Editing Birmingham, Alabama (section)

==Sports==
{{further|Sports in Birmingham, Alabama}}

{|class="wikitable sortable"
|-
|+ Current professional teams
|-
! Sports Franchise !! League !! Sport !! Stadium (capacity)
|-
|[[Birmingham Barons]] ||align=center |[[Southern League (1964–present)|Southern League (AA)]] ||Baseball||[[Regions Field]] (8,500)
|-
|[[Birmingham Legion FC]] ||align=center |[[USL Championship|USLC]] ||Soccer ||[[Protective Stadium]] (47,100)
|-
|[[Birmingham Squadron]] ||align=center |[[NBA G League]] ||Basketball||[[Legacy Arena]] (17,654)
|-
|[[Birmingham Stallions (2022)|Birmingham Stallions]] ||align=center |[[United Football League (2024)|UFL]] ||Football||[[Protective Stadium]] (47,100)
|-
|[[Birmingham Bulls (SPHL)|Birmingham Bulls]] ||align=center |[[SPHL]] ||Hockey||[[Pelham Civic Center]] (4,100)
|}

*Birmingham is home to the [[Birmingham Barons]], the AA minor league affiliate of the [[Chicago White Sox]], which plays at [[Regions Field]] in the [[Southside (Birmingham)|Southside]] adjacent to Railroad Park.
*In 2019, Birmingham became home to the [[Birmingham Legion FC]], a professional soccer team that competes in the [[USL Championship]] and plays its home matches at [[Protective Stadium]]. 
*In 2021, the [[NBA G League]] introduced the [[Birmingham Squadron]], a minor league basketball team affiliated with the NBA's [[New Orleans Pelicans]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.nba.com/pelicans/news/birmingham-squadron-selected-team-name-new-orleans-pelicans-g-league-affiliate-0 |title=Birmingham Squadron selected as team name for New Orleans Pelicans G League affiliate &#124; New Orleans Pelicans |work=Nba.com |date=July 26, 2021 |access-date=March 19, 2022}}</ref>
*The [[United Football League (2024)|United Football League]] features 8 teams, including the [[Birmingham Stallions (2022)|Birmingham Stallions]], and also played its [[2022 USFL season|inaugural season]] in Birmingham from April to June 2022 at [[Protective Stadium]] and [[Legion Field]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.cbs42.com/sports/usfl/watch-usfl-makes-major-announcement-in-birmingham-ahead-of-season/ |title=WATCH: USFL makes major announcement in Birmingham ahead of season |publisher=Cbs42.com |date=January 25, 2022 |access-date=March 19, 2022}}</ref> The [[Birmingham Stallions]] posted a 9–1 record in its inaugural season, and defeated the [[Philadelphia Stars (2022)|Philadelphia Stars]] on July 3, 2022, at the [[Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium]] in [[Canton, Ohio]] to win the [[2022 USFL Championship Game|2022 USFL Championship]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Birmingham Stallions At Philadelphia Stars – July 3, 2022 {{!}} The USFL.com |url=https://www.theusfl.com/championship-birmingham-stallions-vs-philadelphia-stars-jul-03-2022-game-boxscore-43 |access-date=July 17, 2022 |website=The USFL |language=en-US |archive-date=July 3, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220703180637/https://www.theusfl.com/championship-birmingham-stallions-vs-philadelphia-stars-jul-03-2022-game-boxscore-43 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
*In [[NCAA]] sports, Birmingham is home to the University of Alabama at Birmingham ([[UAB Blazers]]) and Samford University ([[Samford Bulldogs]]) Division I athletic programs. Birmingham has hosted several college football postseason bowl games, including the [[Dixie Bowl]] (1948–49), the [[Hall of Fame Classic (college football game)|Hall of Fame Classic]] (1977–85), the [[All-American Bowl]] (1986–90), the [[SEC Championship Game]] (1992–93), the [[SWAC Championship Game]] (1999–present), the [[Magic City Classic]], and the [[Birmingham Bowl]]. Additionally, the [[Hoover Metropolitan Stadium]] is home to the [[Southeastern Conference Baseball Tournament]]. The [[Southeastern Conference]], [[Southwestern Athletic Conference]] and [[Gulf South Conference]] are headquartered in Birmingham.
*Birmingham was home to the [[Birmingham Black Barons|Black Barons]], a very successful Negro League team. The Black Barons played home games at [[Rickwood Field]], which is still standing in the Rising-West Princeton neighborhood, and it is the oldest baseball field in the US.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.mlb.com/events/rickwood/about |title=About Rickwood Field |work=MLB |accessdate=June 18, 2024}}</ref>
*In 1996, [[Legion Field]] hosted early rounds of Olympic soccer where it drew record crowds. The field has also hosted [[FIFA World Cup|men's]] and [[FIFA Women's World Cup|women's World Cup]] qualifiers and friendlies. A switch from natural grass to an artificial surface has left the stadium's role as a soccer venue in doubt.
*Motorsports are very popular in the Birmingham area and across the state, and the area is home to numerous annual motorsport races. The [[Aaron's 499]] and [[AMP Energy 500]] are NASCAR [[Sprint Cup Series|Sprint Cup]] races that occur in April and October at the [[Talladega Superspeedway]]. The [[Indy Grand Prix of Alabama]] shares the [[Barber Motorsports Park]] road course with [[Superbike racing|Superbike]] and sports car [[GrandAm]] races.<ref name="July 27, 2009">{{cite news |last=Tomberlin |first=Michael |title=It's official: 3 Indy car races coming to Barber Motorsports Park |work=The Birmingham News |date=July 27, 2009}}</ref>
*The PGA [[Champions Tour]] has had a regular stop in the Birmingham area since 1992, with the founding of the [[Regions Charity Classic|Bruno's Memorial Classic]], later renamed the Regions Charity Classic. In 2011 the tournament will be replaced by [[The Tradition]], one of the Champions Tour's five "major" tour events.
*Birmingham has been selected to host the [[World Games]] in 2021.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.al.com/news/birmingham/index.ssf/2015/01/birmingham_wins_city_chosen_as.html#incart_river |title=Birmingham wins! City chosen as site for 2021 World Games |date=January 22, 2015 |publisher=al.com |access-date=January 22, 2015}}</ref> Due to the [[COVID-19 pandemic]], the [[2022 World Games|World Games]] was delayed and held in 2022 from July 7–17. It was the first time that an American city has hosted the event since the inaugural games were held in [[Santa Clara, California]] in 1981.
*Recreational fishing is also immensely popular in the Birmingham area. Fish have been caught in 14 separate Alabama lakes which would be state records in 35 other states. Recently, Birmingham was named "Bass Capital of the World" by [[ESPN]] and ''[[Bassmaster]]'' magazine. Over the last several years, Birmingham has been home to numerous major fishing tournaments, including the [[Bass Masters Classic]]. Some of the more popular recreational lakes around Birmingham include: [[Lewis Smith Lake|Smith Lake]], [[Lay Lake]], [[Lake Neely Henry]], [[Lake Logan Martin]], [[Lake Purdy]], and [[Bankhead Lake|Bankhead Reservoir]].
*The U.S. [[Paralympic]] Training Facility is located in Birmingham and was a primary filming location for the 2005 documentary film ''[[Murderball (documentary)|Murderball]]'', about [[wheelchair rugby]] players.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.lakeshore.org/index.php?src=gendocs&link=Olympic_home&category=US%20Olympic%20and%20Paralympic%20Training%20Site |title=lakeshore.org |publisher=lakeshore.org |access-date=July 14, 2012}}</ref>
*Road running events such as the Vulcan 10K Run<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.vulcanrun.com/ |title=vulcanrun.com |publisher=vulcanrun.com |access-date=July 14, 2012 |archive-date=July 10, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120710081112/http://www.vulcanrun.com/ |url-status=dead}}</ref> and Mercedes Marathon/Half Marathon are popular for both locals and out-of-state runners.
*Cycling (both mountain biking and road) is popular in the area. Nearby Oak Mountain State Park annually hosts the Bump N' Grind mountain bike (1995–present) race<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.bumpngrindrace.com/ |title=bumpngrindrace.com |publisher=bumpngrindrace.com |access-date=July 14, 2012}}</ref> and the [[Xterra]] Southeast Championship triathlon as well as other endurance competitions.
*Birmingham was home to a World Hockey Association franchise, the Birmingham Bulls, between 1975 and 1979, and then between 1979 and 1981 in the Central Hockey League.

===Venues===
[[File:Regions Field western elevation.jpg|thumb|right|upright=3.0|[[Regions Field]] is the home to the [[Birmingham Barons]] baseball team|alt=[[Regions Field]] is the home of the [[Birmingham Barons]] baseball team.]]
*[[Bartow Arena]]
*[[Boutwell Auditorium]]
*[[Fair Park Arena]]
*[[Hoover Metropolitan Stadium]]
*[[Legacy Arena]]
*[[Legion Field]]
*[[Pelham Civic Center]]
*[[PNC Field (Birmingham, Alabama)|PNC Field]]
*[[Protective Stadium]]
*[[Regions Field]]
*[[Rickwood Field]]