Over the weekend, the University of Denver clinched its 10th NCAA hockey championship, setting a record in college hockey. Meanwhile, the Denver Nuggets hold the NBA championship title, and the Avalanche are strong contenders for the playoffs this year, following their 2022 championship win. Then, there are the Broncos and the Rockies.
For my entire life, the Denver Broncos have been considered the premier sports franchise in Denver. However, now they are on par with the Colorado Rockies, who are seen as one of the major disappointments in professional sports. How have the Broncos ended up in such company, mirroring a team known for its lack of competitive ambition?
As the billionaire owners hike up season ticket prices following their ninth straight playoff miss, they seem to be borrowing from the Monfort playbook—extracting as much money as possible from fans for a subpar team. Instead of bettering the squad, both the Walton-Penners and the Monforts seem more interested in cosmetic stadium upgrades and fancy exclusive areas like Club 1977. Although the new scoreboard at Mile High Stadium is impressive, it hardly matters when fans are leaving mid-game due to non-competitive performances.
While aesthetic improvements and new uniforms are nice, the owners need to prioritize improving the actual team performance. It looks like the Broncos could be facing a decade of losses since their last Super Bowl win. The focus should be on achieving victories, not on milking more money from fans for a lackluster team.
With Colorado experiencing a surge in sports achievements, the local fans’ tolerance for failure has drastically diminished, a stark contrast to the 1960s and early 1970s when poor performance was more common. Sports like basketball, hockey, and college hockey are thriving, increasing the competition for fan attention. If the Broncos don’t shift their focus towards bettering the team and enhancing fan experience, they risk becoming as derided as the Rockies. In fact, they might already be at that point.
