The current poll question asks where the Iron Bowl should be played.
For decades, the game was traditionally played at Birmingham's Legion Field and got its name from the city's long history of iron and steel production. Beginning in 1993 though, the game began to be played in Auburn every other year with Alabama electing to keep the game in Birmingham during the years it was their home game.
The year 2000 saw the complete abandoment of Birmingham when the game was played in Tuscaloosa for the first time since 1901. It has been alternating between Tuscaloosa and Auburn ever since. I can't really blame to two schools for their decision as Legion Field was rapidly falling into disrepair. In 2004, the upper deck was condemned and it resulted in the stadium's capacity shrinking by 9,000 seats. Once that happened, Alabama cut their ties with the stadium and said they'd no longer play any games there (eventhough the Iron Bowl had left years earlier, the Tide still typically played one game a year there.)
Perhaps because the first Iron Bowl I attended was in Birmingham, I just believe that's where it belongs. I know it isn't a reality at present, but I hope it can return there someday. Birmingham is the biggest city in the state and the state's two titan programs clashing in Birmingham was something special.
I bring up the possibility of a return to Birmingham because of the never ending prospect of Birmingham building a domed stadium. This proposed stadium has been debated for at least half a decade in the Magic City and has been the subject of countless news stories.
Truthfully, the idea of building a dome costing hundreds of millions of dollars in Birmingham is a stupid one. The city has no NFL team and its one Division 1 football program, UAB, has no need for a stadium that large (they need a stadium that seats about 40,000.)
Despite the fact of my thinking that the construction of a dome in Birmingham is stupid, that doesn't mean that I'm not interested in whether or not it happens. If it does eventually happen, it would provide an opportunity for the Iron Bowl to return to its rightful home.
Opponents of the idea of the Iron Bowl returning to Birmingham cite the fact that the proposed stadium will only hold 70,000 while Alabama's Bryant-Denny Stadium holds 92,000 and Auburn's Jordan-Hare Stadium holds 87,000. Admittedly, that is a problem regarding season ticket holders, but I'm sure some wise solution could be reached. Who knows, maybe Birmingham could steal the SEC Championship Game back from Atlanta if the stadium becomes a reality (yeah right.)
The reality of the situation is that the domed stadium will probably never be built, but it's fun to wonder "What if...?"
Other options include keeping things as they currently are (alternating between Tuscaloosa and Alabama), choosing another neutral site (Atlanta maybe?) or going for some combination of all three.