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Though Birmingham has no major professional sport franchises presently, there is a very strong fan base for collegiate sports - primarily the University of Alabama and Auburn University football teams. The University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB Blazers) has a popular basketball program and a young football program which is growing in popularity. Birmingham is home to the Birmingham Barons, the AA minor league affiliate of the Chicago White Sox that plays at the Hoover Metropolitan Stadium. The Hoover Metropolitan Stadium is also home to the Southeastern Conference Baseball Tournament which drew more than 108,000 spectators in 2006. The city also hosts the Birmingham Steeldogs of the Arena Football League 2 at the Birmingham Jefferson Convention Complex. There is also an amateur soccer association, known as La Liga.
The city is notable for having multiple pro football franchises with all of the football leagues folding or moving to a different part of the world. This included a WFL franchise, the Birmingham Americans/Birmingham Vulcans—where the league folded. A USFL franchise, the Birmingham Stallions–once again the league folded. A WLAF franchise, the Birmingham Fire–the WLAF is now known as NFL Europe. A CFL franchise, the Birmingham Barracudas–the CFL decided to move all teams north of the border. An XFL franchise, the Birmingham Thunderbolts–another instance where the league has folded.
In 1996 Birmingham's Legion Field hosted early rounds of Olympic soccer where it drew record crowds.
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 & UAW Ford 500 are NASCAR Nextel Cup races that occur in April and October at the Talladega Superspeedway, and bring a major boost to the area's economy. Superbike and Sports Car Grand Am races also take place in the area at the Barber Motorsports Park. The Mercedes Marathon is a marathon, half marathon, and kids 1 mile road race that takes place on the 1st or 2nd Sunday in February that was started in 2002.
Nearby Hoover is host to the Regions Charity Classic presented by Bruno's Supermarkets, a stop on the PGA Champions Tour senior golf tour, to be played starting in 2006 at the new Ross Bridge Golf Resort and Spa. This event was formerly known as the Bruno's Memorial Classic, played in nearby Hoover at the Greystone Golf & Country Club. Also in Hoover, retired racing greyhounds gather for the "Weekend Romp" sponsored by Birmingham Greyhounds, a nationally recognized greyhound adoption and enthusiast group.
The US Paralympic Training Facility is located in Birmingham [2] and was a primary filming location for the 2005 documentary film Murderball, about wheelchair rugby players.
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