The debate on whether fans of the Denver Broncos should refer to themselves as Broncos Country or Broncos Nation has raged for years now without much ground being given up by either side. But now a fatal blow has been struck in this battle by none other than the organization itself. And frankly it’s about time.

We’ve always been Broncos Nation, but a few years back, there was an unsuccessful push to incorporate Broncos Country into the local sports vernacular as some wayward excuse to set the Broncos fans apart from less desirable fan bases. It didn’t work. And Broncos Nation is stronger than ever.

And in a widely applauded move that will no doubt unite the fan base, the Denver Broncos have officially adopted the term “Broncos Nation” as its definitive slogan.

At a press conference this morning at Dove Valley, the Broncos top brass announced the good news.

“We are a nation of Broncos fans and we felt ‘Broncos Nation’ was a more appropriate way to honor the family that is the Denver Broncos,” Broncos President Joe Ellis said. “Red Sox Nation, Laker Nation, and Raider Nation are all great fan bases. We felt a world class organization like the Broncos deserved a world class moniker like those teams enjoy.”

*Artist Rendering

Vice President John Elway, who accompanied Ellis at the press conference, had this to say: “I mean, we looked at all of the options and it just seemed like a good fit. It makes sense for our football club.”

The Denver Broncos’ move to Broncos Nation is not surprising. Since it was the true popular choice of Broncos fans everywhere, it seemed natural that the team would make it official just prior to this year’s draft.

“We want to make sure that when the world champion Denver Broncos get up to that podium to make our first selection,” Elway said, “That we have plenty of Broncos Nation branded merchandise for our first round pick to wear. And to be honest, I’ve been saying Broncos Nation for some time now and was getting pretty darned tired of being corrected by people on Facebook.”

“And it’s a heck of a lot better than Chiefs Kingdom,” Ellis added. “Even Shane Ray will agree with that.”

Broncos Nation makes so much more sense and I for one am glad the Broncos have decided to adopt it as the slogan. Broncos Country always seemed to remind us of the fact that Denver has been considered nothing short of a glorified cow town for years. Broncos Nation not only signals that a world class team plays in a world class city for world-class fans but that we’re not epitomized by something that sounds like a phrase even Kenny Chesney was too embarrassed to put in a song.

Broncos Nation represents the past and the future and as Mr. Ellis stated, it puts us in league with some of the other great fan bases in the country like that of the Raiders and the Red Sox. And now because of this bold decision by the Broncos front office, we’ve demanded the respect we deserve through Broncos Nation and now we’re going to get it.

And almost as an aside to the delivery of this great news, Mr. Ellis wanted everyone to know that there would be another measure installed in the coming season.

“Anyone putting their Broncos horse head logo crooked on their car’s window would be barred from the stadium,” Ellis said. “And not allowed to participate in any Broncos-related discussions in chat rooms and talk radio until the decal was placed properly.”

The logo, supposed to be situated so the bridge of the horse’s nose and the back of its neck rest on the same horizontal line, has been tilted for years by non-fans who are too dumb to understand the basics of situational perspective and corporate branding.

Ellis said, “I’d drive through Denver and see some moron with a tilted horse head on his PT Cruiser and I’d feel like running them off the road and carve it off with the straight razor I carry in my glove compartment. This needs to stop.”

Elway agreed. As Ellis described the horrendous placing of the decal, he rolled his eyes and sighed heavier than any time he’s been asked about his Super Bowl winning team being quarterbacked by Mark Sanchez.

“The Broncos brand is very important to us,” Elway said. “So if anyone is putting that sticker on their car wrong, they’re going to have to answer to me.”

Mr. Elway didn’t elaborate on how he would personally mete out any punishment.

But you don’t have to be punished when you say Broncos Nation anymore. Because the phrase that pays (Broncos Nation) is here to stay. Elway does it again.