One of the elements of the 2007 training camp that has brought continuous comment from team members as well as a number of media is that of fan attendance.
Actually, fan passion is more accurate than attendance.
During the Wednesday morning workout the fans began a “Broncos” chant that drowned out other conversation — and that kind of vitality is welcomed by the team and all the players.
Without fans, where are you? These are the people who demonstrate vocally and by attendance how much you mean to them, and it is an honor to be loved. You can’t force it or demand it, you just have to be grateful for it and try to play up to its standard.
The crowds coming to daily Broncos practices at Dove Valley have been in record numbers, and some of the fans have not missed a single practice, arriving as soon as the fan gate is open and not leaving until the last Bronco has left the field, long after the end of each drill.
This is an amazing phenomenon, and Denver is not alone in fan loyalty among National Football League teams — every team talks up its fans, but there is nothing like the hard reality of statistics to lend a true perspective.
The Broncos have been sold out for every home game since the last game of the 1969 seson, so the team is in its 38th year — its fourth full decade — of complete sellouts. Only the Redskins hve a longer sellout streak. Fans might ask about the Packers, but you have to remember that for many years they annually played half their games in Milwaukee, and some of those Green Bay home games were not sold out.
Roughly 23,000 Bronco season ticket holders have the rights to the over 70,000 seats sold as season tickets, but local TV ratings tell a greater story — the Broncos have been at the very top in local TV ratings among all NFL teams since these market figures started being charted.
To many fans, respectfully stated, the Broncos are a “state religion,” so it’s no wonder that camp attendance is as it is.
The Broncos have appeared in 230 nationally televised games during Pat Bowlen’s tenure as team owner (1984 to the present).
That includes 92 national doubleheader games, 41 Monday night games, 30 Sunday night games, 26 postseason games, 23 preseason games, 15 Saturday (or other) prime time games, and three Thanksgiving Day games. That is believed to be more national exposure than any other AFC franchise has received during that time.
Within the framework of that kind of fervor, the Broncos kick off the 2007 season with a Monday night game at San Francisco on August 13. Nationally televised by ESPN, of course, the first of what fans can expect to be a steady pattern of national exposure this year as well.
Over the last forty years of unbridled passion for the Orange and Blue, it only shows that the more things change, the more they stay the same. Only more so.
Tags: Broncomania, Sellouts, Training Camp
Go Broncos really is our unofficial way of saying hello in Colorado during football season, so, Go Broncos!
Go Broncos! I am so excited that the preseason is right around the corner and the fact the first MNF of 2007 features our beloved Broncos shows alot about the orange and blue.
Hey champ24girl – I agree with you. Saying “Go Broncos” – is like saying hello. I live in Iowa and I bleed orange. Each time I see a fellow Bronco Fan – I live your words. I’m excited for the season to start. Go Broncos.
I agree with the Go Broncos statement as saying hello. GO BRONCOS EVERYONE!!!!!!
we all blead orange the last three seasons but not this year we will take the colts out in the playoffs and have black and silver under our feet looking to you shanahan git it done please i dont want to bleed orange this year
Only the Redskins has more sellouts!!! Sure tells who really loves their teams and who doesn’t. Denver is proud of our FIRST Major Sports team. other cities claim that they have great fans but we show it all the time. Keep up the Broncomania and see the Broncos to Phoenix to Super Bowl XLII
It would be nice to live in an area that greeted each other with “go Broncos”.
I live about 45 minutes north of oakland, in California. It can be a challenge, at times, to find my treasured Broncos memorabilia……..but the “upside” is GREAT !!! I get to watch ALL these raider fans SQUIRM at the pitifullness of their team !!!! Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha. We will win our division early this year. I am anxious to see how Cutler responds to a HUGE compliment bestowed upon him by Coach Shanahan last year. So to be quite honest…..
even if I didn’t have COMPLETE faith in Jay Cutler ( allthough I DO ) I have COMPLETE faith in the football “savvy” of Coach Shanahan!!!!!! GO BRONCOS!
I agree totally. When asked if I am a football fan or a fan of the NFL, I say,”No, I’m a Bronco fan!!!” Nothing like the Broncos on Sunday’s or Monday’s or Saturday’s or even Thursday’s. My day, sometimes my week, is based on the last Bronco game. I live it, I die it. I was born on a Sunday of a Bronco Victory, and I bleed orange and sweat blue. No other fan knows what it is like to be a true Bronco fan. There is no faking the kind of commitment that we have. Go Broncos!!!
BRONCOS FOR LIFE ALL THE WAY TO THE BIG DANCE THIS YEAR!
GO BRONCOS!!!!!!!!!
im from Kc so my blood has to come out red but after a sec it turns ORANGE!!!!!! Go Broncos were gonna go back to the bowl a decade latter
Our D-line is suped up,, we have great db’s a great safety,, our running game back in tact and a QB we stole in the draft,, last yr. bad boys bad boys what ya gonna do,, when the Orange and Blue run wild On you,,,,, Diggit Sucka”"” GO BRONCOS
Broncos have made the right choices in filling the gaps in our defense and will play the Colts again in the AFC Championship. However this time he will have Champ and Bly to contend with. Broncos will dominate.
I consider myself a true, die-hard Broncos fan. I consider myself the biggest fan on the East Coast. Someone please help me out here.
I’ve always been torn between what is stronger…my love for the Broncos or my hate for the Raiders. I guess either way makes me a fan. I have been wrestling with this question all my life and still don’t have an answer. I don’t think I ever will.
I would only offer that the Broncos being a “state religion” is slightly understating the scope of “Broncos Country” if you have a look at the numbers on the Broncos Country Website, it’s pretty astounding….
-Every state in the Union has a registered user
-California has over 500 users even with the Raiders and Chargers
-I was the first user to register in Oregon, there are now 61 members
-Washington (Seahawks country) has over 100 users
-32 members are registered outside of the US
and remember these are only the people who have registered
I could go on but I think you get the point, Broncos are not just a Colorado state religion as much as a national phenomenon. A lot of teams are “hot at the time” (Colts, Steelers, Chargers, Eagles,) but the Broncos have packed training camp since way back in the Elway days up at UNC in Greeley, the sellouts speak for themselves. I am with all of you in the Orange and blue Blood, and I thank the organization for the effort that they always put forth to keep the Broncos at the top of the heap in the NFL!
Was raise in Colorado,and been a fan when they had to give tickets away at first back when they started. down south here in Arkansas.,but my heart is still orange and blue, and forever will be.Like ya’all said we Boncos live it.
I Live in Pa. and I am a season ticket holder. I fly 1,500 miles for every home game and catch some away games as well. I do bleed orange and blue and a die hard BRONCO’S FAN!!!! I salute all the BRONCOMANAICS, and the # 1 organization in the N.F.L. See you all in a few short weeks and let’s get this party started!!! GOOOOOOO BRONCOS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
First of all, shout out to Finkman. That is some dedication. Its my goal to see the Broncos play in all 32 NFL stadiums but to travel that far for each game is incredible.
I really enjoyed this blog posting because it put our passion for the Broncos in perspective. I always wonder how we stack up in terms of support and passion with the other teams. I always knew in my heart that the Broncos had the greatest fans and now I know its true.
And yes, some of the other teams doing well right now might get all the hype and respect but the Broncos and their fans will always stand the test of time.
“but the Broncos and their fans will always stand the test of time.”
Couldnt have said it better tigervixxxen
Finkman, nice! Representing the orange and blue in the Keystone state! There’s more of us here than people realize!
I live very close to Cincinnati and have been an avid bronco fan for 20 years. I have family in Colorado and have always looked forward to traveling to CO in the summer and catching some of training camp w/my wife and kids. We did so in ’05 and ’06. I was surprised at how rude and impatient the grounds and parking staff were, and disappointed at the inaccessibilty of the players (3 random players signing autographs for 40 people. What is that?) I assumed that was league wide, until I took my middle (of 3) son (the only Bengal fan) to Georgetown, KY for an evening Bengal practice this year. I was blown away at the way we were treated they were fantastic the facility was great the crew was polite and friendly. We never once felt like we were a nuissance like we were repeatedly made to feel in Denver. But what really made a difference was after that practice at least 20 players voluntarily walked over to the sidelines and some spent the next thirty minutes signing, collectively 100′s of, autographs and interacting with the fans it’s something my son will never forget. I have almost never say this, but the Broncos can learn alot from the Bengals in this area. I understand that training camp is about getting the players ready, but if you’re going to let fans participate do it right. Commit yourself to treating your fans like they are the ones spending their hard earned money to support you. I will always love the Broncos, but as far as training camp goes the Bengals are hands down better by far at treating their fans with class.
I have been a Broncoholic since 72, When i was a kid It just seemed right.As a young man growing up in Miami and steelers /bears country it just felt right. Later I found out that I was born in the Chinese year of the horse and I understood that it was written in the stars, back in 1996 when I heard that Neil Smith got traded to Us I ran down the street yelling (The Broncos are going to win the Super bowl and as you know we did, back to back!.) Well I got to tell you I’m feeling prophetic again this year, so much so that I went out and got our logo and a Broncoholic 4 life tattoo on my right bicep, Coach done went out and was a gun slinger with the picks and trades in the off season and Cuttler has Nasa POed about steeling their new X-Rocket, THE WEST IS PROPERTY OF THE BRONCO NATION!!! Ladies and Gentlemen.
Im looking forward to see cuttlers arm it sure looked good against sf.I love the broncos and agree 100% with all the comments ,,GO BRONCOS!!
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