Latitude at Altitude

Every Sunday as a kid, I worshipped at a shrine. Now, it wasn’t Mother Cabrini-style beautiful, but I felt it had its charms. It was the only place in the house I was allowed to light a candle, and when I got everything arranged just so… well, the little plastic helmets and mini flag really set off the signed photo of Lyle Alzado I’d hung up behind it. Understanding now how sacrilegious that was, I think the only reason a lightning bolt didn’t rip through the ceiling at some point was that there were also several thousand other Broncos acolytes in my immediate vicinity who were also mid supplication. I was simply in a target-rich environment.

Much more target-rich than the environment the Broncos offense has sputtered to for most of their first five games of this season, when they finally rescued victory from the jaws of defeat in Southern California last weekend. How tough a start is this season for your Broncos? It’s only the second time in history the Colorado Avalanche have won a game prior to the Broncos. When it started looking as if they might give yet another game away against the Chargers last weekend, I was starting to wonder if they’d end up winning one before the Denver Nuggets.

Even in the toughest of times, things work a little differently in Denver for the Broncos and their fans. Over time, you might become a Rockies fan, Nuggets fan, Avalanche fan, or Rapids fan by loving that sport and getting to know your local team. Being a Broncos fan is simply a part of your DNA if you were born in Colorado. It’s still a source of family trouble that one of my Colorado-born children ended up a (shudder) Patriots fan. We’re in counseling. I hope we can find common ground some day.

Even if it seems that stored goodwill is wearing thin, one only needs to look at the sports pages of any Colorado media outlet to understand where people’s priorities sit when it comes to Colorado sports. When it comes to sports at altitude, the Avs, Rockies, and Nuggets could all be in championship contention, and if John Elway varied his lunch routine, there will be three articles on the entrée before you hear about anything else. It’s just the nature of the beast.

Other places have their “lifeblood” teams as well. Los Angeles has the Lakers (though Dodgers fans will fight you about it). Detroit has the Red Wings (though Tigers fans might fight you about it), and Boston has the Red Sox (though Patriots, Bruins, and Celtics fans will fight you about it. Maybe Boston fans just like fighting.) But in Denver, you won’t get much of a fight about the Broncos, even from fans who prefer one of the other three.

The math supports the passion. There’s a ton of good reasons the Broncos won the hearts, minds, and wallets of the faithful. Hell, if nothing else, they were there first, getting to Denver as a part of the AFL in 1960. The Nuggets didn’t join the party until 1967, and the Rockies and Avalanche didn’t make it a party until the 90’s. Championships? The Broncos trio of rings are more than all three other teams combined (though the Avs pair of Stanley Cups are the only other titles currently in town). The Broncos also made it to the title game clear back in 1977, when my Norris Weese jersey was still holding up. They’ve made it eight times in total, with two appearances for the Avalanche, one for the Rockies, and… well, let’s just stop there.

It’s a funny relationship, this Broncos thing. When the Avalanche or Rockies are struggling, it’s easy for me to follow far more casually until things heat up. I try not to miss a Nuggets game, unless it is starting during an odd time or somehow overlaps the job, as I am admittedly head over heels with the Nuggets for a few decades now, even through good times and Bickerstaff times. Bad times. That’s what I meant. Bad times. Freudian slip.

But the Broncos…

Well, the Broncos are in my blood. The Broncos are time with my dad, learning why Steve Foley was always where the ball was, what Tom Jackson had just said to John Madden, or to which devil Craig Morton had traded mobility for arm strength in his waning years. That Lyle Alzado signature came from a day my pop and I spent together at Broncos preseason practices at Colorado State University. That always traveling shrine was as much a tribute to the two months a year I got to spend him as it was a passion for the team. That sort of a thing burns itself into your DNA.

So what is it, Broncos fans? Or even (gasp!) non-Broncos fans? Is it a passion? A blood disease? Did John Elway actually somehow hypnotize us all when he arrived in 1983? There’s something afoot there that compels me to watch this team, even when my eyes tell me they’re in the midst of a tough few years. I still show up at the shrine every danged Sunday. Maybe things would go better if I got that Lyle Alzado pic back out. Hm.