My Denver Broncos

by David

I am a Denver Broncos fan. I didn't grow up in Denver. My dad wasn't a Broncos fan. And until now, I have never even lived in Denver. Nevertheless, I am a die-hard Denver Broncos fan.

You might wonder what makes me such a fan? Well, it all started about a dozen years ago when I was 14 years old. I grew up in a small town in Utah. The only local sporting events available to us were either at the local high school, or at the rodeo grounds during the county fair. Attending a professional sporting event was never even an option for us.

However, when I was 14 years old, my father allowed me to skip a couple of days of school and accompany him on a business trip to Denver, Colorado.

Denver seemed unreal to a kid who was used to grain silos being the tallest buildings around. I was in awe of the towering buildings, the diversity of the people, and the amazing variety of restaurants available to us.

On the second day we were in Denver, my father returned to our hotel room from a meeting with two tickets in his hand. He had been given tickets to a Denver Broncos game. But we had a dilemma: The game was on Sunday, and we were supposed fly back home on Saturday.

My dad was not normally a spontaneous man, and he was definitely not one to like being away from home any more than he had to be. He was always anxious to get home because there was a lot to do around our little family farm, and he didn't like adding to the burdens of my mother. Upon my urging (more like begging), I remember my father finally agreeing to call my mother to discuss the possibility of us staying an extra day. I loved my mom for the response she gave. "Of course you should stay. When will you ever have this opportunity again?"

So we stayed. We attended a Denver Broncos football game. We watched John Elway, Terrel Davis, Shannon Sharpe, Rod Smith, Ed McCaffrey, and Jason Elam beat the Seattle Seahawks 30-27 with a 4th quarter field goal in a come-from-behind masterpiece.

As a boy of 14, the electric atmosphere of my first NFL game was magical. The entire event, from pre-game warm-ups until the stadium cleared was entertainment on steroids. In short, I was hooked! I followed the Broncos the rest of that year, and celebrated a Super Bowl Championship with Denver fans everywhere. I was a Denver Broncos fan for life.

Fast forward to 2009--twelve years later. As this now 26-year-old graduated with my master's degree, I had three job offers; one in Los Angeles, another in Las Vegas, and a third in Denver. All three were great offers. However, this small-town boy didn't have to spend even a minute weighing the offers. Only one of these great cities gave me the opportunity to become a Denver Broncos season ticket holder.

Needless to say, I now live in Denver. I love it here as much as I did when I visited as a kid. And yes, I am now a season ticketholder to the greatest team in the NFL--MY DENVER BRONCOS.