Despite earning the right to do so, the Michigan Panthers will not be able to host the conference championship game at Ford Field, and it's not fair

The Michigan Panthers have been one of the best teams in the UFL in 2025. They're currently leading the USFL Conference with a 6-2 record. They've earned the right to face the Birmingham Stallions for the conference championship at Ford Field. 

But that will not be happening. Per the UFL, the game will instead be played in Birmingham, Alabama, at the Stallions' stadium on June 8th because Ford Field is already booked for an event during that time. 

While there's nothing on the schedule for June 8th, when you go to Ford Field's site, Kendrick Lamar will be holding a concert on June 10th, and it's likely the event that's preventing this from happening. 

It's not Lamar's fault for booking his show at that time, and it's not really Ford Field's fault. This one feels like the fault of the UFL. In their press release, they stated that they were aware of the scheduling conflict ahead of the 2025 season. 

“When the 2025 UFL schedule was released earlier this year, we were aware of potential postseason conflicts with the venue in Detroit, Mich., but after careful consideration, we determined that playing the game in Birmingham was the best option for the league. We want to thank the loyal fans of the Panthers for their continued support of the team and want to apologize for their disappointment in not being able to see their team at home.”

I'm not an expert on stage construction, but I get that it would take a two-day lead time to get things in and build them for a big show for Lamar. What I can't understand is why they can't move this game from the previously scheduled Sunday lot to Friday night or even Saturday night. 

It's too late to do it now, but maybe earlier in the season when it was clear that the Panthers were going to be this good. Now, Michigan is going to lose its home-field advantage, and Panthers fans won't get a chance to see their team win the conference championship. We'll see how this goes down on the 8th.