Why Are HBCU Classics Clinging to Legion Field?
As UAB opens Protective Stadium, the allure of HBCU classics complicate Birmingham's predicament
On April 17th, the Magic City Classic between Alabama A&M and Alabama State took place in the spring for the first time, but otherwise proceeded normally on the turf of Legion Field as it has been since 1946. With the looming opening of Protective Stadium, the Magic City Classic’s future at Legion Field beyond 2022 remains unknown.
Meanwhile, at the Division II level, the historic Tuskegee-Morehouse Classic announced a move from its longtime home in Columbus, GA to the Old Grey Lady for the next three seasons. While the move is a theoretical win for both SIAC schools in terms of the potential for increased gate revenue, it only maintains the stadium’s shadow over Birmingham.
Legion Field now simply is not worth the cost to the city for three events per Fall/Winter. The lack of care the city has put into the venue in recent years means the cost of simply maintaining the stadium each year nearly outstrips the amount of money spent on renovations since the mid-nineties.
The only major renovations since 2005 have been a $1 million renovation for repainting, a video board in 2015, and a $700,000 turf replacement in 2019. This stadium simply needs more money put into improvements than three games per year can make. The memories are great, but as Andrea Bocelli once said, it is “Time to Say Goodbye.”
Sporting events in Mobile, AL, faced a similar trade-off to Birmingham when Hancock-Whitney Stadium came to be. Even though Ladd-Peebles Stadium seated 15,000 more than Hancock-Whitney, the newer features and amenities were enough to get a large-scale migration to the new on-campus stadium.
The Senior Bowl and South Alabama left for Hancock-Whitney Stadium, while the LendingTree Bowl and the Gulf Coast Challenge have stayed for now. Mobile has high school football to fall back on for now but is losing business to the newer stadium in town.
It’s not impossible for the Magic City Classic to stay at Legion when you look at their listed attendance for the event. In 2018, the game drew over 65,000 fans, and the next year, 53,000. Since Protective Stadium only holds 47,000, Legion Field’s faults are potentially a welcome trade-off for increased gate receipts in the eyes of Alabama A&M and Alabama State.
As for Tuskegee and Morehouse, the move is more strange.
The ‘Skegee-Morehouse Classic moves from cozy 15,000-seat AJ McClung Stadium to 71,000+ Legion Field. While both Tuskegee and Morehouse have alumni associations in Birmingham, expecting attendance to more than triple - the type of growth needed for the expansive seating of Legion Field to matter - is flat-out unreasonable.
This is in addition to the fact that both schools have to travel about an hour further just to play in “The Football Capital of the South” instead of playing in Columbus.
If the classic wanted to move to Birmingham, UAB’s Protective Stadium likely would have been just fine. With substantial premium and box seating available, the revenues would have come close to what they would make at Legion Field.
Furthermore, a move to Montgomery’s recently renovated Cramton Bowl may be a more suitable move or quite literally any other venue in Georgia or Alabama. One could even make the argument that AJ McClung Stadium is in better shape than Legion, and closer to each school.
While Legion Field has the capacity and there is perhaps some amount of nostalgia or perceived prestige to playing in a stadium that big and that old, Protective Stadium and several other venues better suit the fan experience for these games.
At a certain point, organizers need to factor in the fans when choosing a venue and ask themselves why they are keeping this crumbling venue alive. In due time, HBCUs may have to sacrifice attendance figures to let Birmingham finally say goodbye to the “Football Capital of the South.” Legion Field is not getting any newer and while the number of seats remains a draw for both classics, it is time to think of the fan experience.