Giddy Up in the state of Alabama no more.
While there was a brief moment in time where it seemed like the Birmingham Stallions could find a way to stay in-state, Montgomery Mayor Steven Reed's offer to UFL owner Mike Repole to host the Stallions in the Gump fell on deaf ears.
Per State of the Stallions, "Despite the mayor’s overtures, Mike Repole is not interested in keeping the team in Alabama, per source. The Alabama Stallions are off the table."
Repole initially offered the Stallions help in building a stadium that properly maximizes the gameday atmosphere. The Impact Capital founder and owner made it clear that Protective Stadium -- which leased the space for free to the Stallions, by the way -- wasn't a good enough partner in his statement on why the Stallions were leaving Birmingham and the Gamblers were leaving Houston.
"With Birmingham, this decision was 100% due to the wrong sized venue. I appreciate the passion of the fans and respect the history of the Birmingham Stallions. It was clearly my decision that with the wrong sized venue spring football could not succeed in Birmingham. Even on opening day, when 16,000 Stallions fans showed up, the energy, passion, and game atmosphere was not felt due to the size of the venue. We've been transparent with local mayors and city leadership that we'd love to return as soon as the right stadium solution becomes available, and we are willing to participate in accelerating those efforts,"Â Repole said in his statement.
It's unclear if Repole's offer was only to the city of Birmingham. Clearly, it was not an offer meant for Montgomery. It sounded too good to be true to have a pro football team just one market away from Auburn.
Mike Repole was always going to take pro football away from Birmingham
In Repole's world, he's looking at squeezing every last dollar out of the UFL. He clearly believes Birmingham football fans will continue to be a strong viewing market and follow the team wherever it goes.
Hell, he might be right about some of them. From March to June, there's not a ton of chances to catch high-level pro football. There are football sickos in the Magic City who will need their fix. Still, the damage he's done will stick with many who will be too heartbroken about the Stallions being gone to continue supporting the product. Repole's obfuscation of the attendance success the team did have and the way his statement read like rubbing it in Birmingham's face won't soon be forgotten.
When it comes down to it, a New York City businessman isn't looking to respect football tradition in the state of Alabama. Repole can say he did, but his actions spoke louder than his empty, profit-driven words.
Certainly, he didn't mean it when he said he'd jump at the opportunity to keep the Stallions around. He would've at least considered Montgomery as a temporary home if he actually did mean those words.
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