The Birmingham Stallions entered the first season of the UFL as the last champions of the USFL. In Week 3, the Stallions had their 2024 home opener.
The powers-that-be cranked up the hype machine. In the days before the game, Stallions coach Skip Holtz declared (via AL.com), “It’s going to be an event more than just a football game, and really looking forward to having the opportunity to come back and be a part of all that.”
Holtz hoped that the Stallions would enjoy the same type of support as the St. Louis Battlehawks, who drew more than 40,000 to their home opener last weekend.
“My dream and goal is to watch when Birmingham has 40,000 people because [St. Louis] is now setting the standard in the way that community is supporting that spring football league,” Holtz said.
His dream wasn’t fulfilled on Saturday night. Attendance for the Showboats-Stallions game was only 12,265.
While falling far short of Holtz’s goal, at least they cracked 10,000. In Arlington, only 8,411 showed up for a game between the D.C. Defenders and the Renegades.
It likely won’t get much better today, when both the San Antonio Brahmas and the Michigan Panthers host games. For the Panthers, it’s three straight games to start the season at Ford Field. Week 1 drew 9,444 fans. Week 2 fell to 7,475. Week 3? We’ll find out later today.
The ratings could get interesting for Sunday’s, since both games will be televised on ABC. How much will the power of a three-letter network pump up the numbers? Given that the games will be up against the final round of the Masters, it could be an uphill climb.