Newcomers who have never witnessed Broncomania need to understand something about Colorado football fans. “Loyal and passionate” barely begin to describe their state of devotion. “Fanatical, zealous, crazed” all come closer.
Who but a Broncos fan, after all, would trade a $2,000 diamond ring for a pair of tickets on the 20? Or barter a vasectomy?
It’s the nameless, shameless fans – the ones painted in orange and blue on game day – who define Broncomania.
Denver is the city that hosted lavish parades in 1978 and 1987 after the Broncos lost Super Bowl games. The crowds were crazed, the air filled with confetti. Imagine if we’d won! (More than a half-million people crammed downtown streets after the 1998 victory.)
Now comes the AFC Championship this Sunday between the Broncos and Pittsburgh Steelers, the biggest game since 1999, when the Broncos beat the Atlanta Falcons in Super Bowl XXXIII.
Baby-faced Mayor John Hickenlooper has immersed himself in the pregame hysteria, growing a beard to honor Broncos quarterback Jake “The Caveman” Plummer.
This is the first championship game at the 4-year-old Invesco Field, a matchup expected to pump $21 million into the city’s economy – hotel rooms, restaurants, car and limo rentals, orange towels. (An estimated 8,000 out-of-towners are expected to visit Denver and drop roughly $1,300 apiece, according to the Metro Denver Economic Development Corp., a $10.4 million windfall we are delighted to have. It’s as if the “American Idol tryouts made a return appearance.”)
Being a Broncomaniac definitely has its stupid moments.
Yesterday, Hickenlooper and Gov. Bill Owens got together at a snow-covered Civic Center Park to declare today Orange Friday. “They won’t do anything nutty,” Owens’ spokesman promised in advance. “These are a couple of statesmen.”
Owens was draped in a bright orange scarf, and Hickenlooper donned a Broncos jersey. Rubbing his hand over the faintest stubble on his cheek, the show-horse mayor quipped: “My wife says this is the stupidest thing I’ve done since jumping out of a plane.”
It’s been seven years since Broncomania has exploded with such fervor, and it’s a sight to behold. The cheers Sunday will be deafening: “Go, Champ – One more yard!”
