What a wonderful time it is to be a sports fan in the Magic City. We get to watch the Squadron impress at the beautifully renovated Legacy Arena. We get to see the Legion shine in soccer at the new Protective Stadium. We have UAB basketball in the NIT finals (and in this writer’s theory the team only lost due to two missed delay-of-game calls at the end of the championship). UAB football has been on the rise as well since the city fought to have them back. Women’s football, rugby, disc golf, and more are all professionally represented in Birmingham. The World Games also recently put Birmingham on the global stage while letting residents from the state see the world’s top athletes in some of the most interesting and skillful sports you’ll find.
Yes, it’s a good time to be a sports fan in the Magic City. This Saturday, April 15th, could be a day that best signifies the excitement happening on the fields and in the rinks of Birmingham. The Birmingham Bulls earned a #2 seed in the SPHL President’s Cup playoffs after an impressive regular season that came with 37 wins and only 16 loses. The team is coached by Craig Simchuk, who was captain the last time the Bulls were in the President’s Cup in 2019. They are facing the #7-seeded Fayetteville Marksmen, who unfortunately took game 1 of this best-of-three series in Arkansas on Thursday. The Bulls are ready for hometown success at the Pelham Civic Complex & Ice Arena on Saturday at 7pm though, and the potential Game 3 on Sunday would also be a home game for the Bulls.
While the Birmingham Bulls are wrapping up their season and entering playoff dramatics, the Barons (who share a Bulls connection with former owner Art Clarkson) and Stallions are beginning theirs. The Stallions come in as champions of the inaugural USFL season, and the team looks stacked and ready to defend their title in an exciting 2023. They play their first game of the season at Protective Stadium this Saturday at 6:30pm against the New Jersey Generals. Fans of the sport can also catch the New Orleans Breakers against the Pittsburgh Maulers on Sunday.
The Stallions celebrated their championship season with a trophy hoisting and rally at Good People with the giant Regions Field “Birmingham” sign behind them. It’s fitting that the football team that is electrifying the city signified their moment in front of the Barons stadium that could claim to be the first spark in the Magic City sports re-arising that we’ve witnessed in recent years. The Barons are playing in-state rivals, the Rocket City Trash Pandas, this weekend. There will be Friday and Saturday Night Fireworks, a Jackie Robinson Day celebration on Saturday, and a Family Fun Day with the opportunity for kids to run the bases on Sunday.
This weekend is a great weekend for Birmingham sports indeed - but it also feels that this is going to become less of a rarity as our teams continue to grow and excel. It’s fun to see a co-worker with a Stallions hat on. It’s fun to take your dogs to a Barons game on a Wednesday. And it’s definitely fun to see the Birmingham Bulls in the play-offs!
Cover image from Birmingham Bulls Hockey
