The Top Ten Best Things About Sports in Denver
Let’s set the record straight, folks.
Not only does Denver, and all of Colorado for that matter, receive on average 300 days of sunshine a year, but not everyone has the ever-present ski bug. When not hitting the slopes, one thing is for sure: the people of Denver love their sports.
Denver is home to a team in every league of the big three (NFL, NBA, MLB) sports, and many other franchises of smaller professional leagues call the Mile High City home as well.
Fans from around the country have taken notice of Denver’s sporting prowess. The city was twice (1995, 1997) voted the nation’s best sports city by The Sporting News, and has been in the top 15 every year since.
So here, in no particular order, are the Top Ten Best Things About Sports in Denver.
1.) Coors Field
The home of your Colorado Rockies has long been known as Major League Baseball’s own launching pad. Home runs fly out of the stadium with seemingly no effort, much to the disdain of pitchers everywhere. But what fans tend to overlook during the 9-inning slugfests played here is how truly beautiful the stadium is. At a night game, simply look up during the early innings to witness one of Colorado’s many gorgeous sunsets. At a day game, catch the action and heckle the opposing team’s outfielders from the sun-soaked left field bleachers. Head to the Sandlot and grab a cold one from the stadium’s own microbrewery. Built in the trendy LoDo (Lower Downtown) neighborhood, “the keg” has become the centerpiece of this renewed portion of downtown Denver.
2.) The Pepsi Center
Only the Pepsi Center can boast that arguably, the experience walking to the stadium from the parking lot can be as enjoyable as what lies inside. From the parking lots, visitors are funneled on to The Denver Post Fan Walk, that boasts a man-made creek with waters diverted from the nearby South Platte River, and a speaker system that churns out recycled radio clips of past Avalanche and Nuggets glory. It’s something to go on if the team hasn’t been playing so well lately. Also featured outside is a pedestrian bridge to the adjacent amusment park, Six Flags at Elitch Gardens, and Brooklyn’s, a popular sports bar, built in to a previously existing building. When you walk in the front entrance, look up and check out the gigantic sculpture of hockey and basketball players hanging from the ceiling. Then, head to your seat, or grab some of the usual stadium fare from one of the many vendors throughout the arena. Home to primarily the Colorado Avalanche of the NHL and the Denver Nuggets of the NBA, the Colorado Crush of Arena Football, and the Colorado Mammoth of the National Lacrosse League also play their home games here. The arena also showcases many concerts and events when no teams are playing. Also, in August, the Centrex Grand Prix of Denver courses through the Pepsi Center parking lot and adjacent streets. Put on by the Champ Car series, Sebastian Bourdais has won the last two races.
3.) Elway
No new quarterback for the Denver Broncos can stake his claim at the position until he undergoes excruciating comparisons to Denver’s Golden Boy, John Elway. Known primarily for his last-second, heart-stopping comebacks, and “The Drive,” Elway owned this city while wearing the orange and blue, and continues to do so after his retirement. He has long lent his name to a chain of AutoNation dealerships, is primary owner of the aforementioned Colorado Crush, and has recently opened a trendy restaurant in the posh Cherry Creek neighborhood, aptly named Elway’s. Elway’s has quickly become one of Denver’s favorie eateries, and the menu features such fare as duck tacos and Chilean sea bass.
4.) Rivalries
The annual football game between the Colorado Buffaloes and Nebraska Cornhuskers is THE state rivalry of college sports. Previously, the Huskers had owned the Buffs, but with a 62-36 pasting en route to the Big 12 championship a few years back, and a 26-20 victory in Lincoln last year, CU has breathed new life in to this series.
Anyone who follows Avalanche hockey here can tell you about “the hit.” During the 1996 Western Conference playoffs, Colorado forward Claude Lemieux re-arranged Detroit forward Kris Draper’s face when he wildly slammed Draper in to the boards. This touched off one of the most infamous rivalries in the sport over the last decade. Bench-clearing brawls, opposing goalies squaring off at center ice, and curiously, one of the game’s few penalty-free contests have the fans clamoring for more every year.
Whenever the hated Oakland Raiders come to town, one is sure to see “Raider Hater” emblems plastered on even those that don’t normally follow football. This series is one of the NFL’s hottest rivalries, because somehow, even during a period of restructuring, the Raiders have managed to stay competitive with the Broncos. With this year’s addition of outspoken wide receiver Randy Moss, the Denver-Oakland rivalry is looking as strong as ever.
5.) Bandimere Speedway
Nestled just outside of the city at the base of the aptly named Thunder Mountain, Bandimere is the yearly home to the Mopar Parts Mile High Nationals. Anyone with a serious speed fetish should check out the annual race, where the noise created from the dragsters can be heard as far as 10 miles away.
6.) The History
While most people believe that baseball started in the east and didn’t expand to the west until much later, Denver actually had a had in professional baseball as early as the latter years of the 19th century. The Denver Bears franchise, which the first Mile High Stadium was originally named for (Bears Stadium), is long on history in the area. Beginning play as a minor league franchise in the late 1880’s, it hosted it’s share of eventual major leaguers when it affiliated with the Montreal Expos in 1970. Tim Raines, Bill Gullickson, Tim Wallach, and Jerry Manuel all passed through Denver on their way to “the show.” The Zephyrs, a minor league team in the Milwaukee Brewers system, called Denver home as well, before moving to New Orleans. Numerous Brewers stars had to put in their time in Denver before moving up to the big leagues, including Gary Sheffield, Pat Listach, and Greg Vaughn.
7.) Invesco Field
The home of the Denver Broncos isn’t a very inviting place for opponents. It’s combination of cold, steel-gray architechture, cavernous build, and ravenous fans doesn’t make visitors feel too comfortable. Combine that with the thin air that sometimes has even the fittest of opponents gasping for air, and the phrase “home field advantage” definitely comes to mind. Traditionalists argue that when the original Mile High Stadium was leveled, the legend of the South Stands, home to football’s best/worst fans, went with it. Not true. Broncos fans can still be counted as some of the loudest, most boisterous crowds in any professional sport.
8.) Lesser-Known Franchises
The rule of thumb in sports is, if your league isn’t one of the big three, you’re not going to make it. Not true in Denver. The people of this city support it’s teams no matter what league they play in. A recent addition to the sports roster, the NLL’s Colorado Mammoth, continually draw the league’s biggest crowds. The Arena Football League’s Colorado Crush, owned by John Elway, also draw in capacity crowds, and this past season, awarded it’s fans with the league’s championship. If you play in Denver, you’ll draw a crowd, no matter what sport you play.
9.) Championships
Everyone loves a winner, and in recent years, Denver fans have been rewarded for their loyalty. The Denver Broncos brought home two Lombardi Trophies from back-to-back Super Bowl wins in 1998 and 1999. The Avalanche have also won it all twice, winning the Stanley Cup in 1996, their first year in Denver, and again in 2001, allowing hall of fame defenseman Ray Bourque to go out on top.
10.) The Losers
It’s true that everyone loves a winner, but for every winner, there has to be a loser. This was so true for Denver’s NBA franchise, the Nuggets. Before transforming itself in to a contender with the addition of superstars Carmelo Anthony, Kenyon Martin, Marcus Camby, Andre Miller, and the diminutive Earl Boykins, the Nuggets were the league’s perennial doormat. They finished with 11 wins one year, and that wasn’t a strike-shortened season, either.
The Colorado Rockies are slowly becoming baseball’s new lovable losers. With a team full of cast-offs and last second call-ups, the Rox find themselves buried in the basement of the National League West. But the team is curiously competitive. They might not be the lovable losers for long. They’re going through growing pains at the moment, and discovering their inner competitiveness. Once they all gel, however, watch out.
So there you have it, ten reasons why Denver is a great sports city. So why are you still lounging on the couch? Get out there and take in a game! Someone has to be playing right now.
