BRONCOS NATION

Denver sports fans are atop the sports world right now, even if three of the major sports teams are swimming in mediocrity

By Brian Blank

“THE DENVER BRONCOS ARE SUPER BOWL CHAMPIONS!!!”

“HOLY COW!!”

“THIS ONE’S FOR PAT!!!”

“THE LOMBARDI TROPHY IS COMING BACK HOME!!!”

“PHEW, THAT WAS A LOT BETTER THAN THE SUPER BOWL TWO YEARS AGO!!”

All of these sentiments were verbalized at some point by many Coloradoans this past February, when the Denver Broncos won Super Bowl 50. Denver fans bleed orange and blue. The Broncos, similar to many great sports towns, own the sports market in their city. Denver is home to The Nuggets (my personal favorite), Avalanche, Rockies, Rapids, and Mammoth. Not to mention minor league teams and college as well. It doesn’t matter if you are a Buff and your brother or wife is a Ram, you both are Broncos. The Broncos unite Colorado more than any other team, pro or college.  Denver loves all of its teams and players with a passion that is hard to rival, but when it comes to the Broncos, it’s on another level. There’s a saying in Colorado that God is a Broncos fan, just look at the orange and blue sunsets. That’s a bold statement. But it’s true. God is a Broncos fan. Just look at our beautiful orange and blue sunsets.

THE OTHER THREE SPORTS TEAMS

David Thompson, Alex English, Dikembe Mutombo, and sure, even Carmelo Anthony have all been All-Stars with the Nuggets. Larry Walker and Todd Helton each won an MVP suiting up for the Rockies.  Joe Sakic, Peter Forsberg and Patrick Roy won 2 rings and are Hall of Famers playing for the Avalanche. These dudes can get any table in any restaurant at any time of the day in Denver. They are loved. They are revered. Chauncey Billups is Colorado royalty. He even has a tattoo to prove it. When he was a member of the Detroit Pistons and won an NBA Championship, as well as Finals MVP, Denver threw a parade for its son. We love them all!

But, uh, the Broncos. Right now the Nuggets are in 10th place in the West and on the verge of missing the playoffs for the third straight year. The Avalanche, or as the locals call them, the Avs, are about to miss the playoffs for the 5th time in 6 years. The Rockies have been good twice. They were really good back in 2007, but not since. We still go to support and cheer on the home team, cuz you know, it’s the home team and stuff. When they get good, we all care that much more about them and cheer them on with more conviction. However, it is more OK for these teams to just be OK. If the Broncos are not winning, and the other three are winning, Denver fans would still have a hole in their hearts that only the BRONCOS could fill!