BIRMINGHAM, Alabama -- UAB won't go quietly in its quest for an on-campus stadium. At stake is essentially any hope -- but still no guarantee -- of future football relevancy that's sorely lacking now.

The University of Alabama System Board of Trustees badly mishandled this by pulling the stadium proposal from a public meeting. The lack of transparency in discussing the stadium was the height of arrogance, lending credence to UAB supporters' distrust of the board.

But lost in this fury are legitimate questions: Should UAB spend $75 million on a stadium, and would the public and financial support really follow on a consistent basis?

Let's have that conversation. A real one out in the open. UAB administrators and trustees are more than welcome to join in publicly rather than behind closed doors.

Jon Solomon is a columnist for The Birmingham News. Join him for live web chats on college sports on Wednesdays at 2 p.m.

Build the stadium or give up on UAB football. That's essentially the debate, although other football facilities, recruiting budgets and admission standards also play pivotal roles in UAB's success or failure as much as, if not more than, a stadium.

This much is certain: The status quo isn't viable. No one wants to play at Legion Field. It fails to bring alumni, donors and prospective students on campus, which is how football can truly help universities.

Considering that UAB fans didn't ask for Neil Callaway but got him anyway, there's probably never a good time to ask this board for a stadium. But UAB sure encountered bad timing in seeking this expensive present.

Attendance at Legion Field is dismal. Average announced crowds have dropped 28 percent since 2006. UAB will finish last in C-USA attendance for the third time in Callaway's five seasons, and placed next-to-last the two other seasons.

UAB has never averaged more than 19,062 fans per game in Callaway's five seasons and finished 2011 at 16,579, its third-lowest attendance in 16 years as a Division I-A program and worst since 2002. The Blazers currently rank 110th out of 120 teams nationally in attendance and surpass only one Sun Belt Conference team.

Understandably, the stadium debate impressively galvanized some UAB fans. They should be heard. Yet donations and ticket sales speak louder than rallies.

On Thursday, there appeared to be as many Southern Miss fans as UAB supporters. The announced crowd was even smaller for Houston's Heisman Trophy candidate Case Keenum. In a Thursday-night game against UCF last month, it looked like an embarrassingly low crowd of a couple thousand fans showed up.

The Birmingham Park and Recreation Board provided me these numbers for UAB's 2011 games: Tulane, 17,290; Mississippi State, 29,037; UCF, 9,215; and Houston, 13,003. Melvin Miller, the director of the board, said that accounts for everybody in the stadium, including teams, workers, bands, cheerleaders and media.

Each year from 2003 to 2006, UAB exceeded 20,000 per game in its average attendance reported to the NCAA. Winning hasn't made much difference in those numbers. In their only three winning seasons in Division I-A, the Blazers reported an average of 18,500 in 2000, 18,536 in 2001 and 20,802 in 2004. Again, Sun Belt-sized crowds.

It won't happen, but UAB might be better off in the Sun Belt, where it could win the automatic NCAA men's basketball tournament bid more frequently and develop in-state rivalries with Troy and South Alabama.

UAB simply wants the trustees to give it a chance in football. I get that. Which comes first, the chicken or the egg?

The proposal for the 27,500-seat stadium relies heavily on revenue from new ticket sales, mainly $1.6 million annually from 27 suites. Yet donations to UAB football dropped 26 percent from 2005 to 2009, according to UAB's most recent NCAA financial reports.

From 2006 to 2009, UAB reported just as much football revenue from the university ($6.55 million in subsidies) as it got from donors ($6.53 million). And that doesn't factor in student fees that went for athletics and increased 30 percent over those four years.

Good for UAB if enough companies will consistently pony up for the stadium. But projections are just that.

UAB projected in its 2009 athletics budget that the football program would receive $935,552 in university subsidies, rather than the $2 million it actually received. Overall, UAB projected a $1.1 million loss on football; it turned out to be $1.7 million.

UAB deserves to be heard on the stadium. So too do concerns by some of the board members.

Write Jon at jsolomon@bhamnews.com. Follow him at twitter.com/jonsol.