How I reluctantly became a Broncos fan

I have finally experienced my first NFL game. Although it was a Denver Broncos game and not a Minnesota Vikings’ game, I still had a great time. 

 

Since I have recently moved to Denver, Jack’s family invited me to go with them for the season opener last Sunday. His family has had season tickets since the early 1960s and from my understanding, around 95 percent of seats at Broncos games are filled by season ticket holders. Either way, I was honored to have been invited when I knew there were other family members who would have appreciated a Bronco game more. Especially when I have never had an urge to attend an NFL game. I was always under the impression that it would be just as nice, if not nicer, to sit comfortably in my home and watch the game on the TV, be able to hear the comments and watch the replays. But I take that statement back. 

 

Despite being made fun of for being a Viking fan and not necessarily a Broncos fan, I was forgiven by those around me as it was my first time ever at a professional game. And, sadly, I was wearing a Broncos shirt in order to seemingly fit in. 

 

But considering everything, I still had a great time. I’ve been to a handful of Minnesota Gopher football games of course, but going to a professional game is a whole different level. Sitting in the top section of Empower Field and Mile High Stadium, they have the seats marked where it is exactly a mile high – 5,280 feet above sea level. 

 

The fans, though, are what makes it. In college, it seems that going to games is just an excuse to drink for long periods of time and get rowdy. Yes, people tailgate and appreciate alcohol at professional games too, but then there are the people like the ones sitting in front of us, who never drank a drop and were seriously invested in the game the entire time. I was told they never miss a game. 

 

I also had no idea about the camaraderie shared in the stands. You want a crowd mentality? Go to a professional sports game. Just walking up the ramp to the higher floors, there were numerous times when one person would shout out above the noise, “Go Broncos!!” and then the surrounding twenty or thirty people would raise their hands and shout back, “GO BRONCOS!” Their enthusiasm was infectious and my determination to be impartial and continue my Viking pride started to ebb as I began shouting and cheering with the rest of them. 

 

And then there’s the fanfare. Fireworks, planes flying overhead, cheerleaders doing organized dances, and giant flags being run across the field. It was impossible not to feel a part of the team, cheering on the players in orange and booing the Tennessee Titans in white. Unfortunately Thunder the horse was under the weather, so I wasn’t able to see the Bronco run across the field, but when the mascot climbed to the top of the giant scoreboard in the fourth quarter, I was incredibly impressed. 

 

So even though the Broncos themselves did not play to what I was told is the best of their ability, they still won, and I walked out with a smile on my face, a “My first game” button Jack found for me proudly shining on my shirt. 

 

Life is just full of wonderful and exciting things, what can I say? Plus, pumpkin lattes are back, so everything is grand. 

 

My Determination: “It’s just life, so keep dancing through.” – Stephen Schwartz, Wicked