, the city is planning to make uptown an open container area so that would also enhance the game day environment.

Could UAB use something like the Carrier Dome something for both major sports? Also you could use it for other ways to make money.

It will be hugely too big for basketball. We seldom get Bartow more than 2/3 full, and hoops in a place that big is just miserable. You can't see squat.

(06-13-2014 10:27 AM)jcduncan13 Wrote:  

(06-13-2014 07:36 AM)GreenHornet33 Wrote:  

(06-12-2014 05:44 PM)blazerwkr Wrote:  

(06-12-2014 05:37 PM)GreenHornet33 Wrote:  Why would you build something that only seats 45-55k? Makes no sense in my opinion.

That's about the max crowd size for events that will be there. The ASU/AAM will be moving to their campus & other SWAC type events have moved to other locations from LF so there's not a need for the 70k+ be it tailgating room or crowd room in stadium. While the bowl game has drawn well I think it will downsize due to conference matchups in the future

I'll also say that if it gets built we won't ever get a OCS from the BOT as they'll again say why should we spend $ to build an OCS when the city just built a new facility that we can use. If we want an OCS, we're going to have to get it built before the city builds this & the outlook to build the dome needs to be that it'll never be built. As long as this Dome has an legs, the BOT will always say we need to go that path rather than an OCS.

Can we kill the AAMU/ASU game is moving to their campus lie. It’s a lie and a rumor. We may move to Atlanta but the game is too big to be played at either one of our respective campuses and we're not going to miss out of the exposure and money that the Classic brings. The MEAC/SWAC Challenge will also be back in Birmingham either 15-17 or 16-18 I forget which one and the Labor Day Classic and Miles vs Tuskegee is back on next year. The city has been doing some serious "card playing" to bring back some big time HBCU events to the city. 2013 was the first year in decades that Birmingham did not host at least 3 big-time HBCU events and due to the fact that there are tons of HBCU alums within the city, the public has been very vocal about that. Like I said 45,000 is way too small.

Why would they move it to Atlanta? Seems out of the way for both schools (more so than Birmingham already is)

The only way we would move the game to Atlanta is LF being torn down and there is not a new facility in Birmingham large enough to host it. Since the Magic City Classic has become the largest HBCU classic game, Atlanta has been trying to get the game from Birmingham. Birmingham is not out of the way at all considering it is the half way mark between the two schools and a large majority of our alumni bases between both schhols are from the Birmingham area.

What a HUGE recruiting advantage we could have playing in a new dome vs Legion Field. Plus, many more of the 'warm weather' fans would attend late November and December games in a climate controlled environment.

(06-13-2014 11:14 AM)hooverblazer Wrote:  Build the dome. It is a facility that is sorely needed. I hope that this time it's serious and that Bell has gotten the corporate community to buy in. I think with all the positive momentum downtown with Region's Field and the new entertainment district/Westin, the chances are much better to get this project done. The question is will the state help us out (we know Jeffco can't afford to pitch in).

I don't know if the dome necessarily kills the OCS, but it will be a far superior option to Legion Field. It would be a brand new facility, probably the nicest in the conference, and would be a feather in our hat the next time conference realignment happens. It's an area of town that people are familiar and comfortable visiting as opposed to Legion Field. Plus the new entertainment venue and Westin will provide a cool environment outside the dome. FWIW, the city is planning to make uptown an open container area so that would also enhance the game day environment.

I agree

(06-13-2014 12:56 PM)mobileblazer Wrote:  What a HUGE recruiting advantage we could have playing in a new dome vs Legion Field. Plus, many more of the 'warm weather' fans would attend late November and December games in a climate controlled environment.

The issue of attendance in November had less to do with the weather than people giving up on the season by then.

(06-13-2014 12:44 PM)GreenHornet33 Wrote:  

(06-13-2014 10:27 AM)jcduncan13 Wrote:  

(06-13-2014 07:36 AM)GreenHornet33 Wrote:  

(06-12-2014 05:44 PM)blazerwkr Wrote:  

(06-12-2014 05:37 PM)GreenHornet33 Wrote:  Why would you build something that only seats 45-55k? Makes no sense in my opinion.

That's about the max crowd size for events that will be there. The ASU/AAM will be moving to their campus & other SWAC type events have moved to other locations from LF so there's not a need for the 70k+ be it tailgating room or crowd room in stadium. While the bowl game has drawn well I think it will downsize due to conference matchups in the future

I'll also say that if it gets built we won't ever get a OCS from the BOT as they'll again say why should we spend $ to build an OCS when the city just built a new facility that we can use. If we want an OCS, we're going to have to get it built before the city builds this & the outlook to build the dome needs to be that it'll never be built. As long as this Dome has an legs, the BOT will always say we need to go that path rather than an OCS.

Can we kill the AAMU/ASU game is moving to their campus lie. It’s a lie and a rumor. We may move to Atlanta but the game is too big to be played at either one of our respective campuses and we're not going to miss out of the exposure and money that the Classic brings. The MEAC/SWAC Challenge will also be back in Birmingham either 15-17 or 16-18 I forget which one and the Labor Day Classic and Miles vs Tuskegee is back on next year. The city has been doing some serious "card playing" to bring back some big time HBCU events to the city. 2013 was the first year in decades that Birmingham did not host at least 3 big-time HBCU events and due to the fact that there are tons of HBCU alums within the city, the public has been very vocal about that. Like I said 45,000 is way too small.

Why would they move it to Atlanta? Seems out of the way for both schools (more so than Birmingham already is)

The only way we would move the game to Atlanta is LF being torn down and there is not a new facility in Birmingham large enough to host it. Since the Magic City Classic has become the largest HBCU classic game, Atlanta has been trying to get the game from Birmingham. Birmingham is not out of the way at all considering it is the half way mark between the two schools and a large majority of our alumni bases between both schhols are from the Birmingham area.

My main question is if it is moved to Atlanta would the Classic still be able to draw 45-50K? I also don't see Legion being torn down in the near future unless this dome thing actually happens.

Like there are not a ton of people who went to HBCU in Atlanta? Or it's out of driving range?

No, they'll keep patching up LF until something better is built or it falls down, but it still sucks.

(06-13-2014 12:56 PM)mobileblazer Wrote:  What a HUGE recruiting advantage we could have playing in a new dome vs Legion Field. Plus, many more of the 'warm weather' fans would attend late November and December games in a climate controlled environment.

Sucking the enjoyment of watching football by putting it into a cavernous indoor facility is too high a price to make it comfortable for literal fair weather fans to be comfortable for any possible December games

Our choice is not play in a new dome or play in an outdoor OCS under God's blue October sky. It's play in a dome, assuming it gets built, or play in LF until they tear it down and then move to the Hoover Met.

We don't get any other choices unless we put asses in seats and raise the money.

It's really that simple, no matter how unhappy we are about it or how much we *****.

(06-13-2014 01:54 PM)UAB Band Dad Wrote:  Like there are not a ton of people who went to HBCU in Atlanta? Or it's out of driving range?

No, they'll keep patching up LF until something better is built or it falls down, but it still sucks.

How far is it from Huntsville to Atlanta? You are correct about people living in Atlanta that went to HBCUs, I didn't think about that BD.

I've actually attended several events in Domes from NCAA basketball to NFL and College football and I can honestly say they were loud as hell and a lot of fun but that's just me. Tulane is bad because their attendance sucked. The saints are pretty wild though. Put a descent crowd and it is MUCHH louder than LF. No comparison.

A poor crowd in a dome sucks lust like a poor crowd at LF.

I know Band Dad has experienced Love ya blue like I have.

I guess if folks don't want to play in the Dome they can either not attend or lobby for us to play at the Met or Lawson Field.

Yes, and it rocked. I also went to UH games in the Astrodome that looked worse than us at Lesion Field.

poor crowds suck no matter the venue.

(06-13-2014 03:14 PM)ATTALLABLAZE Wrote:  poor crowds suck no matter the venue.

That is true.

(06-13-2014 01:54 PM)UAB Band Dad Wrote:  Like there are not a ton of people who went to HBCU in Atlanta? Or it's out of driving range?

No, they'll keep patching up LF until something better is built or it falls down, but it still sucks.

HBCU games tend to do very well in Atlanta. Keep in mind that there are Magic City Classic billboards and commercials in the Atlanta area every year due to the amount of alums and fans of the two schools that live in the area such as myself. The Atlanta Football Classic which was between Tennessee State/FAMU would draw between 50,000-60,000 people every year to the dome. Since then the matchup has changed to North Carolina A&T vs. South Carolina State and in their first year in the game last year they drew about 42,000. Now those numbers were lower than the previous match-up with TSU/FAMU but those two schools had a history of 20+ years of playing in Atlanta. Atlanta has a strong HBCU alumni base and the city is very interested in bringing in more HBCU match-ups to the city. Right now ASU/AAMU are only interested in continuing to play in Birmingham. Atlanta made an offer but the two schools have signed a lengthy extension to keep the game in Birmingham. Right now the Birmingham Chapter of 100 Black Men are working with Tennessee State and Florida A&M to play at Legion Field since they no longer play in Atlanta. 100 Black Men also puts on the Atlanta Classic and the Circle City Classic in Indianapolis.